It’s entirely possible that what I’ll remember from Vienna was how much food I ate. Okay, that’s unlikely, but take a look at this.
Counterclockwise from the top left, that’s apple strudel from the Strudelshow at Schonbrunn Palace, the spinach feta strudel I had for dinner on board our ship, the AmaViola, my apple strudel and ice cream dessert on the ship, and the wienerschnitzel I had at a cafe in Vienna at lunch. So yeah, I ate all that today. The fast starts Friday.
But on to more interesting (and less indigestion-causing) things. We spent our morning at Schonbrunn Palace, which was built in the 1700s and served as the summer residence for the Austrian emperor. The facade of the palace is so huge that it was hard to get a good shot that encompassed the whole thing.
We unfortunately weren’t allowed to take photos during our tour or during the (surprisingly cool) marionette show we saw on the grounds. Or during the Mozart and Strauss concert we saw at the Orangerie there after dinner. But take a look at the garden around back.
Austrians really have a hang of how to landscape.
Kevin really loves that I keep busting out my selfie stick.
We had a lot of time to wander Vienna on our own this afternoon, which was really nice. I love having the local tour guides and we get a lot of great information that way, but it’s also so nice to do things at your own pace, get a little lost and just see what you find.
Our shuttle bus dropped us off right near a main pedestrian thoroughfare and we walked a big loop hitting a lot of the major sites, many of which we’d passed on a bus tour this morning. My eyes are slipping shut as I type this, so I’m going to insert some photos and call it a night. We have an early alarm set for tomorrow so we can climb a giant hill to see another castle in ruins tomorrow morning. HOW DRAB. 😉
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
Hofburg Palace (This was the winter home for the emperor. Apparently the difference between a winter and summer home is the absence or presence of a garden.)
St. Stephen’s, this time on our way back to the bus
Nighttime selfie during intermission at the Orangerie
Valerie Marino 