The Rise And Fall Of An Empire And Magical Places You Should Not Mi...

Enjoy Vienna, once the center of the Habsburg monarchy, now serves as the capital of Austria. Do not forget to visit The Hofburg Imperial Palace And The Palmenhaus in Burggarten 1 for a Melange in the Brasserie.

original photos taken with my iPhone5S

My next post will show many more photos and ambience of The Palmenhaus

Last week I finally saw the sun waking up also in Vienna. What Joy!

After a very long, too cold typical grey Austrian winter in the city, my first since many years in Europe, I finally felt the pure joy of spring awakening in my hometown and photographing Gaensebluemchen:)

What a happy day ending up dancing Salsa to a turquoise blue sky! I got a call from one of my friends who just came back from New York, I haven't seen for ages who suggested to meet up in the centre at Burggarten to hang out at The Palmenhaus Cafe. OMG, Thats my Vienna I remember to love so much with Mozarts classical sound in my iPhone and in-front of my eyes.

Mozart in his Glory

Schmetterling Haus - The Imperial Butterfly House

Right in the centre of Vienna, just 200m from the opera you will find a unique, tropical oasis, peaceful and relaxing, the Imperial Butterfly House. In one of the most beautiful Art Noveau palm houses in the world, you enter a fantastic environment of adventure and excitement, populated by one of nature‘s most gentle and colourful creatures, the butterfly. - Source

You see me posting about Indonesia quite a bit because at minus 7 celsius madness, you need to help yourself a bit to get through the freeze, dreaming of the tropical islands I got used to in past years. ( Dreaming Of Nusa Penida, One Of The Most Breathtaking Islands Close To Bali In Indonesia) This kind of charming spring time makes me forget my tropical paradise for a while.

Launching at The Burggarten

Glorious Vibes!

Hofburg Wien

backside

Anyways, I am back in " Awww " about those first warm, joyful days when you see people finally come out of their cocoons, hanging out in the meadows of our fabulous city gardens, dancing salsa infront of the stunning Hofburg Imperial Palace.

I took those photos one crystal clear winter eve walking around with @firepower Good times!

The Library at the Hofburg by night

Inside this palace you find the museum all women should not miss to visit . Its the Sisi Museum where you learn about the life of an amazing, georgous and influential empress, Kaiser Franz Josef's wife.

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The assassination of Empress Elisabeth of Austria

Since 2004 the Sisi Museum has been housed in the Stephan apartments, so named after Archduke Stephan Viktor. Here numerous personal items that once belonged to Elisabeth are used to help illustrate the true personality of the frequently misunderstood Empress. The sensitively designed exhibits, created by renowned set designer Prof. Rolf Langenfass, are inspired by the monarch's poetry and illustrate how the once light-hearted young girl, Sisi, became a restless, unapproachable and melancholic woman.

I used to watch all movies about Sisi played by my sweet actrice I adore so much Romy Schneider and her love Alan Delon

Watch the full movie here :

Élisabeth, Elisabetta, Isabel … on 84 pages the lavishly illustrated biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria conveys an in-depth portrayal of one of the most fascinating and influential women in Austrian history. Basing the portrayal on the latest research, we approach the different facets of Sisi – a magnetic personality who still casts her spell over many people to this day. - Get the Book

In Sisi's footsteps, the Imperial home and household

Image Source Romy Schneider in the movie

For many centuries, the Vienna Hofburg was the centre of the Habsburg empire. Three museum attractions provide historically accurate insights into the tradition and daily life at court: the authentically-furnished Imperial Apartments, the tasteful Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection as a comprehensive collection of Imperial utilitarian objects. The Imperial Apartments, Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection are amongst Vienna's top sights, attracting around 600,000 visitors each year.- Source

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The Austrian Monarchy - Das Kaisertum

Austria was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty from 1278/1282 to 1918. Therefore, historical Austria is also known as the Habsburg Empire or the Habsburg Monarchy. The Habsburgs made Austria a great power in 1477, when they inherited much of what is now the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Soon afterwards they inherited many more lands by their marriage policies. During the 16th century, the Habsburgs ruled over large parts of Europe. Charles V reigned over perhaps a quarter of the European population (not to speak of his enormous American colonial empire). The centuries afterwards Austria remained a great power until World War I, when the nationalistic thoughts in Europe finally divided the old empire into many small states. - Source YouTube Video

Maria Theresia and some of her 16!! children
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It's important to put in mind that Austria has always been a "part" of Germany until the 19th century. Indeed, the German Empire didn't exist until 1871, but the Germans (Austrians included) more or less realized they shared a similar language and culture, and the medieval Holy Roman Empire actually was for the most part a German state until it fell apart in the fatal 13th century. Source YouTube Video

Kaiser Franz Josef & Elisabeth Image source

Since 1452, the Habsburgs were (with one short exception) the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, which was by now virtually a very loose confederation of states. However, the position of the Holy Roman Emperor gave the Habsburgs privileges and some sort of loyalty from the German princes, although some monarchs—most notably the Prussian kings—openly contested Habsburg primacy. The Austrians were finally abandoned outside the German Empire in 1871. - Source YouTube Video