Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria
Hofburg Palace, directly in the city centre of Vienna, was the winter residence of the Hapsburg rulers. In the summer they went to nearby Schoenbrunn Palace. At Hofburg, you can visit some of the palace as part of the Sisi Museum tour, where you learn about the mysterious Empress Elizabeth, the palace china museum and the Spanish Riding School. Unfortunately no photos of the inside of the palace were permitted, but we snuck a couple of shots when the security guards weren't looking.
Horse and carriages are everywhere in Vienna. Here are some going through a passageway at Hofburg Palace.
One of the fine china sets on display in the Hofburg museum (which we weren't allowed to photograph). This set was a gift from Queen Elizabeth of England.
The table set for the empresses breakfast. Apparently there are only two people in the world who know how to fold the napkin like this and the secret is closely guarded. I wonder if we can figure it out? Hmmmm...
A busker portrays Sisi (Empress Elizabeth). Sisi was famous for her 50cm waist, her reclusive lifestyle and her obsession with beauty. She had some very strange exercise equipment in her room, which we got to see, but couldn't photograph.
Roman ruins were accidentally discovered circa 1995 outside the Hofburg Palace when the pavement was renovated.
Soldiers lined up in the palace courtyard on a special Viennese public holiday.
