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Fall & Winter 2024

September - Dezember 2024
Combo trip journal ... including time with family in Türkiye; a Viking river cruise (Eastern European Capitals); more family time in Türkiye; and a TransAtlantic Cruise back home on NCL Encore. Weiterlesen
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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Hofburg … Sisi Museum

    11. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    This morning again started with all things Habsburg.

    We arrived at St Michael’s Square a few minutes before our 9:00a self-guided tour of the imperial apartments and the museum at Hofburg. The doors were not yet open; only one person was in line … a couple more people showed up after we were invited inside. By the time we left, the crowds had grown, so I’m glad we had another early-start day.

    During the 630+ years that the Hapsburgs ruled over Austria, many dukes, archdukes, and emperors sat on the throne. Some loved … some hated. There was also one ruling empress — Maria Theresa — who was much loved by the people for her courage, generosity, and kindness.

    There was one other empress whose name seems to pop up even more often than Maria Theresa — Empress Elizabeth … Sisi as she is known worldwide.

    Sisi was famous not just for her glamour, but also because she cared for the ordinary people. Apparently, in her will, she designated part of her fortune to be used for good causes benefiting the needy and persecuted. A gift that keeps on giving. In fact, I found an article on the UN Refugee Agency website indicating that they are supported in part by that gift for the work they do in the countries of the former Habsburg Empire.

    Today, we learned a bit more about Sisi when we visited the museum dedicated to her … housed in the Stephan apartments at Hofburg, the palace complex in the Vienna city center that served as the winter residence of the imperial family.

    The museum is small. The items on display mostly consist of personal items or replicas of the same. Sisi is portrayed in some quarters as being moody, intellectual, emotionally disturbed, beauty-obsessed … a complicated person. The intent of the museum is to “… illustrate the true personality of the frequently misunderstood Empress.” The exhibits were bookended with her death — a death mask and funeral images reproduced from lithographs at the front end … the story of her assassination at the back end.

    I knew that Sisi had been assassinated in Geneva … in 1898. What I didn’t know was that it was by happenstance. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    The assassin — an Italian anarchist — was apparently in Geneva to kill Prince Henri of Orléans. When the Prince changes his travel plans, the assassin turns his attention to Sisi instead. He attacks her as she is about to board a ship back home … his weapon of choice a nail file.

    Neither Sisi nor her lady-in-waiting realize that she has been stabbed in the breast … they believe that she was simply knocked over. They continue with their plans to board the ship and it’s not until the ship has sailed that she collapses and the inconspicuous wound is found. The ship returns to shore immediately, but it is too late and Sisi dies at the hotel to which she is taken.

    A sad ending to the life of Austria’s beloved Sisi.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024
    3

    Vienna: Hofburg … Imperial Apartments

    11. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    As I mentioned in the previous post, the Hofburg Palace Complex was the winter residence of the Habsburgs.

    Built in the 13th century — and expanded several times over the course of their 630+ years of rule — it consists of multiple buildings … including residences, a chapel, a library, a treasury, a theater, and a riding school to name but a few. Hofburg, as a word, means “Castle of the Court” … which refers back to its Middle Age origins. Back then it had a more-castle-like look.

    Just as it was the seat of government during the monarchy, it’s been the official residence and office of Austrian President since 1946. The 18 wings, 19 courtyards, and 2,600 rooms have been repurposed as a conference center, government offices, museums, and such. One source says nearly 5,000 people still work and live in the former palace complex.

    Over the course of our stay in Vienna, we will be visiting several of the buildings. This morning, however, our visit to the Sisi Museum in the Imperial Chancellery Wing, led us to Amalienburg to check out the imperial apartments of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth (Sisi).

    It was in these rooms that the Emperor and Sisi lived and worked until the end of the monarchy. To say that red is the dominant color in most of the rooms would not be an understatement. The Rococo style rooms have rich stucco work gilded in gold. Bohemian crystal chandeliers twinkle from the ceiling. Tiled stoves that once heated the rooms now serve as part of the decorative furnishings. Portraits and sculptures — and many other priceless artifacts — adorn the walls, shelves, and tables.

