(Part 2) Vienna the City of Splendor: Meeting the Austrian Royal Family

- December 28, 2018, Friday.

- Vienna is not shy to show its royal glory. For a city that has been the historical capital of the empire and the country of Austria for so long, it has every right to do so. There are so many palaces in Vienna, it is said that there might be one in almost every corner of the city! On my second day in Vienna, I was on a mission to peek into the lives of the Viennese royalty, and even "meet" some members of the Austrian royalty, particularly the Habsburgs.

- My first stop for the morning is one of Vienna's most well-loved palaces, the Schönbrunn Palace (take the metro to Schönbrunn station.) Built as a summer residence west of the city center in the 1500s by Emperor Maximilian II, this palace seemed to have a world of its own as it was far from the hustle and bustle of the city center.

Schönbrunn.

I dressed up as Oaken from Frozen because people said I looked like him. Hoo hoo!! Big summer blowout!!

Now with more "proper" and non-Oaken clothes.

- As many people visit the palace everyday, it is best to purchase a ticket from their online website (click here). Once you enter the palace grounds, go directly to the palace, no need to go to the ticket office, and enter the turnstiles once the time indicated on your ticket flashes on the digital clock. I actually had a bit of confusion, and ended up I entering late. I was supposed to buy a new ticket, but the kind lady at the turnstiles let me in anyway since it wasn't a busy day and I was alone. The palace had endless rooms though the arrows were helpful in leading the way. There was a short and long route, and unsurprisingly I took the longer route. I was already there, so why not make the most out of it. (Photography not allowed inside.)

Backside.

The arches at the back is called the Gloriette. I wasn't able to go there because it was raining.

- Just as I was about to explore the gardens, it rained. Finding a place where I could dry off, I thought that maybe I could just take the metro, dry off inside the train, and ride to Karlsplatz to continue my day. I was supposed to visit the Fine Arts Museum (Kunsthistorisches Museum) and Natural History Museum but the lines were too long. Instead I hopped over to the museums inside the Neue Burg, which was right beside the Fine Arts Museum. The Neue Burg is one of the buildings of the Hofburg Palace complex. The Hofburg Palace, built initially in the 13th century before expansion throughout the centuries, has a rather confusing layout, especially since it is made in such a way that it integrates the outside world inside the palace. It's not like the Schönbrunn Palace or any other palace that I have visited where there is a clear gate or entrance that lets people know whether they are inside or outside the palace grounds. By the way, the Hofburg Palace was also the primary residence of the Habsburg royalty. The Habsburgs ruled the Austrian Empire for many centuries, and it's interesting to note that they came from a small royal family in Switzerland, before booming to power and ruler over many parts of today's Europe. I wasn't able to enter the Hofburg because of the long lines; I didn't get to buy a ticket beforehand as I had wanted to see the Schönbrunn more than the Hofburg, although the Hofburg Palace is a reason why I might consider going back to Austria in the not-so-near future.

Neue Burg.

City history.

If you're into the Eurovision song contest, then I'd like to tell you that this is Conchita Wurst's costume during the finals. For those of you who don't know what the Eurovision is, it's an annual singing contest among countries that are part of the European Broadcasting Union. In 2014, Austria was represented by a drag queen named Conchita Wurst who came out the stage as a bearded lady, and sang "Rise Like a Phoenix." Conchita won first place that year.

I ope the horses don't feel too cold.

- After having lunch in one of the restaurants inside the Hofburg, I went to the Augustinerkirche or the Augustinian Church beside the Hofburg. This 14th-century church is easy to miss since, unlike most churches, its facade was not well defined, and so looking for the entrance can cause a bit of confusion as well. This small church has a room called the Herzgruft, or the "Hearts Crypt," which has urns of more than 50 members of the royal Habsburg family; unfortunately it was closed when I visited, as the Herzgruft was only open after high mass and by appointment.

The Hofburg Palace from Michaelerplatz.

Inside Augustinerkirche.

Let's imagine we're seeing the actual Herzgruft.

Augustinerkirche.

