The Magnificent Vienna, Austria

For more photos, look at Whitney's photo albums labeled by city on Facebook.

When we got into Vienna, it was late afternoon and my birthday was fading fast. We needed to find the hotel that we had booked especially for my birthday (which was only slightly more than staying in our hostel).
So, just like in every other city, Collin quickly devised a public transportation plan for us and we were off. And, just like in every other city, we came out a little wary about what we saw. A lot of closed-down shops, reconstruction projects, and not a piece of beautiful architecture in sight. But, it was my birthday, and I refused to have a bad attitude.
We found our hotel, which was out of character for the neighborhood. The tables in the dining room were covered in ironed red tablecloths and the furnishings were modern and fresh.
When we got to our room, we were pleased to find that we didn't have a view of the street, but instead, the courtyard in the center of the building.
The most important part of the room, however, was the fan. There was a fan pointing directly into the center of the room, and we looked at it like someone opened the doors to a steakhouse and said, "Have at it!"
After talking a little bit about the fancy dinner we'd been planning, I realized that I would like to go to a movie. A movie in English, with characters I know and love. Somthing that would make me feel at-home on my birthday.
There was only one option: Sex and the City 2.
It was supposed to be horrible, and I guess if you are looking for a storyline and good writing, you might think it was so. But for me, it was a chance to see a few familiar faces with familiar attitudes and perspectives.
It was great. Afterward, Collin and I window shopped on our way home and talked. Just talked happily as we made our way back to our version of luxury. We had bathrobes and slippers waiting for us in the room, and a TV that offered a few shows in English.
In the morning, we feasted on the buffet breakfast they offered at the hotel, complete with fine cheeses and freshly baked croissants. Then, we shopped around the little stores that we felt lucky that we were in the less expensive part of town. We got an alarm clock--finally--so that we could be sure to make it to our bus on time, and Collin got a pair of shorts, which he needed becasue two of his pants had been destroyed in the last three weeks from the wear of traveling.
After a VERY cheap lunch of schnitzel for Collin and durun kebap for me, we made our way back to the hostel that we would be staying in for the next four nights.
We checked in and got settled after a lengthy walk from the undergroud station, and while Collin caught up on blogging, I found a pamphlet on Vienna, which we needed to tell us what we should see while we are here.
I found quite a few things that we needed to see: the Hofburg Palace, the Schonbrunn Palace, the Belvedere Palace, the Museum Quartier, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and the Freud Museum.
I also found a small train that takes people to the wine country just outside of the city. Busabout, the company we're traveling with, offers a trip like it for $65 per person, and it is centered around wine drinking, so reluctantly we passed on taking it because we weren't even going to partake in the activities that cause the high price. I was disappointed because I expect the Austrian countryside to be just beautiful, so when I read about the Vienna Heurigen Express, a wine country trainthat it only costs $10 per person, complete with narratives in English, the "romantic Vienna woods," and the beautiful coutnryside views, I was ecstatic!
After planning a few days' activities, we homed in on one more attraction: the Rathaus Annual Film Festival.
From July 3rd to September 12th, Vienna's town hall (a majestic and expansive building with spires and statues adorning its outer walls and roof) hosts thousands of Vienese and toursists while they watch recordings of ballets, operas, symphonies, and concerts.
Because we didn't want to waste the day, we decided to go. At sundown, the film would begin, so after another cheap meal, we headed to Rathaus.
We were in awe when we arrived. The buildings and public space were breathtaking. The screen was enormous, and people were mingling and eating at the nearby restaurants before the film started at 9. We found fantastic seats and waited until the show began.
When it did, we were impressed by the amazing sound quality of each instrument and voice that accompanied the National Ballet of France as it performed "Ballets Russes."
The night air was the perfect temperature, and the sky was clear so that we could see the stars--even in the city. The huge screen stood just in front of the beautiful Rathaus (Town Hall), so from every angle the view was spectacular. I mean every angle. When we turned around, there was another ENORMOUS white building with a dome in the middle that was lit beautifully. And to our right and left, there was a romantically paved park where people were chatting and smoking through the evening. As we left, the building turned on the small white lights in the alcoves of the architecture in the Rathaus, which made for a splendid sight to see!
