Autumn Break Continues: Vienna and Salzburg

We took an early morning flight to Vienna on 10/30. After checking in to the Courtyard Marriott next to Schoenbrunn Palace, we were on our way.

Out of all the European capitals, this is my favorite. The sights, architecture, culture, the food, the music, the desserts - I was in sensory heaven. The Viennese certainly know the good things in life!

Moving around Vienna could not be easier. Trams, trains and buses get you where you want to go and transportation is quite efficient. You can buy day passes or take it trip by trip. As always, any city is best seen by walking so we only rode public transportation in the early morning and then in the evening.

We headed straight to Stephensplatz where the ever imposing St. Stephens Cathedral towers above the Kartnerstrasse shopping district. Built in 1147 and enlarged through the centuries concluding in 1511, it is too large to capture it in its entirety. St. Stephen's is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vienna. In Austria as in Warsaw, you can find a church practically on every corner. Each church has different architectural styles. St. Stephen's is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The church is built of limestone.

Within the cathedral, several chapels are dedicated to different saints. Most interesting are the catacombs that lie beneath the church. There are several crypts. The Ducal crypt holds 78 bronze containers containing the viscera of 78 members of the Habsburg. Their hearts are buried in a crypt within Augustinekirche. For those wondering, it was common for people to request that their internal organs be removed before burial in order to preserve their bodies. This tradition dates back to ancient Egypt. Within the catacombs one will find rooms filled with skulls and bones (a big pile of them) belonging to victims of the bubonic plague. Thing 1 was creeped out and interested in them at the same time. We had to remove Thing 2 from the church due to her need to talk loudly.

Some religious relics contained in St. Stephen's include a piece of table cloth from the Last Supper and the bones of St. Valentine. Mozart's funeral was held in the Chapel of the Cross within St. Stephen's on December 6, 1791.

Speaking of Mozart, one of his only surviving apartments is around the corner from St. Stephen's. He lives at today's Mozarthaus at Domgasse 5 from 1784 - 1787. We took a short tour and a bite of Mozart Cake and coffee before moving on to the Haus der Musik. If you love music and have small children, this interactive museum was an enjoyable diversion from the other museums. The kids were able to learn the waltz, listen to different musical genres, conduct the Vienna Symphony through an interactive baton and much more.

We continued on day two with a visit to Schoenbrunn palace. Schoenbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburg royalty. It is not just a palace. Schoenbrunn is also home to the oldest and possibly largest zoo in the world. At one time, it was the private Habsburg menagerie. You can easily spend two days here.

We went on the Grand Tour of Schoenbrunn that includes 40 rooms. The tour mostly focused on two houses of the Habsburgs: Emperor Franz Stephan and Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria aka "Sisi."

At the age of 6, Mozart's father, Leopold, arranged for Mozart and his sister to perform for Empress Maria Theresa in the Mirror Room. After the performance, he reportedly jumped on the empress' lap and showered her with kisses.

The Palace itself was impressive and the history of the Habsburg was quite intriguing. Especially the legend of Empress "Sisi." "Sisi" as she was known was married at age 15 to Franz Joseph (23 at the time). While most people were fascinated by the couple, the couple were not as close as people portrayed them to be. Despite the emperor's love and devotion to Sisi, history and records of her personal records show that she felt trapped in her marriage, despised court life and was obsessed with her weight and preservation of her beauty. Sisi lived her life separate from the emperor, occupying herself with her own travels. She was sometimes away from the palace for years at a time

Among the many interesting displays is the carriage museum that contains magnificent carriages owned and used by the Habsburgs over the centuries. The most impressive were the coronation and the funerary carriages. Another must see is the Gloriette where you can attain a picturesque view of Vienna. We got there at sunset and it was absolutely stunning.

On our third day, the Cat took the kids to the Schoenbrunn Zoo for the day while my mother, aunt and I took a day trip west to Salzburg. It was about a 4 hour drive by bus to Salzburg including two stops at Landzeit, an autobahn restaurant that puts the pit stops on the FL turnpike or I-95 to shame. Wiener Schnitzel anyone? And it was good! We also stopped at the Lake District for some beautiful scenery starring the Austrian Alps.

