Imperial Treasury and horse and carriage ride

Friday, May 10, 2019.  Today we went to the Imperial Treasury in Vienna.  The Treasury houses the crown jewels and includes items that are 1000 years old.  We saw the insignia and gems of the Holy Roman Empire with the Imperial Crown and the Holy Lance.  We saw the crown of Emperor Rudolf II, the Messornat and other treasures of the Order of the Golden Fleece, a cradle for the Roman king, and more.  The audio tour was fantastic.  

Afterwards, we ate lunch and then took an hour long horse and carriage ride through the streets of Vienna.  Beautiful. 

We got ice-cream on the way home, read, and then went to the park from 8-9:00.

Wonderful day!

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Spanish Riding School, Silver Collection, Sisi Museum & Hofburg Imperial Apartments at the Palace

Thursday, May 9, 2019.  Today we went to the Hofburg Imperial Palace, which is one of the biggest palace complexes in the world and just as stunning as the Schönbrunn Palace.  Construction first started in the 1200s and was the residence and seat of government of the Habsburg emperors until 1918.  While the audio tour of Schönbrunn focused primarily on Maria Theresa, this tour focused largely on Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Sisi.

We also saw the horses exercising at the Spanish Riding School, toured the Habsburg silver collection, and toured the Sisi Museum.

We were exhausted, so we then came home to relax (and, of course, play at the park).

Breakfast at our B&B with our host, Edith

We were not allowed to take pictures at the Spanish Riding School, so this is just a picture of a picture.

From the silver collection.  Picture edited by Ridgely.

 

Lunch at the Palace

One of the rooms in the Palace.  There was no photography allowed, so this is just a picture of a postcard in the gift shop.

At the park

Museum of Natural History

Wednesday, May 8, 2019.  Today we walked to the Museum of Natural History in Vienna, which was founded in the mid-1700s by  Emperor Franz I Stephan of Lorraine, Maria Theresa's husband.  After his death, Maria Theresa gave the collection to the state, and it was opened it to the public.  It's not as big as DC's Natural History Museum, but large and wonderful, nonetheless.  

After walking back, we went to the park and later got ice-cream.  It was a great day!

Schönbrunn Palace, Maze/Labyrinth and Zoo

Tuesday, May 7, 2019.  Today we went to Schönbrunn Palace, which was the summer residence for the Habsburgs beginning in the 1500s.  Although it is now big (1,441 rooms), we only toured 40 rooms.  In this tour, however, we saw where Marie Theresa (mid-1700s) raised her 16 children, the room where a six-year old Mozart played his first big gig and where Marie Theresa's great-great-grandson Franz Josef (1848-1916) lived with his wife Elisabeth (aka Sisi).

After the tour, we walked through the Palace gardens and mazes/labyrinth.  What fun!

We then spent the remainder of the day at the Schönbrunn Zoo, which is within the Palace complex and was fantastic!  It was built in 1752 by Marie Theresa'a husband, making it the oldest zoo in the world.  It was originally built for the entertainment and education of the court, but was then opened to the public.  The kids and I were impressed that the animal enclosures were so much larger than DC's National Zoo.  Interestingly, most enclosures housed multiple species, which seemed to work beautifully.

We took the tram back to the apartment, stopping at a grocery store on our way home.  We arrived home by 8:00pm and then...  went across the street to play in the park.  We got back at 9:30pm.  GREAT day, but we were all exhausted!

Praha to Wien

Monday, May 6, 2019.  We had a relaxing four-hour train ride from Prague to Vienna.  Our new digs are very different than any of our others.  The location is fantastic.  The place is filled with cool antiques and very cozy.  It's a B&B, so we are sharing the apartment, but we do have our own space.

After we settled, we went for a walk, went out to dinner and played at a park.  :)

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