First, we visited the Treasury. Stevie was afraid it was going to be like the US Treasury, but it wasn't as it was where all the Imperial treasures are stored. We saw many relics.
This one is believed to be the holy grail...
This one is believed to contain one of the nails that pierced Christ...
This is believed to contain one of the thorns from Christ's crown...
This cross is said to be built out of wood from the cross Christ was crucified on, even containing the nail hole.
And this is believed to be a piece of the tablecloth from the last supper...
So...as we asked Herbert how did these relics come to be here and how were they proven authentic. Back then these items were used for trade and were accompanied by paperwork that proved authenticity. In modern times, some are tested with modern scientific means, some stories simply are handed down and legend remains.
We also saw some beautiful jewels and miscellaneous pieces.
This is the largest cut emerald in the world...
These are the Imperial crowns...
These are the christening blanket and gowns of the royal infants...
Then we hopped on Vienna's wonderful metro system which must either be new or is one of the best maintained systems I have ever seen. We headed off to the Schonbrunn Palace. This palace was the summer home of the Austrian royals. We were able to tour and see many of the rooms, but we were not allowed to take pictures. However when we got outside we got to see the amazing gardens and we got pictures then. The gardens have always been and are still open to the public and in the summer they have music concerts there. What a beautiful place to look out upon as they sat in the palace or to wander about on sunny days.
And the funny site for today was at the Opera House metro stop. They had an Opera Toilet that had Mozart blaring out of the door.
That toilet is pretty funny! Glad you braved the heat to see the gardens and take some pictures. This is the Hapsburg's home palace? So, like Buckingham in England?
ReplyDeleteYes. They were here in the summer. They also had "apartments" in town. One big difference is that at one point the Hapsburgs ruled what is now Germany, Turkey, Czech Rep, Hungary, Romania, Spain, etc so they were often in different countries. This was home mostly to Maria Teresa (Marie Antoinette's mama and Sisi who was the Diana like one). BTW Stevie has video of the Opera Toillete. It is actually cooler outside as none of the historical buildings can have a/c due to world heritage laws.
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