Saturday through Sunday 27 Sept - 5 Oct 2008

Vienna

This capital city was once the seat of the Austrian Empire and the playground for the wealthy Habsburg Monarchy.

St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Considered to be the most important religious building in Vienna, St. Stephen’s is the seat of the Catholic Church in Austria. A combination Romanesque and Gothic building its construction began in the 12th century.

The exterior highlight is its ornately decorated coloured roof which consists of over 200,000 glazed tiles.

Opera House

Vienna has always been synonymous with the greats of classical romantic era music. Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss all lived, composed and played in Vienna. One of Vienna’s prime performance venues is its Opera House, and it was something else.

The Habsburgs

This family was in power in Europe for almost 6 centuries acquiring immense wealth and truly didn't hesitate to show it off. We visited the Palace Treasury and Amy decided that instead of a new house, she would like this tiny emerald.

They even showed off in death as you can see from the sarcophagi in the family crypt.

Schönbrunn Palace, built in the late 1600’s, was patterned after Paris’ Versailles and is a close second in its grandeur and incredible formal gardens. Basically, the Habsburgs used it for entertaining purposes throwing grand parties here. Not a bad summer cottage.


Culinary Delights

Some fancy, some not so fancy, but in each instance, OH so good. One of my “missions” on this trip was proper sausages. While I’ve quite taken to British fare, I really don’t care for their sausages. I reached nirvana when I introduced myself to a käsekrainer, a german styled sausage with cheese included in the meat. Grilled by street vendors and served in a roll, I had one at every opportunity.

Then we enjoyed a proper original Viennese treat. Sitting at a table outdoors of Hotel Sacher, we sampled a Sachertorte at its place of origin.