We Got to Vienna around 5pm Saturday Night.
We checked into our hotel and headed out on the town.
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| The first place we went to was Prater. It's the oldest Amusement park in Austria. You do not have to pay to enter the Park. You just pay for the rides you want to ride, and each ride is a different cost depending on size and intensity. The rides ranged from 1.50 Euro to 5 Euro per person per ride. OUCH! I did not like paying individually for the rides. I would rather pay one big price and let the kids ride the rides however many times they want. |
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| Here we are ready to ride the biggest ride of the night. This ride was so wild. It spun and flipped upside down and made both Brooklyn and I sick. I thought the ride would never be over. We sure love making memories together. |
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| Our kids were the only ones on the swings. They had a blast! |
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| Brooklyn and Kayden ready for take off. |
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| The kids in front of the scary ride. |
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| The kids having fun in the bumper cars. |
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| Can you find all the Bastians? |
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| Brooklyn and Kayden about to collide. |
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| We started our tour with St.Stephen's Cathedral. It was under some renovations. |
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| Here is a statue in all it's Glory. |
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| The inside of the Cathedral was stunning. |
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| This was the entrance to St. Stephen's Cathedral. |
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| The Plague Monument The richly ornamented pedestal can been seen from the city center. It is a monument to how people survived and overcame the plague. Above the kneeling Emperor Leopold is nine chorus of angels in the clouds and they golden Holy Trinity that crowns the monument. It is 18 meters high and is a beautiful replica of the baroque period in art. It is Vienna's largest public monument. |
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| Walking around The Inner City of Vienna. |
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| Brooklyn and Kayden standing in Kohlmarkt |
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| Chandler is just like his mother. He makes friends Anywhere. This is his friend Andrew. They spent time riding on the bus and exploring together. |
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| This is the alleyway leading up to The Hofburg Palace. |
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| Again the crown shows the route the King took. |
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| For many centuries the Vienna Hofburg was the centre of the Habsburg Empire. Today it is home to three museum's you can see how life was back in time to their traditions and everyday life of the Imperial Court. We got to tour the Imperial Apartments with their original furnishings and decorations. It was so awesome. I was not allowed to take pictures. Bummer! We got to visit The Sisi Museum. I totally fell in love with Empress Elisabeth of Austria Aka "Sisi" when I read the Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki, How this Duchess of Bavaria becomes a beloved Empress and a huge player in the relationship between Hungary and Austria. It was super fun to step back in time with her as we got to experience everyday life in the court and the sensitive story of Sisi. |
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| We got to see the famous Lipizzan Horses headed out for some training at the spanish riding school. It was so cool They are so majestic. |
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| In the middle of the square is a statue of Emperor Franz II |
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| This was "The Old Hofburg" |
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| Here we are with our Whisper audio guide ready to learn all about Sisi The Beloved Empress of Austria. |
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| Our tour started with Imperial Silver Collection. The kids and I were just so impressed with the tableware. The evolution of the table ware and how many items and utensils were used each and every meal. How would you like to set a table like this for 50 people? CRAZY! |
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| This is a monument of Empress Maria Theresia. She was the only empress who actually ruled Austria. She ruled and increased the power of the Habsburg family through marrying her children to major power families throughout Europe. You probably know her youngest daughter, Marie Antionette. |
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| This is one of the many museums you can go to. This one was more for children and has many hands-on exhibits. |
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| This is the Austrian Parliament building. It was built in the ancient Greek style and was huge. It was absolutely beautiful. |
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| The kids standing in front of the statue of the Goddess Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. They say that the only wisdom in Parliament is on the outside of the building. |
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| This is the Vienna Rathaus, the town hall. Outside they hold the Christmas market and other festivals here. While we visited, they had a huge ice skating rink with paths through the trees and everything. |
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| Vienna State Opera House. It was originally called "The Court Opera House." It was completed by Gustav Gugitz and Joseph Storck and opened it's doors on 25 May 1869 with a performance of Mozart's "Don Gio-Vanni". Toward the end of World War II March 12, 1945 five bombs almost destroyed the Opera House. Only the Foyer, and the tea room survived the raging flames. It took 10 years for the Opera house to be restored. Today the Opera House has more than 50 productions staged every year, 10 Ballet productions, and 300 Regular productions.It employs over 1.000 employees. Has an annual budget of around 100 million euros with 50% support supported from state subsidy. I wish we had time to take a tour of the inside. We just didn't have enough time in Vienna for sure. It would be cool to see one of the many productions here. |
