Vienna! I love this place!!

Well, I said I would try to post something specific about our trip, so here it is. I think Vienna is a great place to start, since that is where our tour started.

First of all, the Germans, Swiss and Austrians all refer to the capital of Austria as "Wien", say "veen" (rhymes with english "bean"). This is the home of the Hapsburg rulers, emperors of the Holy Roman Empire for over 600 years, from approx. 1200 AD into the late 1800's. These are descendants of "Karl der Grosse"; Charles the Great; known to most Americans by his French variation, "Charlemagne".

With a history as long and rich (literally AND figuratively)as this empire had, their capital city is going to be full of palaces, royal halls, Theaters and operas (music and art were important), fine hotels and restaurants that are over 400 years old. Can you imagine eating in a cafe that existed before the first pilgrims set foot on the American continent??

I so much enjoyed the time we had to explore Wien. I know that museums and old castles/palaces only hold a certain level of interest for your average teenagers, so I was very careful to help find things that were fun and interesting to the group. We did get to go see the National Library on the first day there. You could SMELL the history! That room was so ornate! The Hapsburgs were great supporters of the Arts and Literature, and, of course a somewhat self-serving interest in History as it evolved. There was an amazing set of globes that had been commissioned a few years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock! The curator informed us that the oldest book in the library was from 1501!! The frescoes and other ornate woodwork were just ........ breathtaking. Even though perusing the books requires very high level contacts, I could have just sat in that room for hours, soaking up the essence of time!!

We also saw the National Treasury, where the crown jewels are on display, along with other significant historical items, such as a saber that actually belonged to Charlemagne! That is a lot of history represented in one place!!

Wien also has what I believe is the world's oldest ferris wheel. That was one of the fun things we tried to make sure our group got to see. The wheel still runs, and the "cars" are just that. Box cars. Well, box-car sized cabins really. They each can hold about 20 people, or you can pay extra (a lot extra) and some of them are set up with nice tables, and each time the wheel comes around, waiters in tuxes bring the next course of your meal! Cool, huh?

Wien is also known for its fine hotels, restaurants and cafes, so eating was very enjoyable. I ate a piece of Sacher Torte in sight of the Sacher Hotel, where the dessert was "invented" nearly 300 years ago. (the actual hotel is very expensive, so I didn't think I could afford to go inside.)

Sorry, here's the History teacher emerging. Did you know that one of Wien's most famous children was also responsible for the French's love of the croissant? Marie Antoinette was the youngest daughter of Maria Teresia, Empress of the Hapsburg empire. Marie was very fond of a pastry that had been baked in Vienna, sorry Wien, to commemorate the survival of the city when it was besieged by the Ottoman Turks. The Viennese bakers had heard strange sounds in the night, and alerted the guards, who discovered the Turks attempting to tunnel into the city. The Turks were held back long enough for a reinforcing army from Poland (part of the empire) to arrive. The bakers then created a pastry to remind the citizens of their victory, so they took a symbol which had been seen on the banners of their enemies......the crescent moon.

When Marie Antoinette was engaged to marry King Louis of France, french bakers celebrated the union by producing thousands of the new queen's favorite pastry from home. so ................

I really loved Wien. I look forward to going back, maybe sometime with Michelle, where we can just spend a whole week, just the two of us!