We went on an included tour through Vienna this morning. Vienna is surrounded by a massive ring road which used to be the city wall. The city is well laid out and we heard some great stories from our guide.

Went through St Stephens and understand a little more of the process of cleaning these great big cathedrals. With time the stone work outside gets quite dark. I had remarked a couple of days earlier that it looked like it needed a good scrub! Well apparently that's exactly what they do! About every 50
years up goes the scaffolding and brings the stone work back to new.

Discovered a coffee house called Demel which specializes in pastries. So of course we all tucked in to AppfelStrudel! And about time! We'd been trying to get AppfelStrudel for days!! Patty and I had a delicious hot chocolate and Ross and David coffee, and yes, ordered in german!

We continued pottering around Vienna and got me a coat at a department store. We got back to the ship around 4pm, and sailed again at 5pm.

After our Gala Dinner, yes the jewels came out again!! We had a the passenger talent night. Was a really fun night, lots of laughs. Ross got roped into giving the "Passenger Prayer" which was amusing on so many levels!

Another wonderful night with so many friends. It has been a extra bonus meeting some fantastic people on this cruise. I've mentioned Patty and David, guessing in their early 70's. We all got on so well people thought we were family. It very quickly felt like that for us too. We also met a crew from North Carolina which I now know is half way between New York and Florida. In that group were Jim and Karla who are much the same age as us. We would definitely be great friends if we lived closer. They were traveling with a couple of older ladies. Barbera is mid 70's and goes to the gym several times a week, and dances a very mean foxtrot! Catherine is 82 and I can honestly say has inspired me. What a delightful lady, gentle and generous with mischief in her twinkling eyes. Love her! Up there dancing every night too! Met a lovely couple from Perth who I hope to keep in touch with, Mary Lee being one of those gracious women who make everyone feel
comfortable. Ross met a new drinking mate from Brisbane called Peter, who is still not sure whether or not he should be scared of me!