    I enjoyed wandering through these rooms more than the ones at Schloss Schönbrunn. Just as opulent as the ones there, these rooms had more of the imperial ambiance I was expecting, yet they were more intimate somehow.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024
    2

    Vienna: Sweet Lunch @ Demel

    11. Oktober 2024 in Österreich

    It was getting on towards 11:30a when we left Hofburg. Tummies growling … time for lunch.

    Since it was a short walk from Hofburg, we decided to follow Esin’s suggestion and go to Demel for coffee and cake in lieu of lunch.

    Demel has a history that dates back to 1786 … when it was a confectioner to the royal court. While there is no royalty these days, Demel prides itself on continuing to uphold the quality of their goods and is still known for its elaborate window displays that harken back to the “… Vienna of a more decadent era.”

    The place was hopping when we arrived, but there was no line waiting to be seated. Soon we were at a table in the café on the first floor.

    After perusing the menu, we decided to split a baguette sandwich — Brie and fig mustard (more like a jam, really). A double espresso, and later a melange (similar to cappuccino, but made with milder coffee), for Mui … Earl Gray tea for me. When it came to ordering a cake, however, we couldn’t agree on one to share. So, we ordered two.

    Mui got Austria’s iconic sachertorte … the origins of which date back to 1832. This chocolate cake, layered with jam (often apricot) is usually very dense … almost to the point of being dry. Esin had told Mui that the moistest version was found at Demel … she did not steer him wrong.

    My choice was the Esterhâzy Torte … a cake that originated in Hungary in the late 19th century. Named for a member of the dynasty by the same name, it became famous in the lands of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. The cake consists of buttercream spiced with cognac or vanilla, sandwiched between four or five layers of almond meringue cake. Delicious.

    While the cakes were good, it seemed like the servers were having an off day … or they were simply overwhelmed. Their order taking process seemed quite haphazard … or if there was a method to what they were doing, it was only apparent to them.

    Nonetheless, we enjoyed our ‘food break’ after a busy morning of sightseeing.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Ephesos Museum @ Hofburg

    11. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Leaving Demel with sated tummies, we returned to the St Michael’s Wing of Hofburg, walked through the gate into what was once the castle inner square, out the back gate to Heldenplatz, and made our way to Hofburg’s Neue Burg [New Castle]. Built during the last expansion of the palace complex, the wing was completed in 1913. Housed inside are a number of museums … Ephesos, Ethnology, Arms and Armour, and Musical Instruments.

    Our destination — the Ephesos Museum — was a surprise find from this morning. Why a surprise? Because we had no idea there was a museum in Vienna that exhibited archaeological finds from Ephesus, one of the most important cities of antiquity … one that served as the capital of the Roman Empire’s Asia Province. A little more than an hour’s drive from my hometown of İzmir, Türkiye, Mui and I have been to Ephesus numerous times and have noted the changes resulting from the continued excavation of the ruins.

    Austrian archaeologists worked on the excavations starting in 1895. Thanks to a controversial agreement between the Ottoman Empire and Austria numerous high quality artifacts that the Austrian archaeologists recovered were removed to Vienna … gifts from Sultan Albdul Hamid to Emperor Franz Joseph. Initially on display at the Theseus Temple in the Volksgarten, the artifacts are now housed in the Ephesos Museum.

    [Austria isn’t the only country where artifacts from cities of antiquity in Türkiye ended up outside the borders. The practice of allowing foreign excavations to remove artifacts is now generally banned by the 1907 Turkish Antiquities Law.]

    Keeping the rest of our plans in mind, we opted to purchase admission just for the Ephesos Museum … €7.50/person (senior rate). Not sure I can say that what we paid was worth what we saw.

