We headed to Vienna without a clear idea of exactly what there is to see and do. I had vague notions of palaces, imperial families, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The look and architecture of the place was a good surprise: everything is more grand and pristine than I could have imagined, and the city itself is compact and walkable. Christmas markets were one of the draws for visiting Vienna and Prague during the holidays, along with a romanticized idea of what they would look like in the winter. I visited markets in about nine differentcities. Vienna’s were my favorite. They were scattered all over the place, and the mulled wine was extra tasty. We had some sun but most days were overcast and foggy, both of which the city wore well.
Beyond visiting the markets tucked into the city, we saw the Albertina Museum, housed in an old palace. There were several good exhibits including one for Edvard Munch (probably best known for The Scream). We went to breweries, had coffee and cake in an old school coffeehouse, and had a traditional Viennese breakfast at Café Central, once frequented by Freud, Trotsky, and Lenin and fancy enough that I felt a little bad about my beat up sneakers, even though I wasn’t the only one. We went to St. Stephen's Cathedral, built in the 12th century. It’s beautiful on the outside and has a tiled roof with mosaics including the coat of arms of Vienna. Once inside, there was no clear way to organize visitors or the flow of bodies, so my main memory of the interior is chaotic crowds. My favorite neighborhood was around the Museumsquartier, a massive cultural space developed by the city and partially housed in some old imperial structures. The area is packed with museums (obviously), restaurants, cafés, and bars.
We visited the imperial Hofburg Palace which also dates to the 12th century, although it's been upgraded and expanded over time. There are three elements. First is the Silver Collection, described as “a comprehensive collection of Imperial utilitarian objects.” That sounds incredibly boring, and my interest in silver platters and china is nonexistent, but the sheer volume and excess of the collected items made it interesting. How many elaborate gold candelabras does one household need? My gut reaction says 0-2, but the answer is infinity if you’re from an imperial family. Next is the Sisi Museum, dedicated to Empress Elisabeth (nicknamed Sisi), who married the 23-year-old Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria when she was 16. She was elusive, prone to melancholy and depression, reluctant to engage in court life, and very invested in her physical appearance. Caring for her hair took 3+ hours every day, and at one point she has a 16 inch waist when corseted. She was an interesting and complicated woman. Her life ended in Geneva, where she was stabbed by an Italian anarchist. The Imperial Apartments are the final stop. The Hofburg was the Habsburg’s residence and center of the monarchy for over 600 years, until 1918, and currently houses government offices for the country. There are numerous apartments throughout the complex that were used by members of the imperial family. Many rooms are still used for government purposes, but the living spaces of Sisi and Franz are preserved and open to the public. The rooms are, as you would expect, over-the-top and gaudy by today’s standards (or at least my standards today).