Sunday, January 12, 2025
Our alarms sounded at 07:00 so we could get ready and finish packing the last of our items before leaving the hotel. My parents were waiting for us in the lobby when we came down and we helped them arrange an Uber to the airport. They were flying out of Gatwick Airport, while our flight was from Heathrow Airport, so we had to say goodbye at the hotel. I offered to help them get to Gatwick via public transport (quite easy with the train), but they preferred taking an Uber since it would be easier with their luggage. We waited with them until the car arrived and then we said our goodbyes. Thinh and I had both enjoyed not only the time with my parents in the UK, but also during our six weeks staying with them in the States. Both my mom and dad love Thinh and have warmly welcomed him into the family. Mom has already started to cross-stitch a Christmas stocking for Thinh (she has made one for every member of the family, starting with mine when I was a toddler, continuing through Andy when Caryn got married, and then her four kids). I told Thinh that the stocking she’s making is the truest sign that he’s now part of the family – there was no backing out now! I joked with my mom that Thinh would now be her favorite son-in-law (sorry Andy!).
Thinh and I walked over to the DLR station, which we took to Canary Warf so we could transfer to the Elizabeth Line for the trip out to Heathrow. We arrived at the airport slightly too early for check-in, so we sat around the airport for about 45 minutes until the counter opened. We both breezed through check-in and security, giving us plenty of time to get a bite to eat prior to boarding. Pret wasn’t very busy, so we stopped in to get a light lunch.
When it was time to board the flight, we were in group nine and we knew the flight would be full. Despite efforts to board by group numbers, the gate agents eventually just let people board, which was fortunate for us because it meant that we would have room for our bags in the overhead bins. I had an aisle seat, while Thinh had the middle seat, and I fell asleep right away after we sat down. The flight was delayed for about an hour, but I had zero clue since I was sleeping; poor Thinh was awake for the entire wait though.
Our flight to Vienna was short and, at 17:30, we landed. The line at passport control was mercifully quick! We were both surprised that the agents stamped our passports because we had read that the EU has phased out stamping passports. Thinh was happy to get the stamp – his first time visiting anywhere in the European Union!
The two of us took the train to the city center and then changed to the U-Bahn so we could reach the hotel. When we emerged from the station, we were greeted by freezing cold temperatures and a slight breeze – this would not be a fun walk to the hotel! The station was on the opposite side of the river from our hotel, so we walked over to a nearby bridge to reach the other side. Our hotel for the next few nights was nice; though a simple room, it was spacious.
We were both hungry for dinner, but there was very little around the hotel that was still open this evening. I found a kebab shop nearby that had good reviews, so we went over there to get some food. When we arrived, I pointed to the menu and asked Thinh what he wanted to eat. He froze because he couldn’t understand any of the German on the menu (there was no English). I couldn’t read most of it, but I could get the basic gist with the very little German that I do know. I laughed while Thinh struggled and told him that he now knows what it’s like for me when we go out to eat at local places back home in Hanoi! I cannot understand most of the menus there, despite knowing quite a few Vietnamese words for food, and I have to rely on him to translate for me. Now it was time for me to do the same for him. He ended up getting a kebab sandwich, while I got a schnitzel sandwich. We decided to take our food back to the hotel to eat instead of eating at the shop itself. The food was very good – easy to understand why the shop had such rave reviews! We both agreed that we’d have to return there again for dinner another night.
Now that the honeymoon had truly begun, we were going to have two weeks packed full of sightseeing. I had planned out the itinerary (I love to plan trips – making spreadsheets and bookings is exciting to me), though I had made sure that we visited anywhere/everywhere that Thinh wanted to visit. We both went to bed early tonight so we could be well rested for our sightseeing around Vienna in the morning.
Monday, January 13, 2025
Thinh and I slept in a bit this morning, getting up at 09:30, before heading out for the day. Breakfast wasn’t included with our hotel stay, so we went out in search of something to eat. I suggested finding a bakery, but that provided easier said than done. In the end, we ate at one near the U-Bahn station, but the food was only so-so (neither of us would go back again). One good thing from our walk this morning was that we found an entrance to the U-Bahn on our hotel’s side of the river, which greatly improved the walk to the station!
Our focus today was on visiting Schobrunn Palace, located just outside of the city center of Vienna. This was the primary summer residence of the Hapsburg rulers. The palace was primary built during the reign of Maria Theresa in the mid-1700s, after her husband gave her the estate as a gift. The palace served as the residence for the rulers of the Austrian and Austrian-Hungarian Empires until the dissolution of the empire after the First World War. Since that time, the palace has been open to the public as a museum.
We did a self-guided tour of the palace, which was nice because it let us go at our own pace. It wasn’t terribly crowded either, which made the experience all the better. This was the first proper royal palace that Thinh had visited and I knew he would be impressed. I had last visited Sconbrunn Palace back in 2017 and I could still remember being amazed.