    It’s not that the artifacts themselves were an issue. We saw some amazing pieces, including relief panels and fragments from one of the most important Ephesian monuments … the Parthian Monument. Rather, the problem was that the second floor of the museum was closed for a photo shoot and we were not made aware of that in advance. So, we missed out on seeing at least half of the museum. Anyway, we registered our dissatisfaction on our way out.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Residenz Orchester Concert

    11. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    The Vienna Residence Orchestra was founded by pianist and conductor Paul Moser and his wife, Sylvia, to perform the works of Viennese classical music. The orchestra performs in different venues around the city … several of which are former palaces. The music ranges from Mozart to Strauss, to Haydn and Beethoven.

    The concert we went to tonight was held in the ballroom of the Old Stock Exchange Palace, located on the famous Ringstrasse … in the first district. Built by architect Theophil Freiherr von Hansen between 1870-1877, the construction is typical of the Viennese style that is also known as Neo-Renaissance. Hansen, who was also the architect of the Vienna Musikverein and the Parliament, was considered a specialist in perfect acoustics, making the Old Stock Exchange perfect for concerts.

    I had opted for VIP seating — guaranteeing seats in the first two rows — for the earlier of the two performances tonight. Turns out that was a good choice as attendance was light, and we got seats front row, center. (The 8:30p performance would be chock-a-block we were told at the ticket desk. I imagine it was … we counted five Viking River Cruise buses dropping off passengers as we were leaving … and another two buses were rounding the square, looking for a place to stop. Sssssh! Let’s not tell them that they overpaid for their tickets 😉).

    No doubt that this concert is designed to entertain tourists. Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed the music … our pleasure enhanced by the fact that most of the pieces were familiar to us. The concert ended with rousing renditions of Mozart’s “Rondo Alla Turca” (Turkish March) and Strauss’s “Radetzky March.” In addition to the music, there were mini-performances by two ballet dancers; and two opera singers.

    When we left the concert, we initially thought to return to the downtown area to take some night shots. But the wind was downright brutal, so we decided to head home instead.

    Tomorrow morning is planned as an easy one since our ticketed-event isn’t until 11:00a. We’ll see if we stick to that plan!    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Meandering Around the City

    11. Oktober 2024 in Türkei ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Leaving the Ephesos Museum, the plan was to take the shortest route to St Stephen’s Cathedral. However, turning the corner from Heldenplatz, we spied the Volksgarten [People’s Garden]. Time for a short detour.

    The garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was initially built between 1819-1823 as a private place for the Archdukes of Austria, was opened to the public in 1825. In the center is the Theseus Temple, built as a mini replica of the Athenian temple by the same name. It was designed to house a single work: Antonio Canova’s white marble masterpiece “Theseus Slaying the Centaur.” Later, before the Ephesos Museum was founded, some of the artifacts from Ephesus were exhibited here as well. These days, the temple is periodically used for temporary art exhibits for a single piece of contemporary art.

    Resuming our walk to the cathedral, we noted that the skies in the distance were growing ominous. But the sky was still clear above us. So, we kept going. Along the way, we made one more detour … going into Peterskirche for a quick look-see. When we came back outside, we found the streets wet. Rain was falling steadily. Bummer … the wet stuff just had to catch us while we were once again out and about!

    Despite the rain, we made it to St Stephen’s Cathedral … the mother church of the Vienna Archdiocese. The current Romanesque and Gothic style of the church dates back to the 14th century. It sits on the foundations of two earlier churches. The multi-colored tile roof is one of the most iconic symbols of the city.

    One can enter the church for free. But you have to pay to get into the nave. You have to pay to get into the crypt. You have to pay to go up each tower. If not for the rain, we might have at least gone up one of the towers. Instead, we satisfied ourselves with a meander outside the fenced-off nave, took a few photos, and left. We might return on a nice-weather day if we have time to spare … which seems unlikely at this point.

    By this time, it was getting on towards 3:00p. We decided to head home to rest up before tonight’s concert outing.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024
    1

    Vienna: Lipizzaners

    12. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    Got the must- and hope-to-see sights planned out for the rest of our stay in Vienna! That was the first thing we did after breakfast … between doing a couple of loads of laundry in preparation for checking out from the apartment tomorrow.

