"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy"

February 27th I departed for my very first trip alone to Vienna, Austria!

I stayed in a hostel called "Believe It or Not" which was located only a 15 minute walk from the city center. There were two rooms and I got the chance to stay in both of them. The first two nights I stayed in the top far back bunk of this room and there were two other travelers below.

Living room

Board of what to do in Vienna

Other half of the living room

Second room. I spent my last two nights in this room on the top too. I felt much safer sleeping on top even though there wasn't a need to worry as I would find out since all of the travelers were very kind but it was nice to have that added peace of mind to be up and away from everyone else.

Entrance Hall. The door is the door to come in/ go out. The dresser is the guest book, so when you stay you sign your name on the dresser. The host, Lilly, has had a lot of visitors! I found out that Lilly is from South Africa and she has only had the hostel for three years. She just fell in love with Vienna during her travels and she decided to stay. From what I understood, she 'inherited' the hostel from the person before her. I think she knew that person very very well, not related, but close friends and they left the hostel to her when they moved out of the business. Either way, the place was very clean and I got breakfast every morning so I was very happy to have stayed there.

Kitchen

I arrived Thursday night and spend most of the night trying to find the hostel since my directions were off somehow so I didn't get much of a chance to see the city and it was about 9pm when I got in. So I began the day fresh Friday morning and it was a beautiful day! The picture above is the museum that holds all of the Hapsburg's treasures. The Hapsburg ruled Austria for over 650 years, just until the end of WW1, so they collected many things. It was the first museum I went into and I was floored. I have seen many beautiful and striking things here in Paris however nothing could prepare me for what I saw in there. Thankfully pictures were allowed, however I took a lot...

These are two other museums that I didn't get to see however my hostel was right up the road from here which is considered the Museum Quarter. The museum on the left is Leopold Museum that holds over 5,500 Austrian paintings collected by Rudolf Leopold (1925-2010). The museum on the right is MUMOK aka the modern art museum. The letters stand for something in Dutch but I have no idea what they are nor would I be able to tell you what they mean. As an English and now French speaker in a country that speaks Dutch, because it is an insult to the Austrians if you say they speak German even though technically they do, it was hard for me to figure out how to follow my maps and figure out where to go. I didn't make it easier on myself either by buying a French guidebook however it did help me continue to practice my French. Even if I had an English one it still would've been challenging since I don't speak German. It took the first two days to finally get my footing and be able to figure out where I was and where to go. I give those travelers who come to Paris not knowing French a lot of credit. Its a challenge to visit a country when you don't speak the language.

Closer view of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Hapsburg collection Museum) (KM)

Across from the KM was the natural history museum called Naturhistorisches Museum.

Entrance of the KM

The first hall I visited had artifacts dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman empires. Like in the Louvre, the pieces are magnificent but the rooms they are in are also just as interesting.

glass artifacts from 1130.

No idea what this room was for because all the signs were in German but I found it very interesting because its all heads. It bothered me a little bit since I couldn't read the signs to figure out why this exhibit was created. It was very rarely that I found a German/English sign so I wandered aimlessly with my little German dictionary I downloaded trying to figure things out.

I think this building was apart of the royal palace at one time because of the creativity and wealth put into not only the walls but the floors. From what I've seen in Paris, only the places that were once apart of a royal palace or an aristocratic home have such decorations. If it is a newer museum not in someone's old home, then it doesn't have such wealth.

Egyptian wing

A mummified crocodile, never in my life have I seen this. That crocodile must've been a pet or something or related to the person it was buried with.

Finally some English! The next wing was collected in the 16th/17th century by the kings and queens of Austria.

These were centerpieces and silverware used for court ceremonies in the 15th century. According to the sign, this was a sideboards set created from gold, silver and rock crystal, all materials with magical powers to protect from poison. Yes, magical powers lol hey whatever helps you eat peacefully...

This spanish doll from the second half of the 16th century can be wound up and then she will play the cittern, turn her head and move around the table. It was created by Juanelo Torriano, the clockmaker of Emperor Charles V.

I didn't take a photo of the description of many pieces I saw since there were so many but I took pictures of some that were just too fantastic or crazy to not take a photo.

This cup was made in 1532 for King Francis I of France. The figure on the top is supposed to be the Archangel Micheal there for suggesting a connection to the French royal "Order of Saint Micheal." There was a room dedicated to the objects collected by Francis I because of the rivalry between France and Austria for dominance in Europe. At the time, they were two of the largest and most powerful monarchies so of course they not only fought in battles but also in the arts to see who could collect the rarest artifact or have the famous artists working in their court.

Who wouldn't want a broach like that, just to look at of course because where would you wear that lol but the detail for how small it is is just magnificent.

Aristocratic sewing kit

This boat is a center piece for the table not to be confused with the boat below which is more like a toy.

This boat… and we think we are so technologically advanced, no we are just redoing something someone has done hundreds of years ago… was built in 1585 as a court gift and like the doll before it moves. There were tablets that showed how this moved so you could see it for yourself. The boat not only moved along the table but the men inside the boat moved, it played music AND at the very end the canons made a sound like they were being shot off and smoke came out. Talk about something you could find (of course in plastic) in a kids store!

Ivory creations made in Prague during 17th century

Book cover from Prague 1605

Globe Cup 1590: the cups of two goblets form the globe. The continents show the change in the world view during the Age of Discovery. The globe was modeled of a map by a famous cosmographer Gerard Mercator, created in 1569 and adapted in 1587, its method of production is still used in navigational maps today.

Lidded Cup 1611: the lid encases a warthog's jaw, it was believed to have magic healing powers.

Drinking Horn in the Form of a Dragon 1560: believed to have magic healing powers as well.

Ornamental basin with Ewer 1592: created in Neuremberg but modeled after what was popular in India.

1590/1594: this basin and ewer was made from sea shells which were popular during the time. All the things that were created with shells held no purpose besides decoration.

Models of Austrian paysans made for the court, they are very creative but some were just funny. Did the court really think the people who lived in little villages away from all the wealth looked like this??

A highlight of the Hapsburg collection, a rock crystal herons from the 1580s.

This part of the museum left me flabbergasted. These handstones were created for the court but each had their own story to go along with it. Some were Biblical stories others were villages in the country but they all symbolized the natural wealth of Austria.