In which we partied with machine guns, Napoleon, and baby Mozart

Matt Schonbrunn
Originally uploaded by klheckert

In case you were worried that last night's ballet made us too soft (oh! the arms and legs made such elegant lines!), we started today with classic rock, beer, and military equipment. Yep, we stumbled upon a large military expo in the middle of Vienna. See the photos :)

After this fun distraction, we headed into the Imperial Palace, where we saw beautiful jewels and "an original piece of the cross" upon which Jesus was crucified and the "spear of longinus" which pierced Christ's side. The reason I put this in quotes is that it was in a case in a room that had many other cases in it. I think if anyone (including the Catholic church) believed this to be a real piece, it would probably have its own section devoted to it. Strange to see these claimed artifacts in a room with other random things... But interesting regardless. When we looked at the crown jewels, it was hard to view them for what they really were, and appreciate thier beauty (and longevity- some from over 500 years ago when Vienna was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire). Mainly, it looked like American costume jewelery worn by children. It was hard to remember this was REAL gold and REAL gemstones, not just glass and plastic. But, really, it was quite pretty.

However, the highlight of the day was Schonbrunn Palace, a bit outside Vienna. The historical significance of this was incredible- any fan of the Tudors would have loved it (you know who you are- though I've never seen it). It was formerly the home of Napoleon, Marie Antoinette, was used by 6 year old Mozart to perform and entertain, and was used as the meeting point for Kennedy and Kruschev. The rooms were decorated in beautiful "Rococo" style- not that I knew what that was before today. Overall it was really stunning and the host to incredible history, and the home of the Hapsburgs for many generations (the rulers of Austria and its former empires. Incredible for one building to be the home/host to so many historical figures who have reached almost legendary status. While we weren't allowed to take any photos inside, if you are curious you can visit http://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/

We also managed to cook dinner tonight- a win for the pocketbooks and tummys :)

Tomorrow if the weather clears up a bit, we will head out to "wine country"- if not, we will enjoy just hanging out downtown Vienna in coffeshops! Enjoy the photos (and check out the view from our Prague hostel private balcony!)