Vienna might rival Paris as the most romantic city in Europe. I can't remember a single moment when a smile wasn't on my face or a kiss on my lips. We are just so happy here, surrounded by so much rich, beautiful history.
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This morning, we woke up late and decided to hit the ground running on seeing the sights. We've learned that the best thing to do is see the main sights first. In Prauge, we would have been much more impressed with the city had we gone to see the most important sight first.
So we headed to the Hofburg Palace.
This palace was the residence of the six-century-long monarchy of the Habsburg family, which was once the most powerful empire in Europe.
There are 10 buildings that comprise the palace complex, most of which have been converted into museums.
Some of the main attractions, however, are: the family's silver collection containing hundreds of years of fine dining ware fit only for the Habsburgs; the Sisi Museum that showcases the life and personality of one of the most posthumously popular Austrian royals: Elisabeth of Bavaria; and of course, the Imperial Apartments in which the royal family spent most of their time.
We purchased our tickets to these three exhibits and grabbed hand-held audio guides. The first thing we saw were the dishes. They were made of the most exquisite gold, silver, and later, porcelain. In the beginning, the hundreds of pieces that went into each set were hand-painted. Some of the sets were inherited from family and friends in other countries, and others were made in the royal silver and porcelain shops.
When we thought we'd seen it all, TWENTY more rooms followed! There were dishes from almost every decade for hundreds of years. They were so intricate and ornate! Breathtaking! So much wealth in the dinnerware alone! We learned about the dining etiquitte that the vistitors and family used on a daily basis as well as on special occasions.
After the LONG tour through the thousands of dishes that still exsist after the monarchy fell at the end of World War I, Collin was starving, so we headed out to find lunch.
When we returned, we worried that the two exhibits we had left to see would be as in-depth.
The exibits were incredible and luckily not insufferably long.
We saw the Sisi Museum first.
Elizabeth of Bavaria was born in Munich to a somewhat royal family who tended to stay out of the formal life that other royal families lived. Elizabeth, or Sisi as everyone called her, grew up in a very carefree and unrestrained household, so when she was asked to marry the man who would become the Emporer of Austria, she did, but found herself unhappy for the rest of her life.
She felt restrained by the life of an Empress, and constantly sought refuge in other countries, poetry, horseback riding, learning other languages, and obsessive diet and exercise. She was 5'8" and approximately 100 pounds at her heaviest. She was revered for her beauty, which was complemented by her ankle-length hair.
Her very depressing life, which in the final years was clouded by the memory of her son who committed suicide, ended when an Italian anarchist assasinated her as she boarded a ship.
The exhibit was interesting because we got to see so much of such a prominent figure in Austrian history, but it was so sad. Although much was said about how her husband adored her, nothing was said about their mutual affection.
The final part of the tour was through the Imperial Apartments, which were impressive. We saw the private rooms with murals painted by famous artists, gorgeous furniture, lush red carpeting in every room, gold painted trimming on all of the doorframes and around the ceilings. We saw where the family ate their 7-14 course meals every day, and where they bathed when the day was done.
If ever there was a palace to end all palaces, this would be it. The whole experience was exactly what you would think of when you imagine the life of royalty--twofold. To be in the presence of such elegance and wealth was somewhat suffocating, but it was incredible to se that royalty like that actually exsisted!
After heading for a quick look at Museum Quartier, which is supposed to be a hip, happenin' place for young people and artists but was really a kind of boring stark area with a few restaurants, we hopped on the underground and headed back to our hostel.
Collin is watching the World Cup, and I am looking forward to the Schonbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburgs, and the St. Stephen's Cathedral tomorrow!

Footnote: Sorry!! I HAD to say how AMAZING THE ICE CREAM IS! We were looking around, wondering why seemingly all the locals had a cone in their hands! So, around noon, which is an appropriate time to start eating ice cream in the day (not like starting to drink at 3 p.m.), we detoured into a cute and busy ice cream shop. We ordered the cones medium cones, which we found could accomodate three flavors. I got pistachio, walnut, and hazelnut (also known as walnusse and haslenusse (I was feeling nutty)), and Collin got Flor Di Basco, coffee, biscuttino. We HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH FABULOUS ICE CREAM. The flavors were so potent and so perfectly sweet. No wonder we see hundreds of people with ice cream in their hands everyday! Biscuittino ended up being my favorite. It is a really rich wafflecone flavored ice cream--it was to die for!!