Here's the proof we were there!
We did have a plan to go to the Kunsthistoriches Museum after church, but we really hadn't planned just how to get there from the church building. We started walking in the general direction of the subway stop because the subway lines were easy enough to figure out. On the way to the subway, we saw the ferris wheel on the Prater (Vienna's amusement park) and we crossed over the Donaukanal (the Danube Canal). It was originally an arm of the Danube River, but it's been a water channel since 1598.
We kept walking and I saw the tram stop. I knew the tram circled the ring and that if we got on it, we would eventually find out way to the museum, so we hopped aboard. Getting the 72-hour public transit pass was one of our best moves!
We got off the tram right across the way from the museum. The Habsburgs built this museum in 1888 specifically to showcase their large collection of art. It was quite the collection, but sadly, I'm so uneducated about art that I didn't recognize a single thing. I think the only artist's name I recognized was Rembrandt. My mom was more familiar with the art than I was.
This is the statue that stands between the Kunsthistoriches Museum and the Natural History Museum that's directly across from the Kunsthistoriches Musem.
A statue on the outside of the building:
The ceiling inside the museum:
There was quite a large display of Egyptian artifacts and Roman art. This is the entrance to the Egyptian displays:
A few of the Egyptian artifacts:
Roman art:
I can't remember if this was on the wall or the ceiling, but it was huge:
This is a bust of the Emperor Franz Josef. He had some great facial hair!
Here's a few more pictures from the general gallery. The first one is pretty disturbing, but interesting all the same.
We spent a good 2-3 hours in the museum, and when we were done, we couldn't decide if we wanted a full lunch or just something to snack on. When indecision hits and the Fodor's recommended gelato shop is directly across the street from the museum, you know what we're going to choose!
After eating our gelato, we made our way back to the Hofburg. The ticket that we bought on Saturday afforded us entrance into several of the palace museums, and since we had time to kill, we decided to go to the music museum. The Hofburg itself is impressive in size, but not impressive in design, really. Maybe it's just that it's been made into a concrete jungle for tourists, but it's not pretty like the Schonbrunn. Here's a picture of the large outdoor area outside of the palace. The buildings on the right side of the picture are the palace itself.
A statue of somebody or something in the courtyard:
The music museum was inside on of the wings of the palace. So, the outside of the palace might not be anything to shout about, but the interior was definitely palatial.
Before you go into the main part of the museum, you're allowed to play three of the really old pianos. It was great to not only be able to touch them but to hear their different tinkly sounds.
Oh, there were so many pianos! Different types of pianos in all shapes and sizes with paintings on them or elaborate designs in the wood. Not being able to speak or read any German was a detriment because we could only read what type of piano it was, not why it was significant or who played it.
The museum was small (but definitely impressive in the amount of musical instruments it held), so we got through it quickly. I sat down outside the museum doors to wait for my mom while she went to the bathroom. She came back and sat down on the couch across from me and promptly fell asleep. I let her sleep for 15-20 minutes while I updated my journal. I do have to say that my mom's ability to fall asleep in 2.5 seconds is quite impressive.
After we left the museum, we walked south of the palace and past the Burggarten, which until 1918 was the private garden of the emperor. It was a popular place to be on this Sunday afternoon. I wanted to get a picture of both of us standing in front of this Mozart statue, but there were too many people around and my mom was embarrassed.
Just down the way a little bit was this statue of Goethe:
We were going to tour St. Stephan's cathedral, but it was closed for some important-looking reason.
We did see this Austrian band lining up for something. We didn't get to hear them perform, but I took a picture of them in their authentic uniforms.
We walked around and around the area in between St. Stephan's cathedral and the opera looking for a decent place to eat. The cafe culture in Austria is both charming and annoying at the same time. Charming, if you have the time to sit down for a while and enjoy a dessert and a drink. Annoying, if you're looking for something substantial to eat. Time was getting short before we had to be at the opera to pick up our tickets and the show started, so we decided to eat at the opera cafe. As is the norm in Austria, we found a table ourselves and waited for the waiter to arrive. We came at a good time. Shortly after we sat down, all of the tables filled up with opera patrons and our one waiter was waiting on at least 10 tables by himself. His speed and capacity to remember everyone's needs was amazing.
I ended up getting the goulash and my mom got a vegetable strudel with a salad.
This was my first opera ever. Can you imagine seeing your first opera in a place like Vienna?!?! Magic! It was so great seeing women dressed up in dresses and heels and men in suits and ties. It drives me crazy to see people going to the ballet/symphony/Broadway shows in jeans. Why pay that much for a ticket to look like a slob? These patrons were nothing but classy. The opera building itself is beautiful on the inside.
We saw Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi (his last opera). It was the perfect opera for a beginner because it was a comedy and moved along at a nice pace. Each seat had its own translation screen so it was easy to keep up with the text. At intermission, I wanted to get up and explore more of the opera house and see what everyone else was doing. A lot of the people were having a drink and eating cute little chocolates or petit fours.
The opera lasted nearly 3 hours, but it didn't seem that long because it was so entertaining. I doubt it will be my last opera!
The subway stop was right outside the opera house so we got on it and 10 minutes later, we were back at the hotel. So convenient!
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