Headless Haydn and the Super Long Train Ride

Today we went to Eisenstadt to see Haydn's tomb. Or rather, we tried to go to Eisenstadt. We eventually made it, but it turns out that in Europe it's not enough to get on the right train, you have to get on the right train car too. What was supposed to be an hour and a half train ride, turned out to be a LOT longer when the car we were in was separated from the car going to Eisenstadt, and we went in a completely different direction.

View out my train window

I mostly slept on the train

Once in Eisenstadt, we toured Haydn's tomb and the church he was buried in. It turns out that shortly after he was buried, two associates of Haydn dug up his body and stole his head, wanting to discover the source of his genius. They thought that geniuses have more brain tissue in certain locations of their head that corresponds to the area of the brain they used most. The theft was eventually discovered, but they managed to hold on to the head by "returning" the skull of another guy. So Haydn had the wrong head on his corpse for over a hundred years. Eventually the real head passed through the family of the thieves and was donated to the Society of the Friends of Music, and after this tomb was built in Eisenstadt, Haydn's head and body were reunited in a big ceremony.

Tonight we are going to see The Magic Flute, and then I'm hoping to discover what Vienna has by way of Swing dancing.