First up on the tour was the royal chapel, which, though small, was quite opulent. We then entered the state rooms, where the tour truly began. I particularly enjoyed seeing the study/office of the former emperor. The wood-paneled walls made it feel cozy, and the desk where the emperor worked was simple but elegant. Throughout the palace we saw many different portraits of the Hapsburg rulers, including Franz Joseph I and his wife Elizabeth (fondly known as Sisi). One of the more simple rooms had a bed in one corner, which was where Fraz Joseph died in 1916 after ruling for 68 years (the longest of any Hapsburg ruler).
While the emperor’s rooms were simpler, those of the Empress Sisi were more elegant and beautiful. The walls were covered in beautiful and colorful patterned silk. Despite the grandiose scale of the rooms, one could easily imagine the family spending cozy evenings in the salon. The chandeliers in each room were ornate and enhanced the beauty of each successive room. Even the dining room was intimate, befitting the more reserved quality of Empress Sisi.
The best room in the palace was the ballroom. The massive room was lined with windows on one side, with mirrors facing them on the other, which was reminiscent of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. The chandeliers where the best in the entire palace. Of particular note was the ceiling, which was covered in stunning murals. Thinh was quite impressed with this room (and indeed the rest of the palace as well).
We had only a few more rooms to go on the tour. I particularly liked visiting the room where Emperor Napoleon II had lived and died. He was the son of Napoleon I and Marie Louise (daughter of the Austrian emperor). When Napoleon was exiled, his wife and son returned to Vienna to live. Sadly, Napoleon II died when he was only 21 years old. The room in the palace contained a portrait of him when he was a child, along with a statue of the young man after he died.
After the ballroom, the next best room was the Millions Room. The extravagant room was used by Empress Maria Theresa and is known due to the priceless décor covering the walls. Every wall was covered with exotic wood paneling that had been elaborately carved. Niches were carved out of the paneling to showcase Indo-Persian miniatures, which were surrounded by gilded framing. Large mirrors in the room made it feel much larger (and thus grander) as well. The Millions Room definitely takes ones breath away. The final treasure of the place was located in the so-called “Rich Room” which contains an original state bed used by Empress Maria Therea. It is a Baroque-style bed complete with the original set of textiles that had been used with the bed!
Thinh and I then decided to walk around the grounds of the palace for a little while, though not for long since it was bitterly cold out today. The gardens and park of Schonbrunn are quite extensive, though they were not up to their full potential beauty since it was winter right now. Both Thinh and I want to return during the spring and summer months sometime to fully appreciate the gardens. We walked over to an imposing fountain a short distance away from the rear of the palace.
Visiting the palace was our primary plan for the day and now we planned to head back into the city center to had a little wander about. We took the U-Bahn back into the city and immediately upon exiting the station we saw St Stephen’s Cathedral. It’s a large medieval Catholic cathedral with a very ornate spire, but we were both more impressed with the colorful rooftop of the cathedral. We had no definite destination in mind for our walk, so we set off down a pedestrian street which still had Christmas lights strung on display (though not turned on, unfortunately). Nearby was a large sculpture from the 17th century that was a memorial to victims of the plague.
Thinh and I were both quite hungry since we’d had such a small (and disappointing) breakfast, so we went in search of a good restaurant for dinner. We found a delightful place serving Austrian food so we stopped in to get a bite to eat. I wanted Thinh to try a lot of the traditional foods in the countries we were visiting during our honeymoon, so we started by ordering goulash as an appetizer. For entrees, I ordered schnitzel and Thinh ordered chicken skewers with rice. The food was very good and very filling – perfect for a cold winter’s day!
When we finished dinner, we stopped off at Starbucks for a little while before taking the U-Bahn back to the hotel. It had been a great start to our time in Austria (and to the honeymoon in general). Thinh was enjoying Vienna and I was excited for us to see the rest of the city the following day.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Today’s plan was to sightsee all around Vienna, so we had to get an early start to the day. After getting up at 08:30, we left the hotel an hour later to begin our day. We returned to the city center where we had walked around the evening before so we could see everything in the day. We again saw the stunning St Stephen’s Cathedral before walking over to Peterskirche. This is a smaller Catholic church full of ornate décor and baroque art. Signs at the church were advertising an organ concert later this evening, which we made note of in case we had some free time.
Our walk through the city took us over to the Am Hof square, where the Mariensäule statue of the Virgin Mary had been erected. The square itself was very pretty, surrounded by churches and excellent examples of European architecture. Horse-drawn carriages were driving around the area offering rides to tourists, though neither of us were remotely tempted to ride in one.
Thinh and I then set off in the direction of the Rathaus, walking by the Schottenkirche en route. The exterior of the church had a large statue adorned with a golden crown and belt. The rest of the church was simple in decoration, making the statue all the more interesting. In the distance we could see the towering spire of the Rathaus through the trees. We walked by the Burgtheater, built in the late 1800s, and then we were standing in front of the Rathaus.
