Had a morning tour of Vienna by bus and then walked around the city centre visiting the Hofburg, St Stephens, and we passed the Albertino.

We entered the Hofburg and the 'Ringstrasse' by the Palace Gate which is now a memorial to the WW I dead and the site of the tomb of the unknown soldier. We were lucky enough to see the tomb open because of WW2 rememberance day.

Through the gate you're in Heroes Square with 2 striking statues of Archduke Karl and Prince Eugene of Savoy, both successful military characters in Austrian history. Off to the right you see the so-called New Palace and to the left, is Vienna's largest square for public gatherings. There was a lot of activity in the square setting up for the free concert tonight.

Beyond the Old Palace there is an inner courtyard and out the other side at Michael's Gate are wonderful statues.

Turn right and go past the world famous Spanish Riding School and then at the Josef's Square you'll find yourself by the Austrian National Library and from there you can cut back through archways and courtyards to where you started.

Passing along the way the Imperial Chapel where the Vienna Boys Choir perform on Sundays (not in high season).

We visited the Spanish Riding School and watched the horses being trained. The Spanish Riding School is steeped in history and is in the Hofburg. The famous horse riding school is housed in the purpose-built Winterreitschule (Winter Riding School), an ornately decorated building complete with chandeliers. The horses were magnificent to watch. After the training session we had lunch within the school and enjoyed the sunshine. We walked around the city for a while and then visited St Stephens Cathedral which is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedral, seen today in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Duke Rudolf IV (1339-1365) and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first a parish church consecrated in 1147. The most important religious building in Austria's capital, St. Stephen's Cathedral has borne witness to many important events in that nation's history and has, with its multi-colored tile roof, become one of the city's most recognizable symbols. The stained glass windows were very different to the other churches we had visited along our journey. Inside the church there was also a number of tombs and catacombs. The most notable being Emperor Frederick's tomb where the impressive sarcophagus is made of the unusually dense red marble-like stone found at the Adnet quarry. Carved by Niclaes Gerhaert van Leyden, the tomb lid shows Emperor Frederick in his coronation regalia surrounded by the coats of arms of all of his dominions. The body of the tomb has 240 statues and is a glory of medieval sculptural art.

Then off to Schonbrunn Palace which lies about 6km (4 miles) from the center of Vienna. Schönbrunn Palace is the former summer residence of the imperial family. Ever since it was completed in 1780 during the reign of Maria-Theresia, the palace was the favorite residence of the Habsburg monarchs.

The whole area, including the expansive garden, occupies about 435 acres and we spent at least a half day visiting the magnificent palace and gardens. We finished the tour off by riding around the grounds in a horse drawn carriage which was lovely.

Later on went to the Opera and listened to the "Sound of Vienna" in the unique surroundings of the Kursalon Wien. The orchestra performed music from Johann Strauss, Mozart, and Lumbye. With beautiful arias and ballet dancers. We drank champagne and had a wonderful evening.