Day Nine/Ten/Eleven: Vienna, Austria (5-30/31-14, 6-01-14)

On Friday we left from Vienna at 7:30 a.m. The bus was pretty much silent for the duration of the 4 hours bus ride, and we all tried to catch up on the lack of sleep from the action filled week. Hoping for summertime weather in Europe, I did not pack many long sleeve shirts/long pants but was happy that I brought a few pieces along this weekend. The temperature was in the 60’s, a bit to chilly for the shorts and t-shirts that we all brought along. I quickly changed out of shorts and into pants, and I was thankful for some warmth on Friday while touring the city.

Once we arrived in Vienna, we went to one of the many museums downtown and it proved to be one of my favorites that I have been to. Instead of merely having artifacts on display with small plaques describing what they are, this museum told a story of an important individual in history. The Sisi Museum in the Imperial Apartments of the Imperial Palace was mostly dedicated to the life of Empress Elisabeth.

Elisabeth of Austria married into the Habsburg court life of Austria after leaving her carefree lifestyle in Barvaria at the age of 16 after an arranged marriage to her first cousin. Emperor Franz Joseph I. Elisabeth’s life as a empress was filled with long bouts of depression, difficult eating habits that led to her 110 pound body and traveling a lot. Franz Joseph deeply loved Elisabeth and never left her side, even after she paid little attention to him or court life. The museum told the story of Elisabeth’s life and did not just present the artifacts.

(Balcony of the Habsburg Palace where Hitler delivered his speech after the Anschluss when Germany annexed Austria in 1938)

(The Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial in Vienna. Coined the "Nameless Library" because the book spines are turned inward and the content is unknown. There are also no door knobs, symbolizing the possibility of coming and going but not the means of getting there."

That night we all went to the Prater Amusement Park to enjoy some more carnival rides. Apparently the Czech Trip tradition is to ride the Giant Ferris Wheel and I shortly found myself 200 feet above Vienna. I HATE heights but I always try and overcome my fears and eventually enjoyed the beautiful sunset views.

We then did the unthinkable and decided to ride the tradition “swings” that most carnivals have, except this time they were 117 meters up in the air and spinning in a circle. Think of the tradition swings and the huge towers that drop people straight down at amusement parks. Of course I was freaking out but I did like the adrenaline rush once we were up there!

On Saturday we visited the Schonbrunn Palace, the Habsburg’s summer palace in Vienna. It sits on the old hunting/recreational grounds of the city and has over 1,400+ rooms, definitively enough for me to live in! Once again we learned more about the Habsburg family and Empress Elisabeth but I enjoyed strolling through the 400 acres of gardens behind the palace most. We climbed up the gardens in the back to the Gloriette structure to get some breathtaking views of the city. We then ventured through the various rose gardens. There was absolutely no way we could have seen this entire beautiful palace in the 3 hours that we were there!

After we left the palace we went to the Museum of Military History to get a glimpse of the car that Francis Ferdinand was assassinated in that sparked the beginning of WWI. We were all smacked with a huge bummer once we got there after we realized that the exhibit was closed, but I was still able to view all of the WWII memorabilia so it was a plus for me. While I studied at Harlaxton last year, my teacher, Dr. Bujak, taught us the various tanks that both sides used and it was interesting to see them up close and personal.

We then went to the Kunsthistorisces Musuem (Museum of Art History) in the city center and hung out at the Maria-Theresian Platz. She was the only female ruler of the Habsburg family and birthed 16 children.

Saturday night we stayed in the city of Mikulov at a WONDERFUL hotel. We were greeted with a delicious dinner, had a room with our own patio and a delicious breakfast waited for us when we woke up the next morning!

On Sunday we traveled the unique castle of Bitov. It was built in the 11^th century and is one of the oldest and largest Moravian castles. I described it as unique because of the wall paintings that look like carved rock and wooden panels but mostly because of the taxidermy collection. Even though I’ve grown up with deer heads hanging on our walls at home, I got my first look at stuffed birds, owls, lions, DOGS, CATS and squirrels playing poker. Apparently it was supposed to satirical towards the aristocracy, however I saw it was just plain creepy!

We then ventured to the Znovin Znojmo Winery for our first winery tour of the trip. I typically do not like wines, however it was very nice to tour this old monastery and then try some delicious wines. After nearly 2 hours of sitting on the back porch, eating cheese, sipping on some delicious wines and chit chatting with our professors we finally made our way back to Olomouc.

I know I truly love a place when I long to get back, and I can not tell you how excited I was to be able to sleep in my bed in the Hotel Gol last night. This week is filled with more adventures in and around Olomouc before we head to Budapest, Hungary this weekend!