Aug 21 - Day 21 in Vienna

German Word of the Day: sagen - say
Sentence (first half thanks to Word of the Day, but the second half is my own!): Ich muß schon sagen, Ich liebe Wien!

Today featured the return of traditional classes, with the focus on Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna. I started the day off with a delicious breakfast at the Naschmarkt, which is definitely one of my favorite places in Vienna. The food selection is immense! I had a bit of interaction with a Viennese child. We played peek-a-boo, and silly as it may sound, it taught me that a lot of things can break the language barrier. I’ve been in German speaking countries for about a month now, and I definitely have picked up on a great deal of words, particularly foods. I’m also proud to say I have a pretty decent accent. Of course, I’m still pretty useless for the most part, but it’s a great improvement over the way I started. The language barrier can pose a problem, but there are so many ways to overcome it – whether it be pointing, smiling or stumbling about with a mess of words. I have found this language a beautiful challenge and I wish I could legitimately communicate, but it has certainly been exciting living in a place not knowing the native language.

After talking about Maria Theresia and the various Habsburgs for two hours in class, I found myself in the mood to go to the Schloß Schönbrunn. The palace’s name means “beautiful well.” Built as a summer palace for the Habsburgs, it has 1441 rooms – of which you are only able to see about forty. The sheer magnitude of the site, filled with gardens, a maze, a labyrinth, the Gloriette. It definitely reeks of Maria Theresia and the Habsburg dynasty, with her favorite yellow paint and the rococo and baroque styling. Walking around I could certainly imagine the women in their enormous dresses walking about and the men preparing to set off for a hunt. It is very well preserved, with rooms filled with original furniture, such as the bed Franz Joseph died in. And the history within the walls, obviously, is so exciting. All the history of the Habsburgs, plus modern aspects such as the room where the last Austrian emperor signed over his right to rule and the Austrian Republic began, and the room where Kennedy and Khrushchev met, all co-exist together in the enormous palace.

It was built to rival Versailles, and although never completed to the full extent of the (ridiculous) plan, I feel it truly does. The fact that it is not as opulent and garish at Versailles is to its benefit – it is more pleasant and perhaps, more of a livable place. Both scream absolutism, however, but it might be better to say Schönbrunn is more subtle about it. I felt the tour had one of the best audio guides I have heard so far – detailed, but not too overlong that you stand in a room aimlessly for an awkward amount of time.

The gardens surpass the sumptuousness of the rooms in their enormous size and beauty. Perfectly sculpted, with fountains and tons of flowers, the gardens were my personal highlight. Going up on the Gloriette, getting the view of the city and the palace in perfect weather, is an absolutely indispensable part of a trip to Vienna.

The palace was definitely one of my favorite Viennese excursions, especially due to it serving as the culmination of my study of the Habsburgs. The dynasty was once just a confusing jumble of names I tried to ignore in my Western Civilization class, but now I feel like I am well-versed in their lives and individual rule.

The visit also offered me a chance to take some fun photos. I loved just capturing a few small moments I saw amidst all the incredible grandeur, such as the mom with her two children flapping their arms as birds on top of the Gloriette and an old couple walking down one of the arms of the garden.

After the great visit, I headed to the Rathaus for a perfect Viennese night – bratwurst and an open air movie – the ballet Cinderella. I cannot begin to say how much I love nights in Vienna – the city definitely comes alive and is filled with lights. The Rathaus was packed – well over a thousand people were sitting watching the movie or enjoying the wonderful food stalls. It was an enjoyable end to a fascinating day. While I’m sad to leave the Habsburgs behind, the palace provided me closure to their great dynasty and left me ready to dig deeper into modern history!