We flew from Denver to Vienna through Dulles without incident arriving at 8 AM. We were shocked to be able to go immediately to our cabin when we arrived at the River Aria.
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| The River Aria |
After lunch, I went to the Sisi Museum in the Imperial Palace. Sisi, Elizabeth was the wife of the Emperor, Franz Joseph. They were wed on April 24, 1854 and she became Empress Sisi. She was considered very beautiful with her hair tresses down to her ankles and her hour glass figure. A bit of a rebel, she had tattoos and would strap herself to the mast of a ship for thrills in a storm. She found Hapsburg court life quite suffocating. After the death of her son, Rudolf in a murder/suicide she withdrew from court duties and began traveling widely. While visiting Geneva in 1898 she was stabbed in the heart and died.
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| Portrait of Sisi in Franz Joseph's Study |
I managed to catch the end of an organ concert at St. Peter’s on the return to the ship. St. Peter’s is a domed Baroque church built in 1733 with the Coronation of Mary in the dome.
All 11 members of our family were on the ship by dinner time.
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| Balza Family and cousins |
