Walk A Mile In My Shoes

We made some concessions today, travelling by underground to a point close to where we wanted to be instead of walking the whole way. But we still clocked up a few more miles on this active holiday. After breakfast we made our way to the Vienna State Opera House. The opera company is not active during July & August, so there is no chance to see a performance ; but the next best thing is to at least view the Opera House itself. It was opened in 1869 but then 80% of it was destroyed by bombing during WW2 and it was consequently rebuilt. It is a very impressive building inside and is now an important part of Viennese social life. We toured the auditorium, backstage as well as the rooms used during intervals ( the Marble and Mahler rooms) and the private suite of the Emperor Franz Joseph. It was a very interesting tour. We had then planned to view the exhibition on Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) but the queue was so long that instead we went in search of my favourite Austrian dessert - Kaiserschmurren, a fried pancake . Since being here we've been so full after dinner that dessert won't fit in, so it was on the menu for lunch today. We eventually found a cafe that served it and after a bowl of soup to ensure there was at least something savoury, we had our fill and washed it down with some Aperol Spritzers. We then did a guided walking tour which included a visit to the crypts under St Michael's Church where 4000 bodies are interred - the most recent in coffins but older ones are just piled up as piles of bones and skulls in the rooms. We also visited some other cellars in Vienna that had some historical significance as we walked around some more. Then - for one last point of interest - we walked to the pathology museum in the grounds of the university in the city. A macabre way to finish the day. Tired of walking, we returned to the hotel for some well earned drinks and then caught the train back to the Opera House where we had dinner in a cafe that overlooked this impressive building.
Tomorrow we leave to come home. We hope you have enjoyed following our travels, and we look forward to seeing you soon and sharing some more details of the trip. Thank you for sharing our journey.