Dirty Laundry

So remember how Frau Hartl hangs our laundry out the window to dry? Well she still does and every Monday and Tuesday you'll see flags of underwear or jeans depending on what time of day you walk by.

Anyway, Mika came home yesterday and strolled into the dining room/living room to pick up her clothing piles from the couch. A pair of her jeans fell off the pile and when she picked them up she noticed a new 'white paint splatter' on the leg. Upon closer inspection she realized that it wasn't the latest trend of paint splatter design on her jeans...no.... IT WAS BIRD POOP!! When Kate and I found out later that night we about died laughing!! Some bird flying overhead pooped on Mika's jeans that were hanging out the window on Schmidgasse! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I guess Frau either didn't see the poop or she thought it was a design on the jeans because she folded them up (with the stain inside...) and set them in Mika's pile. Oh, Frau!

Imperial Treasury

Meet the biggest emerald in the world!!!

Whitney and her audio guide checking out some of the artifacts.

Haha...even the Hapsburgs had a family tree displayed!!

The Ensign and Relief Society would love them!

I cannot describe how beautiful these coronation robes were! Absolutely amazing. The embroidery was so intricate and stunning. All I could think the entire time in the treasury was "wow, Hapsburgs....you really locked this stuff in your treasury so you could say that you have it? Where did you keep it all?" The rooms were covered in shelves full of every gold item imaginable. I wonder if they would just go sit and look at all of it like we do?

This is the legendary crown that advertises the Imperial Treasury. It must be so heavy. It's covered in all kinds of jewels. I loved how the painting of the King dressed in his furs with his scepters and orbs was right behind the "real thing."

Catacombs of St. Stephens

I wish this picture were better, but I wasn't supposed to take pictures anyway so I guess this blurry "entering the catacombs" picture is as good as it gets.

The bodies of the Hapsburgs are in one church, their hearts are in the St. Augustin "Marriage Church" but their intestines and other insides are here in St. Stephens. I know it's weird, but I think it's cool that their hearts are buried where they were all married.

In one room, there are jars filled with all of their remains. The guide said each is numbered and so if you really want to find out which jar is who you find it by number. "Maria Theresia is number 24."

I had never been to catacombs before. Such a neat experience, although I wish the St. Stephen's tour had been longer. It's so dark and musty below. There are actual several levels of catacombs! At one point we peered down a well-type opening down to the room below. The ladder got lost in the piles and piles of bones. Another room was completely reserved for Black Plague victims. I guess normally bodies of plague victims were thrown outside the city, but the bodies of the nobles got to be thrown in a hole to the St. Stephens catacombs. The strangest thing was seeing how they started stacking the bones when they ran out of room. One room had all walls covered in stacked bones and you couldn't even see to the top!

Creepy....but I guess part of the catacombs was used for bomb shelters! How horrible to be buried alive before you're really dead. Eerie!

When the group of us was standing in an empty room looking through a window at skeletons (yes, 4 full bodies lying over stacks of others!) in the next, he said, "Just think: This room you're standing in was a catacomb, too. It's just empty now. Those could be bones you're standing on!"

Early one morning...

About a week and a half ago I woke up, strolled out to breakfast, sat down in my chair, moved to scoot in to the breakfast table and CRACK! Next thing I knew I was on the ground and a splintered chair leg was next to me. Why do things like this always happen to me?!? Kate helped me write a note to Frau in German (since I had to go to school) explaining my accident.

Basically, Mika and I didn't see Frau for a couple of days. I think we were avoiding each other. When I finally saw her a couple of days later the conversation went something like this:

me: "Gutentag! um...der Stuhl?"
Frau: grumble. rant and rage in German.
Translation: Americans should stop moving around so much when they sit down. The chair that I broke was part of the dining room set she got when she was married 60 years ago!!!!!!

I was sick to my stomach and just wanted to cry. Since then, I helped Frau carry the chair to the 'Tischler' (carpenter) and I think we're on better terms. I really hope he can fix it.

Yellow Bus Tour

These are the beautiful yellow busses that we proudly rode around in in our chacos, shorts, headphones, and cameras. Brother Plummer arranged for us to take a city tour and we were actually allowed to be a tourist. It was great to know more of our way around the city.