The second stop in my summer European adventure was the seat of the Hapsburg Empire – Vienna, Austria. Pictured behind me is Schönbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburg family.
Vienna was probably the city I was the least excited for in my three-stop trip across Europe. Besides being the title of a wonderful Billy Joel song, there truly wasn’t much I knew about its history or culture. Having been the creator of the trip’s itinerary, I had designated the least amount of time to Vienna, as I truly didn’t expect that there would be too much to see.
Boy, was I wrong.
Vienna is a city overflowing with art, culture, and history. On the very first day I was there, I explored all around the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which is one of the largest art museums in the world.
It’s also just beautiful to look at (much like everything else in Vienna, but you’ll figure that out in a bit).
Inside a e tallery in the museum
I have no idea what the context of this painting is, but I love it and I aspire to be her.
The next day, we decided to explore the more royal side of Vienna and went to Schönbrunn Palace, which is pictured above. It was the summer home of the royal family, which I think needs to be emphasized because if THIS
is the summer home, then what on Earth does their actual home look like? (Don’t worry, we’ll get there).
After taking an exorbitantly expensive horse carriage ride around the garden and getting my dress eaten by a horse:
Me realizing my dress was being eaten by a horse, captured in real time.
We went inside the palace to view the Imperial Apartments, which are just as overly fancy and ridiculous as they sound. Also, you weren’t allowed to take pictures, but based on how many pictures I include in an average post, how do you think that went over?
When you’re trying to make it look like you’re just sending a text message #sneaky
A ballroom in Schönbrunn Palace
Besides seeing some outrageously extravagant bedrooms, I actually learned quite a lot on my tour through the Imperial Apartments. The main historical focus of the tour was on the last emperor and empress of the Austrian Empire, pre-World War I: Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Elisabeth – but more commonly known as Sisi. The audio guide explained that while Franz Joseph was an incredibly hard-working man, a loving father and husband, and an all-around 10/10 guy, Sisi was another story entirely. She was unfriendly, antisocial, and unloving to her family. She spent hours every day on her beauty regime, and hardly ate in order to maintain her figure. She even complained about how awful Austria was, while she was the empress of Austria. My mom, sister, and I walked out of the tour and into the souvenir shop ranting about how unfortunate it was that Franz Joseph got stuck with someone like her.
What we were surprised to find, however, is that the souvenir shop was entirely covered with her. There were Sisi magnets. Sisi T-shirts. Sisi pens. Sisi shot glasses. It was as if Austrians actually worshipped this woman who had despised them so much. What we couldn’t figure out was why.
We found out the next day at the Sisi Museum (yeah, this chick has an entire museum dedicated to her), which is located inside the Imperial Palace (a.k.a the actual home of the Hapsburgs).
The Sisi Museum is set up as a physical journey throughout her life. It begins at her childhood, where she was raised in the German countryside, far away from court etiquette and rules. She was never raised to know how to live at court, and yet was thrust into such a life at only fifteen years old when Franz Joseph saw her and instantly fell in love with her. She was incredibly nervous and shy, and was mocked by almost everyone at court for not knowing how to behave. When she had children, they were instantly taken away from her since she was not trusted to raise them properly. Oh also, remember Franz Joseph? The absolute stand-up guy we all loved? He cheated on her all the time.
Sisi loved to travel and write poetry. She was incredibly intelligent, and felt that her opinion was never considered because she was a woman and considered to be stupid, since she didn’t know the ways of court. Even her obsession with her looks is understandable – it was the only thing in her life that she could control. And honestly, who wouldn’t lash out when feeling as if they were stuck in a life they had no power over?
I wish I had spent more time in Vienna, as in the few days I was there, I truly grew to love it. In that short amount of time, I learned not to judge so quickly. We all have our hidden demons, even the princesses and the empresses I wanted to be as I gallivanted around palaces. We all have our own ways of coping. She used writing and travel as an escape, as a safe haven from all the pressure she faced in her everyday life. Based on this blog, I think it’s easy to tell that I do the same.
And perhaps that’s the beauty of seeing new places and learning new things – you begin to see similarities between people – even a 19th century empress – whom you once believed were so different from yourself.
A painting of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi.
I enjoy learning about the history of countries you visit, but what I love reading are YOUR stories. They make these blogs more personable and fun to read.