The Wiener Rathaus is the impressive Vienna city hall, which has a large park out front. Unfortunately the park was closed today because of the removal of the ice rink that had been installed during the holidays. Thus we were only able to see the city hall from afar. Next to the city hall is the Romanesque building of the Austrian Parliament. The façade contained dozens of stone pillars and the walls were lined with statues the entire length of the building. Directly in front of the building was a statue to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. We walked around to the side, where we found a remarkable entry to the building flanked by four columns made up of double statues.
The long walk through the city continued as we made our way over to Maria-Theresien-Platz. This large square has a statue of the famous Austrian Empress Maria Theresa in the center, with two museums on either side. These nearly identical buildings are the Natural History Museum and the Art History Museum (the only differences between the exteriors are the statues that adorn them). This square, completed in the late 1800s, is one of the more impressive places to visit in Vienna.
Across the street from Maria-Theresien-Platz was the Hofburg, which was the principal palace of the Hapsburg rulers in Vienna. The main palace had begun construction in the 13th century and had been expanded upon ever since. While Schonbrunn was the summer palace, the Hofburg was considered the winter palace. We first saw the domineering Neue Burg Wing, which was the last addition to the palace (completed in 1913, just a few years before the monarchy was abolished). The Neue Burg section is semi-circular with a long colonnade extending across the entire length of the building.
Thinh and I were planning to tour the palace, but it wasn’t very clear where the main entrance was located. We decided to try entering through the entrance at the center of the Neue Burg, but this turned out to just be where the state library was located. The palace also serves as the official residence of the President of Austria. We eventually spotted a sign that appeared to point towards the entrance of the palace museum, though it was by no means clear. Thankfully the signage was correct and we went inside to tour the imperial apartments of the palace.
The first section of the museum was dedicated to Empress Elisabeth (Sisi), who was married to Emperor Fraz Joseph I. Sisi herself has taken on an almost fairytale-like image throughout history, and the museum showcased the myth and reality about the empress. A recent German-language television show called “The Empress” focuses on Sisi’s early years as empress – further fueling some of the mysteries and myths about her. There were several displays of some of her personal belongings, as well as the dress she was wearing when she was assassinated.
The lives of Franz Jospeh and Sisi were marred by personal tragedy. They lost their first child when she was only two years old. The emperor’s brother Maximilien was executed in Mexico after his failed bid to become Emperor of Mexico. Their only son committed suicide at the age of 30 in a bizarre suicide pact with his mistress. Then, in 1898, Sisi was attacked while walking along the lake in Geneva. The attacker stabbed her on the left side of her chest with a thin, 10-cm long needle file. Though she collapsed after the attack, no one was aware of what had happened. Her companion helped her onto a nearby boat (which had been their intended destination). When she recovered, Sisi stated that she was not in pain before passing out again. It was only later that the small wound was noticed, after the empress had died.
Our self-guided tour of the palace itself began after the Sisi Museum. We walked up a grand staircase to reach the first floor where the Imperial State apartments were located. The rooms in this palace were more opulent than those of Schonbrunn, with more elaborate wall coverings, paintings, artwork, etc. Many of the rooms showcased the lives of Franz Jospeh and Sisi. A famous portrait of Sisi was located beside the emperor’s desk (rumored to be his favorite portrait of his wife).
Each room we walked through was impressive and one could get a true sense of the power and wealth that the Hapsburgs had during the height of their power. Sisi’s private rooms were brightly decorated with white and gold trim, complete with sumptuous furniture. The dining room was grander than the more intimate one in Schonbrunn to be sure. Thinh and I were equally fascinated by each and every room in the palace. Our tour of the state rooms lasted over an hour and we both agreed that it was well worth the visit.
The two of us exited the palace into Michaelerplatz, where a small archaeological site was located. The open-air display showed some Roman ruins. The façade of the palace facing the square was quite pretty (the symmetry of it was particularly appealing to me). We then walked back over to St Stephen’s Cathedral so we could have a short look around the inside. Each of the columns inside had some religious shrine at the base of it, with statues, candles and a painting. It was a nice cathedral to visit, but our time there was short because there wasn’t much to see.
After stopping in at Starbucks to warm up, we went on a short walk through town to see everything by night. The Hofburg was brilliantly illuminated, as was Maria-Theresien-Platz. We stopped off back at Peterskirche to listen to some of the organ concert as well. All of the seats were nearly full, so we just stood at the rear of the church as we listened for a little while. Our evening stroll didn’t last too long, but it was still nice to be out in the city. As we made our way back to the U-Bahn, the moon was shining brightly through some hazy clouds, which looked beautiful behind St Stephen’s Cathedral. The pictures do not do it justice!
Back at the hotel, we returned to the kebab shop for dinner, where we ordered a kebab pizza and a kebab box for us to share. Thinh had never heard of kebab pizza before and I had only had it once before (last summer in Zurich). As before, the food was delicious. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing before bed.
This featured blog entry was written by Glichez from the blog World Tour: 2024/2025.
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