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Night location: Vienna
This morning we awoke feeling quite refreshed due to the excellent bed in our hotel. We both agree that this is one of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed in overseas and to top it off the a la carte breakfast on offer was also excellent.
Our main agenda item for the day was a visit to Schonbrunn Palace. We elected to undertake the Grand Tour through 40 rooms in the palace with the help of an audio guide. The tour covered two primary reigns in the Habsburg dynasty: that of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Franz Josef. It gave an insight into the sumptuous lives of the inhabitants particularly with their use of fine wood panelling, large portraits, delicate porcelain and crystal glassware, tapestries, gilded furniture and ornate ceilings complete with crystal chandeliers. The grounds are open to the public and cover a vast area of which we only saw a minute portion.
Utilising the somewhat vague but extensive tram network, we made our way back to the Old City and walked through shopping streets that were bustling with people. Our Hotel is located quite close to the famous Sacher Hotel so we decided to indulge in a Sacher Torte. We have concluded that this adjoining cafe may have been a finer experience in its day but now has become a tourist trap. The cake was nice but not worth the hype.
We spent the afternoon shopping. David found an impressive department store that had the largest range of menswear either of us have ever seen and purchases were made.
After a short rest back at the hotel we went out to a fabulous restaurant that served us pizzas twice the size of the plate they were presented on! Delicious!
- comments
Althea Halliday Hello darlings Your writing about the Schonbrunn Palace brought back so many memories of 1989, particularly memories of you, Amber, and Gemma scooting around in the autumn leaves in pursuit of a squirrel. Your description of the palace captured its magnificence, and I quite like the understatement re the menswear, 'and purchases were made'. Again, what a wonderful time you are having. Love, Mum xx