Chapter Five

Habsburgs and the Wachau Valley

We rose early, had a delicious brekky and headed out of Salzburg toward the Wachau Valley and Melk. Not far outside of Salzburg sits Lake Fuschi. There we found the world headquarters of Red Bull. I took a pic for the kids, who lived on the stuff during their college years. The ride into the Wachau Valley was incredible! Beautiful views at every turn. We stopped in the town of Bad Ischl to visit Kaiservilla, the summer “hunting cabin” of Emperor Franz Josef and his wife, Elisabeth (aka Sisi). It’s shaped like the letter “E” in Elisabeth’s honor. Franz Josef went there almost every year from the time he was 18 until the time of his death. The main entryway, stairwell and hall is filled with antlers and trophies. The local taxidermist must have been a very wealthy man!

The highlight of this tour, for me, was the desk where Franz Josef effectively started the first world war. They also had a copy of the coronation gown Elisabeth wore. Or maybe it was her wedding dress. I’ll have to look that up.
 

We’ve all seen movies where the guest gets lost in the hotel. Today was the first time I experienced that scenario. The hotel was a series of former houses, all interconnected, with odd little stairways, breezeways and hallways going all over the place. The numbering system for the rooms made no sense. It was adorable! We had a glass of wine and a dip in the pool before heading to bed in what we hoped was our room.