Last day... the whole group met up again. This time we went to the Hofburg palace (winter palace of the Habsburg) and visited the imperial apartments and the silver museum collection. No photos allowed in the imperial apartments, but I will say that it provided alot of information on the lives of Franz Joseph and his wife Sisi... and the wierd habits that the royal family used to have in those days.... Below are some pictures from the Silver collection...
Look: There is a hierarchy in the kitchen as well..
Plate collection from hunting lodge of the Habsburgs... almost looks like it was machine produced wasn't it... but it's a nature theme... hence the interesting designs... oh.. and it was also mentioned that an englishman designed this...
Imperial silverware... only used during important state dinners... now... if only I was president...
How a dinner table set up looked back then.... centre pieces were very important... and often very elaborate... there is a close up later of the engravings on the centre pieces...
Painted dinner plates...crazy huh..
This is a wine cooler... can you believe it!!!!
The low plate right in front of us is a SALT plate...... I can't imagine why they would want so much salt on the dinner table then....
Centrepieces
The art of serviette folding....very important back then...
Finally we got to St Stephen's cathedral... made it in time for the tour of the catacombs which are located underneath the church... The cardinals/bishops of vienna are all buried in this church, so we got to see them. The organs of the Habsburg family are stored here... and it was rather surreal looking at the copper pots in which they were stored.... Interestingly, their hearts are stored in silver urns in another church in Vienna as well....
I couldn't resist lighting a candle here with a small prayer... despite having to pay 50 Euro cents... HEY!! that's like 1 Singapore dollar!!
Ok, I have to also say that it was just all sightseeing... when I look back on how much I spent on my trip altogether... I actually spent more on eating/drinking than on sightseeing.... believe it or not...We ate so much... and I ate so much cake..... but but but... Vienna has lovely desserts...
Austrian Goulash...
Lunch with Simone (middle). Austrian girl whom we all knew in NZ.
Oh... have to make a comment about the trains here... they don't open automatically like in Singapore... you actually have to pull them open... you should have seen me on the first day.. waiting for the door to open... and I could hear James sighing and saying behind me, "you have to pull the doors open you know..."
Our hostel... the best part: it was right next to a sex store... but location was pretty convenient... just 4 metro stops away from city centre.... one night in a mix dorm cost us $14 Euros... buffet breakfast was just 3 Euros extra which we all got...
German can be quite funny when you try to read it as English. No prizes for what Aimee read it as... We had dinner here one night... Pretty grumpy waiters and bad service... but the food was really delicious... so all was forgiven...
Had lunch at the cafe during our trip to the museums... I got carried away with cake... had three slices in all that day...
Dinner on the first night... we were all really hungry and running on adrenaline after being up since 4am in the morning... so we were lucky that all our main portions were really big...
Look: There is a hierarchy in the kitchen as well..
Plate collection from hunting lodge of the Habsburgs... almost looks like it was machine produced wasn't it... but it's a nature theme... hence the interesting designs... oh.. and it was also mentioned that an englishman designed this...
Imperial silverware... only used during important state dinners... now... if only I was president...
How a dinner table set up looked back then.... centre pieces were very important... and often very elaborate... there is a close up later of the engravings on the centre pieces...
Painted dinner plates...crazy huh..
This is a wine cooler... can you believe it!!!!
The low plate right in front of us is a SALT plate...... I can't imagine why they would want so much salt on the dinner table then....
Roast Plate...I'm just amazed by how much effort is put into the design of the plates... I wonder if they were actually appreciated.... I mean.. if you put a roast on it... it really hides the entire plate!
Centrepieces
The art of serviette folding....very important back then...
After the Hofburg palace, we went to see St Stephen's cathedral which was one of the oldest churches in Vienna and said to house the organs of the Habsburg royal family... but before then, we dropped by St Peter's church... and this is what the inside looked like..
Finally we got to St Stephen's cathedral... made it in time for the tour of the catacombs which are located underneath the church... The cardinals/bishops of vienna are all buried in this church, so we got to see them. The organs of the Habsburg family are stored here... and it was rather surreal looking at the copper pots in which they were stored.... Interestingly, their hearts are stored in silver urns in another church in Vienna as well....
St Stephen's also housed one of the biggest mass graves in Vienna, which was built in the 18th century for victims of the bubonic plague. So we actually got to peer into the mass graves of bones and skulls... We were also told that later on, when the city ran out of space, the city solved the problem by making prisoners go in and stacking the skulls and bones nicely together so that more space could be cleared. And we got to see that in another room as well... NOW... that was freaky... to see a pile of skulls lined up staring back at you... I pity the prisoners then... The inside of the church is really beautiful though... Singapore churches could probably take a lesson that modern structures and technology are not everything. I happened to be in the church that morning when they were having easter monday celebrations and the altar was beautifully deorated, with candles and flowers all over.... Altar paintings literally decorate the pillars and ceilings... and its like wow... when you first walk into the church...
I couldn't resist lighting a candle here with a small prayer... despite having to pay 50 Euro cents... HEY!! that's like 1 Singapore dollar!!
Ok, I have to also say that it was just all sightseeing... when I look back on how much I spent on my trip altogether... I actually spent more on eating/drinking than on sightseeing.... believe it or not...We ate so much... and I ate so much cake..... but but but... Vienna has lovely desserts...
Austrian Goulash...
Lunch with Simone (middle). Austrian girl whom we all knew in NZ.
Oh... have to make a comment about the trains here... they don't open automatically like in Singapore... you actually have to pull them open... you should have seen me on the first day.. waiting for the door to open... and I could hear James sighing and saying behind me, "you have to pull the doors open you know..."
Our hostel... the best part: it was right next to a sex store... but location was pretty convenient... just 4 metro stops away from city centre.... one night in a mix dorm cost us $14 Euros... buffet breakfast was just 3 Euros extra which we all got...
German can be quite funny when you try to read it as English. No prizes for what Aimee read it as... We had dinner here one night... Pretty grumpy waiters and bad service... but the food was really delicious... so all was forgiven...
Had lunch at the cafe during our trip to the museums... I got carried away with cake... had three slices in all that day...
Dinner on the first night... we were all really hungry and running on adrenaline after being up since 4am in the morning... so we were lucky that all our main portions were really big...
Verdict: I really loved Vienna... maybe because it was so much cleaner as well.... think I've been quite spoilt living in a clean city such as Singapore.... I would go back again... but perhaps to explore other parts of Austria better this time as well.... Many people have asked me... is it ok to go for a day trip to Vienna? This is what I have to say. A day trip to Vienna is doable... however, I would not advise it, just because there is a lot to see in Vienna, and you would feel a little unsatisfied if you only went for a day... the summer Schonbrunn palace is a definite must, but if you just want to stay in the city centre... I would definitely recommend the imperial treasury museum and st stephen's catherdral is definitely worth a peek in as well....