April 17th: Vienna’s Beauty

This city is among the most beautiful we have ever seen.  At every corner there is a beautiful building, a lovely park, a stature, a decorated window front, flowers in every corner and along every walkway.  

Jim and Tina dive into the shopping district and hidden places to discover.  Clyde and Krim are on a mission to see the Hofburg Palace so much in the memory of the people in Austria and Hungary.   

Elisabeth was born to a wealthy family in Bavaria and an ambitious mother.  Her mother was working with the Hapsburgs in Vienna to arrange a marriage of her oldest daughter to the future Emperor Franz Joseph.  A meeting was arranged for the two to meet but Franz Joseph was so smitten when he spied the 15 year old Elisabeth (nicknamed Sisi by her family) that he could think of no one else.  Sisi could not believe it when the future Emperor proposed; she declared herself not worthy.  But the pressure was on and before she could adjust, she found herself in the arms of one of the most wealthy and powerful families in Europe since the 1200s. 

 Never comfortable and feeling confined by the responsibilities of her position, the queen Sisi was never the less seen as the most beautiful women in Europe and later, for her support of Hungary  crowned Queen of Hungary   Her life was not happy and finally ended with her being assassinated when she was not yet 50.  

We take a break to duck into the St. Stephans that is a beautiful gothic church to again be amazed by the ability of man to construct such a structure. As early as 1147 the site was dedicated to the church but as usual, it takes money and it takes time to construct these monuments.  Through fits and starts construction resulted in more or less completion in the early 1500s.  Following World War Two the cathedral was damaged by fire but rebuilt in 1952.  It is a beauty more than worthy of a visit.  

We stop by the Opera to see this famous building but alas, no tour until Friday and we will not be there so no tour for us.  “Too soon we cry, we love Vienna and our Hotel”! 

The VIP Lounge is the place to be when not outside exploring the city. At the end of the day that’s where it is happening. We meet Victoria and she treats us like royalty. She always makes sure there is something special there for us and that we are enjoying all that the VIP room has to offer. Victoria is from Tallin, Estonia and talks about her town and tells us about her family. She’s the oldest of the children in her family and is the only one that has ventured away from home. She’s very proud to be working at the Ritz in Vienna and absolutely loves the city. Good luck in the future Victoria, until we meet again!

But leave we must for there are other things we must visit.