- The Habsburgs had a rather unconventional way of being interred. Whenever someone in the family died, they would be interred in three places: the hearts would go to the Herzgruft in Augstinerkirche, their bodies in the Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt) at Kapuzinerkirche, and their innards in the Herzogsgruft (Duke's Crypt) at St. Stephen's Cathedral. The practice of burying a body in two or three different places had been practiced in Europe since he ancient times, although it was sometimes forbidden when Catholicism became dominant in Europe due to differences in beliefs on "proper" death rituals.       

- From the Augustinerkirche, I got lost through the lively and cobble-stoned alleys of old Vienna before reaching the Theater Museum. It was a small museum that housed some exhibits from Austrian theater archives. However, for a theater museum, it seemed a bit underwhelming. I suppose most of the things I expected like flamboyant theater costumes and props were exhibited in other bigger museums (I liked Museo Teatrale in Milan a lot more; click here to see).

Theater Museum.

Scale model of an old theater.

Higly detailed, up until the last string!!

Ceiling of the Eroica Concert Hall, named after Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, "Eroica."

Plans.

Oh look, Chinese marionettes!!

- Not spending much time inside the Theater Museum, I found my way to the 17th-century Capuchin Church (Kapuzinerkirche) in the Neuer Markt area. Though this church looks small and simple on the outside, it hides one of Vienna's most important "treasures" - the bodies of the Habsburgs themselves!! As mentioned above, the Imperial Crypt of the Kaisergruft is found at the basement of this small church. It contains the bodies of around 150 Habsburg family members. The Imperial Crypt was bigger than I expected, and it was both exciting and hair-raising to be so close to the former Austrian royalty (so yes, this was me, "meeting" the Habsburgs, at least, their bodies inside their elaborately-ornamented bronze tombs.)

Capuchin Church.

The tombs were just laid out like this. It's easy to just go up to the coffins and touch all of them. Of course, I did not do that.

Of course the bigger tombs were for kings and queens. This one is for King Joseph I.

Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and Maria Theresa, some of the most notable rulers of the Habsburg Dynasty.

King Franz Joseph I, the longest reigning monarch of Austria, and the third longest in Europe so far. He ruled for 68 years!!

The Capuchin Church above the crypt.

Streets around Neuer Markt..

- After paying a visit and rubbing elbows with the Habsburgs, I walked towards Stephansplatz, or St. Stephen's Square, which probably can be thought of as the heart of the old town. Similar to Salzburg (click here), Mozart has yet another home in the heart of Vienna, just behind the St. Stephen's Cathedral. Mozart's apartment, also called Mozarthaus (managed by Wien Museum), was Mozart's home from 1784 to 1787. He did not live there too long, but it was a well-preserved apartment that allows visitors to get a glimpse of life back in the 18th century. (As with the other Mozart houses, no photography inside.)

Opera costumes.

Loophole again: I took a photo of this since the "no photo" signs were just inside the galleries. This is what the apartment looks like from the inside.

Apartment from the outside.

- I spend the rest of the day leisurely walking around and inside St. Stephen's Cathedral. It was far better seen during the day because the sunlight highlights the different colorful geometric figures and patterns on the roof of the church. This 12th-century church has been the main church of Austria, and its massive size and roof designs make it Vienna's most iconic landmark. Unfortunately I didn't have much time to explore the whole church, but at least I was able to see inside (don't worry, I eventually would explore the church on another day.)

There was not much space to work with so it was hard to get a photo of the whole church.

I want a to have a shirt with the patterns on the St. Stephen's Cathedral's roof. 

Front.

Interior.

- That evening, after having dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant (because my Asian self will always look for Asian food,) I made sure that I had a full night's rest since I was going to have a "bonus leg" for my European trip. As I was based in Vienna for a good 5 days, I thought of doing a day trip outside the city. Realizing that Vienna was at the far eastern side of Austria, it was a gateway to many Eastern European countries, with some cities close enough and compact enough for a day trip. The closest to Vienna, perhaps, was the cozy Slovakian capital of Bratislava!!

- Please don't forget to read about my other adventures in Germany, Austria, and Slovakia here:

GERMANY:

Berlin and Potsdam: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here

Munich and Schwangau:  Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here

AUSTRIA:

Salzburg: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here

Vienna: Part 1 here, Part 3 here

SLOVAKIA:

Bratislava:  here