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| One of the many shopping districts in Vienna. We must have walked up and down this street three times trying to find Brooklyn's souvenir. |
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| Chandler was just worn out. He dropped right here in the middle of Vienna. I guess Four days of straight walking/exploring wears on a little guy. |
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| We had the best tour guide. She asked us if there was any interest in going to a concert. We had about 16 people who wanted to attend a concert Sunday Night. We had the option of buying 66 Euro 55 Euro, or 42 Euro tickets. Jermey and I opted for the 55 Euro tickets. We got to go to Strauss & Mozart Konzerte |
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| I don't know the name of this Concert building. But it was just beautiful and I was sooooo excited to see a concert in Vienna. |
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| The path up to the front doors. BEAUTIFUL! It was funny we all met in the foyer of the concert hall still wearing our coats. We asked if we had to check our coats you had to pay a fee for them to check in your coats. Our tour guide said no. But as we headed up to the concert hall the ticket lady stopped us and directed us all to check our coats. Ha! After we checked our coats, Jeremy and I headed up to go get our seats because it was first come first serve seating. But when we showed our tickets we couldn't get in. The lady said this ticket was not good??? HU? I'm pretty sure we just paid for it. We had to wait for our entire group to go up to the concert hall. I was nervous because lots of people kept going in and I wasn't sure what kind of seats we would get. Well, I didn't have anything to worry about our row was reserved. |
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| We were 6 rows from the stage. It was perfect! It's crazy that people paid 100 euro for the front row when we were 5 rows back for half the price. |
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| Jeremy and Tina at the Strauss & Mozart Konzerte February 19,2017 |
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| Beautiful Chandelier in the center of the Concert Hall |
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| Front Gates to Schonbrunn Palace |
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| Chandler (11) Kayden (17) Brooklyn (14) in front of the Schonbrunn Palace. Schonbrunn Palace is considered to be one of Europe's most impressive Baroque Palaces and is Austria's most visited attractions. We are so excited to go inside and explore this amazing Palace. |
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A little history of Schonbrunn Palace. The Schonbrunn estate came into Habsburg possession in 1569 through Maximillian II It was turned into a hunting lodge. But was unfinished. The unfinished Palace became the dower residence of Joseph I However, he suddenly died in 1711 completely halting constructions for years. In 1728 Charles VI acquired Schonbrunn which he soon gifted to his daughter Maria Theresa because she had a love for Palaces and their gardens. Maria Theresa turned the Hunting Lodge into a Palatial Residence. Ownership of Schonbrunn Palace was passed to the Republic of Austria at the end of the monarchy in 1918. Today, the Schonbrunn Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996, Super Awesome. |
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| We Took the Hour long Audio Grand Tour. We got to see 40 authentically furnished rooms including the State Room and the private apartments of Franz Joseph and Sisi. We also got to see the 18th-Century interiors of the Era of Maria Theresa. This Palace was so beautiful. I was so sad they wouldn't let me take pictures inside. Boo! Seriously if you are in Vienna you need to travel to the West side of Vienna in the Suburb of Hietzing and see this Beautiful Palace. |
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| At the end of the walk way is the crowning Element of The Great Parterre- The Neptune Fountain and on top of that the Gloriette. |
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| Chandler, Brooklyn, Tina, and Kayden In front of the Neptune Fountain, where the God of the sea controls the water. This Art Symbolizes Monarch controlling the destiny of their nation. |
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| The Palace looks out onto a wide pathway, called the Great Parterre. The Gravel path is broken up by eight sections of manicured symmetrical Gardens. Known as The "Crown Prince." It was winter so we didn't get to see these gardens in full bloom. It was a bit disappointing. I bet this place is beautiful in Spring/Summer. Maybe someday we will be able to come back? |
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| The Gloriette is crowned with a mighty eagle perched on top of a globe. We didn't have time to hike up to the Gloriette. Oh these tour buses and their time lines. I think I could have spent all day here. Especially since the Palace had a zoo, and a maze we didn't get to explore. More reason to come back to Vienna. |
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| Me and My Sweetheart on the stairs leading up to the Balcony. I love this Man of mine and so grateful for all our adventures. |
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| Look at this beautiful Family of mine. We sure love Exploring together. Now to get on the Bus for our 12 hour drive home. Vienna it's been real, Peace out! |
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| Here are some interesting Facts about Schonbrunn Palace. ~The Schonbrunn Palace had 1, 441 Rooms. Imagine having to clean all those rooms. UMMM no thank you! ~Schonbrunn means "Beautiful Spring" named after the artesian well from which the court got water. ~Emperor Franz Joseph was born in the Palace in 1830. He also died here in 1916 in his bed at age 86 ~The Vienna Summit was held on June 4, 1961 between President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev the meeting took place in the Palace's Great Gallery. ~ Eight Million people visit Schonbrunn Palace each year. |
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