Empress Sissi!!!!

 
One of my dreams has come true... Actually TWO of my dreams did come true during my Austrian trip this year: one was to be in the very places that "The Sound of Music" were filmed (this will be a later post) and also to be in the places Sissi was, seeing her rooms, her personal objects, clothes, etc...

Sissi was a passion of mine since a very tender age mainly because of the 1950's trilogy of movies with Romy Schneider...

How can you NOT fall in love with her and her story. Of course the reality was different than the movie, but her allure continues for generations.
I could see the affection the Austrian people have for her.

Translating her fame to my American husband (who never saw the films or knew who she was) , was kind of easy: "She was the 19th century version of Lady Di". Both were very unhappy with the court life, were slaves of the cult of beauty (one being anorexic and the other probably bulimic) and had very sad ends.

I was very fortunate to be able to go to the Hofburg Palace, where they have the Sissi Museum with lots of her personal objects, even simple things like her long stockings... And I was also very happy to go to the Schloß Schönbrun, where she lived (for some time at least).

Of course, photos were forbidden, but if you know Lulu, this will not deter her!!!!

So here we have some sneaked shots from my beloved Sissi experience!

My dad and  going up to the Sissi Museum in the Hofburg Palace

Me and some important friends... LOL. Sissi is there top left.

Place she lived, Schloß Schönbrun

 Sissi's hubby Franz Joseph's room (where he died).

Sissi portrait in one of Schloß Schönbrun rooms. 

 

A mannequin representing Sissi and the amount of hair she insisted in not cutting! It took like 3 hours to have it combed and set in elaborated hairstyles. She went nuts if any of them fell. Well, I think she was kind of crazy anyway.

She would do well in Hollywood today: she was basically anorexic and weighted herself maniacally.
Could not believe that I did see her scale and managed to sneak a picture!

Me trying to take a break from the crazy rain that plagued us! Because of it, I wasn't able to see the grounds and gardens...
Oh, well, next time.

Then of course I did get a ton of Sissi souvenirs and a bio that I am aching to read!

So happy with the memories this trip is giving me!