Central Europe - Part 1

We left Istanbul and flew north to the home of the Habsburgs, who ruled the Austro-Hungarian empire for 500 years. We had time to explore Vienna and toured the magnificent Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburgs' summer residence, in the morning.

Maria Theresa reigned the empire for 40 years. She was the sovereign of Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, Transylvania, Mantua, Milan, Galicia and Lodomeria, the Austrian Netherlands, and Parma. She had 16 children, the 15th of which was Maria Antoinette, who spent her childhood at Schönbrunn.

One of the last emperors was Franz Joseph I, who married Elisabeth of Bavaria. Elisabeth didn’t enjoy royal life and spent most of her time travelling and avoiding the royal court in Vienna. She was assassinated by an Italian anarchist on the street in Geneva and stabbed with a file.

Her nickname was Sisi, which today bears the name of the best museum in Austria, the Sisi Museum.

After Vienna, we drove to Melk and over the border to South Bohemia.