Today was our first day in the city of Vienna, and we spent the entire day on tours, one of the city proper and another of the Habsburg palace. The city was beautiful, with even the cobblestone roads revealing the intention put into the placement of every stone. The churches were awe inspiring, and the architecture mixed with the incense hanging in the air took you into a different world, commanding reverence. Herbert, our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and his stories brought us back in time through the history of the city.
The Habsburg tour, however, was a very uncomfortable experience. I have always been extremely uncomfortable with decadence, and the palace was the epitome of it. Every surface was covered in expensive art and lines with gold leaf, and everything looked and felt untouchable. The tour guide was absolutely excellent, and she told stories of the old aristocracy and how they would show off the palace to visiting nobles and intimidate them into not fighting the Habsburgs by flaunting their wealth. It was an excellent tour of hopefully my least favorite place we will go all trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment