A Royal Tour

We woke up early because we had entry tickets to Schönbrunn Palace at 9:15 to see the Royal Apartments and Imperial Grand Rooms. Schönbrunn was the summer palace of the Hapsburgs, the reigning royal family of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Built in the 17-18^th century the stunning Ricoco yellow palace and its formal gardens was a visual feast. The reign of two different monarchs were depicted in the royal rooms; the mid 18^th century reign of Empress Maria Theresia and the last great Hapsburg rulers of the late 19^th century King Franz Josef and his wife Elizabeth (Sisi). Franz Josef actually reigned 68 years and died in 1916 during WWI. He was the longest ruling Hapsburg king in the dynasty’s 600+ year history. His nephew Karl, the last official Hapsburg king, was forced to absolve the monarchy in 1918.

After viewing the ornate royal apartments and staterooms we entered the Privy Garden and strolled along the vine covered arbor paths. Climbing a set of stairs we found ourselves looking onto a magnificent view of the gardens and side of the palace.

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At 11:00 we had lunch at the palace café and then temporarily left Schonbrünn Palace. It was a lovely spring day so we didn’t mind having to travel 20 minutes back to the innerstadt in order to make our 1:00 tour at the Vienna Musikverein. This famous music hall has personal significance for our family. Every year we have gathered on New Years Day and watched  “The Vienna Philharmonic: New Years Day Concert”. This annual concert, of Strauss Famous music and other famous Austrian composers, is held in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.

Two months ago we attended a concert at the Musikverein, but the tour really helped us understand in depth the history and architecture of the building. Our guide was informative and he told us not only about the famous Golden Hall, but also the Brahm’s Chamber Music Hall and the Rehearsal Rooms, which are 30 meters under the Platz (square) in front of the Musikverein. I was particularly impressed with the four full size rehearsal spaces.  Upon exiting the Musikverein we could hear and see a public demonstration against a political party currently under investigation in the Austrian Parliament. It was interesting to witness, a few blocks away, the people’s voices in action.

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Within 20 minutes we were back at Schonbrünn Palace to continue the extensive garden tours. We saw the Orangery (which had palm trees and lemon trees), the fun maze gardens, and finally the hike uphill to the “Gloriette”. This Grecian double colonnade sits atop one of the highest points in Vienna.  The views of the Palace, gardens, and entire city of Vienna were phenomenal! The sun was shining and the cool breeze made it very pleasant to be on the hillside! Back down the hill we strolled through the fragrant rose gardens. There was a little café tucked behind the roses where we had a refreshing drink and afternoon snack.

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That evening we took Turah to our favorite Italian chain restaurant, Vapiano’s. We’ve eaten at several Vapiano’s throughout Europe. After supper we meandered around in the St. Stephen’s Platz Market. All of the vendors were selling local foods and crafts. We purchased Austrian honey and cheese. Our favorite stall belonged to Mikal, who was originally from Russia but had immigrated to Austria when he was a teenager. He was an artist and his art medium was ink linocuts. Turah chose two art pieces, one for herself and one for a friend. We also purchased two lovely linocuts, one of cats and the other of St. Stpehen’s, the Cathedral which majestically rose in front of Mikal’s art stall… as it has done for hundreds of years overlooking other market vendors.

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