To visit the Schönbrunn Palace, one of the top attractions in Vienna, Austria, is to learn of the great influence of Maria Theresia, the last ruler of the House of Habsburg and one of the most powerful women the world has known. Growing up, one of my favorite hobbies was reading biographies on women of … [Read more…]
Kraków, Budapest and Bratislava all have one thing in common; they are living, open-air history museums dedicated to sharing the horrors of World War II and the 20th Century. This is not so in Vienna, though the city was equally affected by and involved in this period of history. For Vienna is the dream of … [Read more…]
When I booked my trip to Vienna many images came to mind – waltzing, opera, schnitzel, Mozart. But I have to admit, world-class art museums was not on the list. And yet, the museum scene in Vienna blew me away. I strolled around three museums – the Albertina, Leopold Museum, Kunsthistorisches Museum and left stunned … [Read more…]
As an American, the world has seemingly pointed West my entire life. At home, news from the East is contextualized to its impact on the United States. The majority of my studies in history growing up were inward focused, and even global topics such as World War II were usually centered on my own country’s … [Read more…]
As I walk through the welcoming doors of Hostel Ruthensteiner in Vienna, Austria, I am immediately swept by the feeling that I’m in a wood carver’s cottage from some fairytale. The sign out front depicts a friendly image of a wooden cottage next to an evergreen tree. Inside, chairs hand carved from oak wood sit in … [Read more…]
The hills are alive with the sound of music! Well, while some may have their doubts about that, there’s no denying that Salzburg is at least alive with The Sound of Music fans. Each year roughly 300,000 visitors come to explore the sights featured in the 1965 film – that’s more than double the city’s … [Read more…]
A convergence of houses hug the icy lake shore, their wooden roofs rising up to greet the green mountains that tower behind. Steady raindrops fall, shimmering the deep blue waters with movement and casting a dim glow over the church steeple that dominates the scene. A light fog kisses the lake and gently twists up … [Read more…]
Salzburg, Austria. Home to Mozart and The Sound of Music, Austria’s fourth largest city is perhaps its most famous. With a population around 150,000, this small city more than doubles in numbers during summer months when popular music festival come to town. This historical city is surrounded by mountains and has a quaint old town … [Read more…]
In less than a week, Something in Her Ramblings is hitting the road to share stories about some of Europe’s best winter destinations. I will be using a four-country Eurail pass to explore Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and celebrate Christmas in Milan. After living in Florida for three years the temperatures of these mountainous, northern regions … [Read more…]