When I first began reading about Empress Elisabeth of Austria—known affectionately as "Sisi"—I expected to meet one of history's great beauties. Instead, I met one of history's great free spirits. And perhaps that is what made her truly beautiful. Long before I learned about her famous waist, her ankle-length hair, or the portraits that captivated Europe, I learned one simple fact that made me smile. The young Emperor Franz Joseph traveled to meet Elisabeth's older sister, wh