Salzburg is famous for several reasons. Mozart was born and raised in Salzburg. Near Salzburg, in Oberndorf, is St. Nicholas church. It was here in 1818 that "Stille Nacht" was first performed. In English, this translates to "Silent Night." And of course, this area was made famous by the Sound of Music. Some scenes were filmed in the Lake District and at certain sights around Salzburg although the Austrians are not very familiar with the movie. The Salzach River divides old and new Salzburg. In the Middle Ages, the river was used as a trade route especially for salt. From Salzach, you can see Hohensalzburg Fortress on Monk's Hill. Built in 1077, it is the main landmark in the city. A pedestrian bridge allows people to walk from one side to the other without having to deal with traffic. In order to get up to the fortress, you can either hike up the steep hill or take a ride in the "funicular" that will drop you off there in a minute.

We visited Salzburg on 11/1, All Saint's Day, which is a recognized holiday throughout Europe. While not as elaborate as the Polish cemeteries on this day, families were visiting graves, laying flowers and lighting candles. We visited a cemetery where Mozart's sister, Nannerl, and Haydn's younger brother Michael are buried.

Salzburg is filled with cafes and shops along it old streets. One street, Judengasee, which literally translates into Jew's Street, ironically is filled with Christmas shops selling hand painted ornaments and other decor. Number 9 Getreidegasse is the house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. The Mirabelle Gardens is adjacent to Mirabell Palace across the river from the fortress. The entire area was used in the filming of the Sound of Music. It was here that Julie Andrews sang "Do-Re-Mi" with the von Trapp children in the Sound of Music.

On the way back to Vienna, we stopped at the Landzeit restaurant for dinner and then continued to our hotel. One thing I must mention is that Austria's autobahn like Germany's provide drivers with a great driving experience. The roads are well paved and it seems very easy to navigate so long as you know the words for enter and exit. The trip ran all day and we returned home quite late.

We started our day at Michaelerplatz at the Hofburg Palace, the winter residence of the Habsburgs. Why they had two seasonal residences within minutes doesn't make sense, but then again they were royalty.

The Hofburg is a vast complex of royal apartments, home of the Spanish Riding School, Augustinkirche, that covers a large area between the Graben shopping district and the Museum Quarter. In front of the entrance to the Hofburg, there is an archaeological site where ancient Roman ruins have been excavated over the past 15 years. Next to the Hofburg is St. Michael's Church. Not too different from all the other churches. However, what makes St. Michael's unique is it's crypt. Viennese nobility is buried here. But that is not why it is unique. The special climate conditions in the crypt have left mummified rather than rotting corpses still in their funerary clothes. They are on display in open coffins. Kind of creepy! Unfortunately for us, we were unable to locate the entrance to the crypt and were a bit disappointed in missing the necropolis beneath.

We started our day with the Spanish Riding School. Established in 1572, it's name is derived from the horses used which were bred in Spain. The Lippizaner stallions used today are descendants from Spanish horses. We were able to attend a performace of their morning exercises to music. It wasn't too appealing to me, but the children enjoyed watching the horses prance to the music. We followed up with a visit to the royal apartments and then Augustinkirche where the hearts of the Habsburgs lie.

All of the above was interesting and historical. However, my favorite part of the day was just walking around the city, listening to Strauss and Mozart played throughout the city, enjoying a Sacher torte and strolling through the Burgarten park amidst autumn leaves. I think the reason we saw so much over a short period of time was because we walked so much. We took in the parks, the State Opera House, Heldenplatz (where Hitler made his famous speech annexing Austria to Germany), Demel (the Imperial bakery), Kohlmarket street, the Graben, the Rathaus, the Imperial crypts at the Kapuchin Church, Votivkirche and Sigmund Freud's home. We also took in a carriage ride much to the children's delight. You can rent one for up to 3 hours. It is a nice way to orient yourself to the city. They can be rented next to St. Stephen's cathedral.

This was one of the best family trips we have ever taken. Vienna is just so charming and very clean. You can tell the Viennese take pride in their city. If I ever get the opportunity to live here, I will move in a heartbeat!