Final full day in Vienna

No run this morning - rest day. In the morning, we headed off to visit the Imperial Treasury of Vienna. The Treasury contains a huge collection of secular and ecclesiastical items covering over 1000 years of European history. The opulence and extravagance of these artifacts is just unbelievable, and one has to wonder how all of these were obtained or made and at what cost. Some items were probably only worn once (like coronation robes), but maybe they took many hours and hands to make. The treasures were supposed to be evidence of their political power and geographical extent. The collection includes a narwhal tooth ( believed to be a unicorn tooth) and an agate bowl believed to be the Holy Grail. Most of the ecclesiastical treasures are from the Baroque era. All supposedly for their private chapels. That afternoon we met up with Mickey, Lucille and Biddy to do a tour of the State Opera House. It was a very interesting visit but was spoilt by the fact that they let too many people in and the tour guides speak above each other. Parts of the Opera House had been bombed during the war as it was thought to be a municipal building. Seats can cost as much as 290 euros but if you prepared to stand you may get a ticket for 12 euros.Read more