Our excellent dinner at the historic Griechenbeisl restaurant had got me thinking. The Griechenbeisl was here during the siege of Vienna in 1683. It’s located next to a section of the ancient city wall that kept the attackers out. I was no longer hungry, but now I wanted to know more about the siege. Continue reading “The Siege of Vienna – Yikes!”
Category: Danube Cruise
River cruise down the Danube, starting at Vienna and ending at the Black Sea.
Dining at der Griechenbeisl
Walk-streets in Vienna’s Innere Stadt seem to be laid out in a grid, but that’s not quite the case. They’re skewed just enough to throw a wandering tourist off course. We were having trouble finding a restaurant we saw yesterday. It would helped if I had made a note of the name – the Griechenbeisl. Continue reading “Dining at der Griechenbeisl”
It’s Spaetzelicious!
It’s dinnertime in Vienna, Austria. It’s been a long day. We’re hungry. Thirsty, too! We’re looking for a restaurant we saw yesterday while exploring the pedestrian zone of the Innere Stadt. I’m hoping they serve spaetzel. I’ve never had it, but I’ve heard that it’s spaetzelicious! Continue reading “It’s Spaetzelicious!”
Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral
The pedestrian zone of Vienna’s Inner Stadt is a nice area to explore. I had read about a well-known church here called St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We hadn’t found it yet, but it was about to find us. Continue reading “Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral”
Der Wiener Staatsoper, Rathaus, and More!
Vienna, Austria is one of the nicest-looking cities we’ve seen. It’s clean, and as far as we can tell, well-managed. Parks and stately-looking buildings are everywhere you look. Viennese architecture is impressive. And those building names… Wiener Staatsoper, Rathaus, and more. Continue reading “Der Wiener Staatsoper, Rathaus, and More!”
Marie Antonia Habsburg – The Rest of the Story
Marie Antonia Habsburg was the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa, ruler of the Habsburg empire, and her husband, Francis I, the Holy Roman Emperor. Wow. With a royal pedigree like that, what could possibly go wrong? Continue reading “Marie Antonia Habsburg – The Rest of the Story”
Maria Theresa – Queen of Austria and Hungary
From downtown Vienna, Austria, it’s a short ride out of town to Schönbrunn Palace. At Schönbrunn, the wealth and power of the Habsburg dynasty comes through loud and clear. But it wasn’t always that way. It wasn’t until one particular Habsburg, Maria Theresa, arrived. She really liked the place, she had unlimited resources, and she didn’t mess around. Continue reading “Maria Theresa – Queen of Austria and Hungary”
Inside Schönbrunn Palace
We’re inside Vienna’s Schönbrunn Palace, summer residence of the Habsburgs. It’s a big place. There are 1,441 rooms! Don’t worry. We’re not going into all of them. We just want to get a feel for what it was like to hang with the Habsburgs. Continue reading “Inside Schönbrunn Palace”
How to Build a Dynasty – The Rest of the Story
Schönbrunn Palace, located just outside Vienna, was the summer residence of the Habsburg family. The opulence of this summer retreat might make a person curious about how a family could acquire wealth on such a grand scale. The previous two posts told how the Habsburgs started to build their dynasty. Here’s the rest of the story. Continue reading “How to Build a Dynasty – The Rest of the Story”
How to Build a Dynasty II
For hundreds of years, Vienna served as the home base of the Habsburgs. Habsburg family holdings grew large enough to earn “dynasty” status. The Western world hasn’t seen many families rich enough to be called dynastic. How did the Habsburgs do it? Let’s pick up the story where we left off last time. Continue reading “How to Build a Dynasty II”
