Monday August 23, 2010

When we awoke this morning we were still sailing down the Danube towards Vienna. As we approached we went through another lock (the first one was last night around 11 PM). After going through the lock we passed under several other bridges, so low that even Barbara could almost reach up and touch the underside of the bridge. We also noted a thick layer of smog covering Vienna, but in fairness, this was not too evident once we arrived. We pulled into the dock at 9:30 and by 10 AM we were all loaded onto busses for our bus tour of this truly beautiful city. We first made our way around the newer part of Vienna with its high rises, beautiful city hall, giant ferris wheel and beaches. Then we ventured over to the an older district filled with buildings a minimum of 100 years – and many older than that. The older section is home to the Old Palace, the Opera House, the New Palace, the City Hall, the Lipizzaner Horse stables, several museums and fine arts facilities, and many shops. Many of those shops are located on a pedestrian only shopping street which was a delight to manoeuvre. At St Stephens Cathedral we left our bus and tour a walking tour around the streets of this beautiful part of the city. We enjoyed looking at the fountains and statues, and set our sites for future visits. Then we were on our own to explore for about 45 minutes. At this time we met back at the bus stop and made a decision about the balance of the day. Some stayed in town (including the writer) while others went back to the ship. Of those that went back to the ship, some went for a walk while others rested for the afternoon and enjoyed the sunshine, still others took in a tour of the Schonbrunn Palace. This evening there was also the opportunity to take in a great concert of Mozart and Schubert.

We leave Vienna at 2 AM and will arrive tomorrow morning in Melk for another adventure