![]() Poor Mary was disinterred several times over the years by people trying to prove various theories of what “actually” happened.Īfter this scandal, Sissi wore black for the rest of her life. No doubt that explains in part his choices in life and in death. Rudolf had syphillis, which he generously shared with his wife, Princess Stephanie, who became sterile. Mary, whom he had seduced and who was, at 17, emotionally vulnerable, agreed. Rudolf had first asked a courtesan, who had the good sense to to turn him down. The worst part of this was that Mary wasn’t even his first choice for this grisly double suicide. Apparently Rudolf shot the poor child, then sat there for several hours before offing himself. ![]() This is referred to as the Meyerling incident as it took place at his hunting lodge in Meyerling. The couple’s only son and heir, Crown Prince Rudolf, committed murder-suicide with his 17-year-old mistress, Baroness Mary von Vetsera. ![]() Under the excuse of ill health (some of which was caused by her poor diet and beauty regimen), she traveled widely, returning only rarely to Vienna. The marriage was happy at first, and Franz Joseph seemed to adore her without ceasing, but after the birth of their last child, Sissi began spending all her time away from court. She was raised in a carefree atmosphere in Bavaria, but the Habsburg court was rigidly bound with traditions and rules that she found constraining in the extreme. She married her first cousin Emperor Franz Joseph when she was 16. Sissi was the Empress Elisabeth, known as Sissi all her life. We could not find our way out for the longest time, but finally emerged and entered the Sissi Museum. They don’t let you near that one, but you can see it through windows. We went around and around the exhibit, which was an endless collection of plates, candelabras, épèrgnes, bowls, basins, tableware, flasks, vases, etc., etc., including a monstrous gold centerpiece used for state dinners that must have been made in multiple pieces, as it went on forever. It was rather like the funhouse of mirrors. We entered the silver and china collection because someone directed us there, but not because we wanted to see it. It is actually a massive complex of palace buildings, but we only chose to see the Imperial Residences, which includes the silver and china collection, the Sissi Museum, and the residence of Sissi and Franz Joseph, the last rulers of the 600+ year reign of the Hapsburgs. I have said that once you’ve seen one palace, you’ve seen them all, and this is true of the Hofburg as well. On Day 23, Tom and I visited the Hofburg Palace, the imperial residence of the Habsburgs. I am condensing these days because Covid aftereffects have slowed us down so much-me, in particular-that we didn’t do much.
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