    And then it was time for sightseeing and fun.

    We left the house around 10:15a to get ourselves to the Hofburg Palace Complex … this time for the 11:00a performance of the world famous white stallions. Having noted yesterday that the performance venue — the Winter Riding School — for the Spanish Riding School sits across the passageway from the Sisi Museum, we knew exactly where to go.

    The Spanish Riding School is dedicated to the “… preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, … .” The name of the school is a reference to the Spanish horses that formed the base of the Lipizzan breed. The school dates back to 1565 … it is the oldest of its kind in the world, The Baroque style venue where the performances take place was built in 1729 … commissioned by Emperor Charles VI.

    At first, the performances were only presented to the guests of the Imperial Court. That changed around the turn of the century when the general public was allowed to attend the performances. But the shows back then were held only on special occasions. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, the school began regular performances to the general public … as a means for helping to pay for upkeep.

    Our tickets scanned, an usher directed us to a parterre box. I was expecting our seats to be on the balcony, rather than on the performance level. No worries; these were better. Being fourth row center, we had a great vantage point for the performance.

    The demonstration show consisted of four acts, if you will, over a period of 1¼ hours. Between each act, the emcee — automated recording would be my guess — gave information about the school, the horses, the trainers/riders and their uniforms.

    The first act featured 4-6 year old youngsters … mostly in varied shades of grey since their coats don’t turn white until they are older. We were warned that these stallions can be hyper and can “act up” … one did so frequently, with some of the others joining in the fray. These horses demonstrated steps, trots, and gallops.

    The second act included older horses — high schoolers. They demonstrated the movements seen in the Olympic Grand Prix Dressage test. A pair of horses wrapped up this act with the “Pas De Deux” … demonstrating movements in mirror image.

    Then came the Work in Hand” … showing some of the more complex moves, including work on the diagonal, on the wall, and between the pillars. A solo trainer and a fully-trained white stallion showed us the long-rein technique where the trainer walks behind the horse on a long rein and works the horse from that position. Obviously, at this stage, there is a great bond and lots of trust between beast and trainer … one well-placed kick could easily kill the trainer … a woman in our case (in the past, it was only men who trained and rode Lipizzaners.).

    The final act was the “Airs Above Ground” … during which the riders are without stirrups. This is when one gets to see the ‘dancing horses’ … performing what is called the quadrille. The performance ended with the stallions keeping tempo to the “Radetsky March.” Of course, the audience clapped along.

    The performance was definitely more interesting than I thought it would be. Since no photos were allowed during the performance, we picked up a pack of postcards for me to scan … hence, I have a few performance images to share in this footprint.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Sweet Lunch @ Sluka

    12. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Vienna is known for its coffee houses. Today, we decided to try another one for lunch … opting this time for one that was on the list my brother sent us a few days ago.

    A 15-minute walk from Hofburg — via back streets — found us standing in front of Conditorei Sluka on Kärntner Straße … like Demel, a court purveyor of confectioneries. Dating back to 1891, Sluka has been “… spoiling its guests with delights for the mouth, body, and soul. …” for over 130 years. We had our turn today.

    This coffee house has several rooms with interesting architectural details that one can reserve for private parties. Two of them were occupied, but I managed to slip into the Octagon Room between parties to check out the amazing ceiling.

    It was 12:45p when we arrived at Sluka. Surprisingly, there was plenty of seating available and we were told to take our pick. So, we settled on a small booth on the outside aisle … quieter.

    We ordered a Mediterranean Toast to split … mozzarella, tomatoes, and arugula on toasted rosemary bread; and a Sluka Torte — which Google translated as Sugar Cake … consisting of light and dark sponge cakes with orange and Cointreau with Parisian Cream.

    All yummy … all very satisfying.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Imperial Treasury @ Hofburg

    12. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    After lunch we headed back to Hofburg. This time our destination was the Imperial Treasury … accessed via the Schweizerhof [Swiss Courtyard]. This oldest part of the Hofburg Complex was rebuilt in the 16th century in the Renaissance style.

