Wien, Austria (Part 2)

 Day 2 and 3 in the magical city of Wien.  We were enchanted by what we had seen so far and couldn't help but head out early so we could soak up as much as we could before catching our train the next afternoon.  The weather was beautiful, and we were eager to walk and enjoy the sunshine.

Our first stop, a horse and carriage ride.  The girls are such good sports about doing the adult things we drag them too, that we like to throw in some pure, childlike fun whenever we can.

Playing, "Let's make a Stinkerbell Sandwich"...

We grabbed some lunch at the oldest operating restaurant in Vienna (pictured above) and played around a bit in the sunshine before hitting the museums.

The first Museum of the day was the Schatzkammer, at the Imperial Palace.  Easily one of the most important, valuable, and impressive collections in the world, it houses over 1000 years worth of history.  Containing both secular (imperial artifacts from the house of Hapsburg) and ecclesiastical collections, it includes some of the rarest religious artifacts in existence.  The museum is sprawling and each room is more impressive than the last.  MadHatter couldn't stop speeding through each room just so she could see what was in the next one.  I couldn't blame her.

Imperial Christening gowns.  I think they are heavier than the baby wearing them, but they are gorgeous!

These two pictures are my favorite though.  They hold a tooth from John the Baptist, and a piece of the tablecloth from the Last Supper.  They also have a nail from Jesus' right hand from when he was pinned to the cross and a piece of his cross.

Our next stop was the Sisi Museum.  This museum tells the story of the beloved and reclusive Empress Elisabeth (Sisi).  Set up in the Kaiser Apartments, the museum tells the life of a young woman born into Bavarian Royalty, married into the life of Empress and murdered, at age 60, by a deranged young man.  It shows a deeply unhappy and lonely woman who was misunderstood by her subjects, but did nothing to change their opinions of her.  Her story is very compelling, and if you get the chance I would suggest visiting.  It really was one of the more interesting museums.

But the kids were losing interest after two museums, so we thought we would take them back to the butterfly house we had seen earlier.  It was the right move, they were hopping for joy and loved being in the midst of all of the butterflies.  Personally, skip it if you don't have children...It did seem to be the same types of butterflies over and over again, and half of the flowers were fake.  But the girls had a great time, so it was well worth it for their smiles alone.

Outside the Albertina.  One museum we did not have a chance to visit.

It had been a long day, and we still had to have dinner and pack up as we had to check out in the morning.  So, we headed back.

Our final day in Vienna, we had only one thing to see - The Spanish Riding School.   The Spanische Hofreitschule is the only location in the world that teaches in the Renaissance tradition the "High School" method.  Having done so for the past 440 years, they have built quite a reputation around the world.  The Spanish in the name comes from the horses they use - the Lipizzaner Stallions - a cross between Spanish, Arabic and Berber horses.  These snow white stallions, and their riders, put on a performance like no other and are not to be missed.  There is no photography allowed during the show but I caught a snapshot or two before...

 And then we had a train to catch.  We took a long walk back to the hotel, caught our taxi to the train and enjoyed a relaxing time on the ride home.

Home.  After these back to back trips, it may be where I stay for awhile...

Playing train at the train station.