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Back on track again!
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looking's Blog
On to Venice
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:24 pm From Vienna it was on to the history and canals of Venice. We passed some really beautiful towns and countryside on the way. One of the first things we did when we arrived was to take a gondola ride, complete with champagne and music. Venice is a very old city. It is built on reclaimed land (in fact, it is not built on 'land' at all, but the entire city is either on small islands or, those over water, are supported by timber struts.) Many of the buildings are totally supported by specially prepared timber staunchons. Eg, the cathedral in the city square is supported this way, by over 1.2 million staunchons as it's foundation. As we visited the cathedral there were staff there whose job it was to ensure that not too many people entered at any one time. We were split into 3 groups, only one 'on site' at any given time. This was because, we were told, the cathedral is slowly sinking into the mud (or the staunchons are!) so there was a weight limit. The city is a maze of canals and there are only 2 ways of getting around - by boat (of which there are thousands!) and walking. Cont next message.............. This blog entry has been viewed 358 times
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More Vienna
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:59 am As you can tell, we had a great time! 
Even the toilets made you forget why you went in there!! WARNING - mature pic below! 
This blog entry has been viewed 359 times
Vienna cont..............
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:52 am It was fun wandering around Vienna and looking at all the history. There are so many stories attached to this city. From their association with the 3 Musketeers and the various wars and fueds over the years to the legacy of music that endures to this day. That evening we went out to dinner with our tour group. It was a fantastic time. We were greeted by the staff below. The restaurant was absolutely special. Every surface (walls, cieling and floors) were literally covered with hundreds of items, ranging from tools to guns to spears to paintings and heaps of other stuff. This blog entry has been viewed 297 times
More on Vienna
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:44 am We stayed at the Hilton Vienna while visiting, which was very luxurious. It was situated right on the Danube River. Although it wasn't such a "Blue Danube" when we were there as it was raining. Here is a pic of the Danube next to the motel. On the next morning we went to the main Mall of Vienna, which was great, even if we didn't understand what the signs meant! Cont next message........... This blog entry has been viewed 293 times
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Habsburg Crypt
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 2:58 pm In the Habsburg Crypt there are, as you would imagine, many sarcophagi (sp?). Over 600 years worth! There is a story attached to the next Pic. Traditionally, all the Habsburgs were Catholic. Which wasn't a problem until one of them married a Protestant. And that wasn't a problem until she died. The question - Was she allowed to be interred in the family crypt? The Priest said NO!. This caused a furore in the family. Some said she should be interred there, others said no. A compromise needed to be reached. So, after consultation with the priest, they made an agreement. Yes, she could be buried there - or part of her at least! What normally happened was that for mumification they took out the intestines and placed them in an urn. this happened with all of them. But the Priest said that she could be interred there if : 1. Her intestines were placed in an urn and shipped elsewhere. 2. Her heart also had to be placed in an urn and sent to a Protestant church for interrment. 3. The rest of her could be interred in the crypt. They agreed and thus it was done. After many years the 3 parts of her were once again re-unitied and so here is a picture of her sarcophagus, with the 2 urns on top - one containing her intestines and the other her heart. Believe it or Not! This blog entry has been viewed 401 times
Capuchin Church
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:24 pm From the castle we went to Capuchin Church in Vienna. The Capuchin Church is where many of the Hapsburg family are buried. The Imperial Burial Vault lies below the Capuchin Church, which was built between 1622 and 1632. To this day, the Capuchin friars are the guardians and caretakers of the vault. According to tradition, from 1654 to 1878, the actual hearts of the Habsburgs were removed from their bodies and entombed in a special vault in the Church of the Augustinian Friars. I need to say something about the Hapsburg family here as they were one of the most influential and powerful families the world has seen. The Hapsburg dynasty was the single most influential monarchy in European history. Its reign witnessed the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, and numerous wars before finally succumbing to the first World War. The Hapsburg family were the exclusive rulers of Austria and surrounding areas for over 640 years, except for a brief period when a competing prince from Bohemia, Charles Albert, took control of Prague for a little less than a year before the Hapsburg family regained control. The Hapsburg dynasty was successful because it practiced the strategy of "Make love, not war", meaning that it strengthened its empire and expanded its territories using shrewd marriages with other royal families rather than with the edge of a sword. The Hapsburg royalty inherited the title of Holy Roman Emperor and leader of the Holy Roman Empire, originally established by the German king Otto I in 962 when he was crowned emperor by Pope John XII. The Hapsburgs remained the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire until political pressure forced Francis II to renounce his title of emperor and dissolve the Holy Roman Empire in lieu of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1806. During the height of the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century, the Hapsburg dynasty comprised 70 million citizens and stretched across Central Europe as well as Central America and Asia. This fact caused Charles V to boast that "The sun never sets on my domain." The power struggles in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, however, proved to be too much for even the Hapsburgs, who gradually began losing territory and influence until Francis Joseph renounced the throne of Austria on November 11, 1918 at the end or WW1. Inside Schonbrunn. (Sorry, this should have been before Capuchin Church ) This blog entry has been viewed 399 times
Inside Schonbrunn
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:08 pm The inside of Schonbrunn is intricate and ornate. Gold leaf covers many surfaces and furnishings are up to 800 years old. Schonbrunn was supposed to have been the Versailles of the Austrian Empire; but the Hapsburgs were very different from the Kings of France and would never have wanted to present themselves to their subjects as gods. Therefore Schronbrunnn was built as both a palace and a summer residence for the numerous families of the rulers. Even the cielings are ornate and picture historical events. This blog entry has been viewed 280 times
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More on Vienna
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:46 pm The gardens around the palace are beautiful! They seem to go on forever!. Here are some pics of the gardens. Empress Maria Theresa made Schloss Schoenbrunn into her magnificent summer residence. All her successors resided at the palace during summer and ruled the empire from there. Especially the Emperor Franz Joseph liked to spend his time at the Palace Schoenbrunn. This blog entry has been viewed 273 times
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From Salzburg to Vienna
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 12:38 pm From Salzburg it was on to lovely Vienna. Vienna is, again, a very beautiful city in Austria. And, similar to other Austiran locations, is full of history. In Vienna, everyone plays at least one musical instrument. The common question asked is not "Do you play an instrument?", but "What instrument/s do you play?" Many Viennese are multi-talented in the musical field. So, when in Vienna, one must attend the opera! We. along with around 200 others, attended an opera in one of the Palaces there. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos, so you'll have to use your imagination! This blog entry has been viewed 252 times
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Eagles Nest........cont.
Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 4:23 am Once at the Eagles Nest, the views are stunning. 360 panoramic views of the countryside. After the war one of the first things the Austrians did was to erect a cross above the Eagles Nest. As you know, during his tyrannical reign, Hitler banned all crosses and all religion. Erecting the cross was a symbol of triumph for Austria. Here we are at the cross. The original cross was destroyed over the years, and finally finished off by a severe storm. A new one was erected in 2003. The Eagle´s Nest itself and the unique Kehlstein road were constructed in an extremely short period of time despite the difficulties of wartime: the fortress-like residence took one year to build, the Kehlstein road thirteen months. The unique design of the road has no counterpart anywhere in the world. It makes no more than a single bend in its ascent of the towering 700 metres between the Obersalzberg and the Kehlstein carpark, traversing the steep north-west face of the Kehlstein twice as it does so. The road is now closed to normal traffic; it can only be accessed by a special bus service. This blog entry has been viewed 395 times
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