    The Imperial Treasury, associated with the Kunsthistorisches Museum, exhibits rare items collected by the Habsburgs during their multi-century reign. Amongst these items are invaluable jewels; the imperial crown of Austria; regalia that once belonged to the emperors and kings of the Holy Roman Empire, including an amazing arched crown; coronation robes; christening sets, devotional images, altars, and more.

    No need for many words. The images will reflect the grandeur of the items on display at the Imperial Treasury.    Weiterlesen

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  • Fall & Winter 2024

    Vienna: Another Meander Around the City

    12. Oktober 2024 in Österreich ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    As we did yesterday, we wrapped up our day with a meander around the city … some of it before the visit to the Imperial Treasury, and some of it afterward … some of it just a photo-op … some of it a bit more than that.

    We were on our way back from lunch, when we spotted a sign proclaiming a square along our route as “Helmut-Zilk-Platz.” We had to make a quick stop to take a photo to send to Thomas and Geraldine, whom we met on our world cruise last year. You see, Helmut — who was the mayor of Vienna from 1984 to 1994 - was Thomas’s father. Our one-photo-stop quickly turned into a longer one, however, when we realized that there was a memorial installed in the square.

    Alfred Hrdlicka's “Memorial Against War & Fascism” is dedicated to the victims of the same. It was installed in 1998 … when Zilk-Platz was still known as Albertinaplatz. I later read that the memorial was an initiative of Mayor Zilk … hence the renaming of the plaza in 2009 to honor him. Google translated the plaque embedded in the square as follows: “Here stood the Philipphof, a representative large residential building of the Gründerzeit, which was destroyed by a bomb attack on 12 March 1945. Hundreds of people who had sought shelter in the cellars were killed."

    The memorial is a walk-in monument … meaning that you can walk amongst the different elements — the granite "Gate of Violence"; the bronze “Street-Washing Jew” statue that can be seen between the gate pillars; the sculpture entitled “Orpheus Enters Hades;” and the “Stone of the Republic.” That some granite elements came from the quarry of the Mauthausen concentration camp makes the memorial all the more poignant.

    Another place that ended up being a longer stop on our meander was Burggarten [Castle Garden]. We were on our way home after the visit to the Imperial Treasury when we stumbled upon a map that listed the garden as a site of interest “In der Burg” [in the castle]. So, we made a detour, entering the grounds through the Heroes Square Gate.

    The garden — located behind the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg Complex — was created in 1818 as the private garden of the Emperor. An avid gardener himself, the emperor participated in the design of the grounds and the selection of varied plants from around the world. A century later — in 1919 — the garden was opened to the general public. Like Volksgarten yesterday, it is a UNESCO-listed world heritage site.

    We skipped the very crowded Palm House — the green house that was added in 1902 as a place for the emperor to relax — and wandered around the grounds for a bit, stopping for a photo op at the Mozart Monument. The marble statue was installed in Albertinaplatz in 1896. Damaged during the bombing of Vienna in 1945, it was restored and re-installed … this time in its present location in the Burggarten. I found the sol key — designed using pink flowers — to be a charming touch.

    After the Burggarten detour, we called it quits. Since we were closer to the Karlsplatz (SP) Station by the State Opera House, we walked there and used the U3/U6 metro combo to get ourselves home. Tonight we will be re-packing our bags for the move to the Viking Rinda tomorrow … but won’t be leaving Vienna just yet.

    By the way, I was curious to see how good a deal we got with the 7-day transportation pass we purchased on the 9th for €22.60 each. So I did some calculations. Essentially, we’ve taken 20 rides on the metro and 1 ride on the tram since arriving in Vienna. Transfers in the same direction are free within 80 minutes of the first ride, so that puts us at 12 trips. That means that we paid off our pass yesterday. Today was a freebie … and so will be any rides we take over the next three days. Darn good deal!    Weiterlesen

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