Royal Crypts and Other Things...Vienna, Austria

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Today, we meandered over to the lovely Old City again. There is never a shortage of things to see there. I love walking around the pedestrian shopping streets and the Hofburg Palace. We did that, and sat down in an outdoor cafe for some coffee. I ordered an ice coffee, and was delightfully surprised that it came with with ice cream in it. Who knew?

After this, we went to the Capuchin Church to see the Imperial Crypts. This is where 145 royal family members are buried in beautifully ornate pewter tombs. This place was fascinating. The church doesn't look very big from the outside, but the basement is so expansive, it seems to go on forever. Each casket was unique, and I recognized many of the names on the corresponding placards: Franz Josef, Maria Theresa, Sisi. They're all here, resting in peace among the tourists. I thought this was one of the most interesting sites of my entire trip.

We window shopped a little after this, then headed home. We have been doing quite a bit, and it was time to relax. We did have some things to do, such as laundry and grocery shopping; chores that are mundane at home, but actually quite enjoyable on vacation. Learning how to use a foreign washing machine, where to take out the garbage in your Airbnb, and how to purchase the right cups for your Nespresso machine can definitely be challenging! We cooked dinner tonight, too, another advantage to staying in an apartment. We cooked up some sausages, served it with leftover spaetzle, and cut up some cheese and fresh fruit for the side.

Mom was content to relax for the evening, so I decided to take that opportunity to scoot on over to the Prater and ride the Prater Turm. This used to be the tallest chain-swing ride in the world, but had recently been replaced by one in Texas, I think. Still, it was the tallest ride in all of Austria, and I am a sucker for anything that is the "est". How could I not ride it?

I ran down to the amusement park, which took all of two minutes, and headed straight for my ride. The price was five euro, quite pricey for one ride! I wondered how expensive all the other rides were and imagined it could get rather expensive if you were to take a family here. I paid my fee and grabbed a seat. The ride was so fun! I was 117 meters in the air, but everything was so fluid and smooth that it wasn't even scary. I enjoyed the views from way up there and didn't want it to end! It finally did, however. The young man sitting next to me said something to me in German, and when I answered in English he immediately changed languages. Basically, we both agreed we enjoyed the ride. That's one thing I love about Vienna..everyone speaks English quite well. I did learn as much German as I could before coming here, and have been successful at reading signs and menus, but I cannot understand conversational German unless I overhear a parent talking to a toddler.

I headed back home and spent the evening relaxing, drinking Austrian wine, and editing the countless photos I'd taken. Tomorrow, we have to get up early to see the Spanish Riding School, something I was really looking forward to.

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Photos

Imperial Crypts
it just kept going on....

window shopping in Vienna
it was Easter time here