So Sad to Say Goodbye to Vienna

We spent out last day in Vienna doing some more sightseeing.

A must see is Schoenbrunn Palace

The front of the Palace

 We visited 22 rooms inside, 

but photos were not allowed of the interior

 There were hundreds of rose bushes all around

On our way to meet up with Helma for a traditional meal in a local pub/restaurant, we walked through 'Nashmarkt'; a very long outdoor market selling just about everything!

For our last meal there, we dined on schnitzel and 'boiled' beef.  

Can it get any more traditional??

Thanks Helma for a wonderful holiday

 Goodbye Vienna

It was wonderful.
Thank you so much Helma & Alan for your hospitality!

Until next time!

Back to Vienna

Once back from Prague, 

we had a couple of days left to enjoy more of Vienna.

Our first stop was a visit to the interior of Augustinian Church

 I have spent a number of hours in libraries during my life,

 but I have never seen one as beautiful as

The Imperial National Library

This globe was created in 1693 by Vincenzo Coronelli, a noted cartographer

A few of the famous Lipizzaner stallions!

 We continued our walk and visited Hofburg

 which is the former principal Imperial Palace.

 Going back to a dark time in history, Hitler stood on this balcony addressing the Austrian people

To finish off a lovely day, we headed by train to Baden bei Wien, 

where our hosts had invited us to their home for dinner. 

The Opera House

Mozart lived here!

 Helma prepared a fabulous meal

Seafood risotto

 After dinner we browsed their personal library and came across this legal tome from 1734! 

Another superb day!

Our last day in Vienna up next.

A 'Taste' of Vienna

With Family living in Vienna, we have had a visit on our bucket list for some time now!  What better way to visit a new city 

then being guided around by locals??

Our voyage started in Montreal, sipping local Quebec beer.

After a 24 hour day with two plane rides and very little sleep, we felt a genuine Austrian meal was just the ticket.  We found a local 'guesthaus' outside the tourist area for a traditional meal!

We would have loved to sit out in the 'biergarten', but it was pouring with rain, so opted to side inside, next to an antique stove.

I am so glad that our dinner companions spoke German, as we would not have been able to either read or order from the menu. Not to worry, we were served traditional beef with fried onions, a veal patty and wiener schnitzel.  Don't forget the potato salad and greens!

Our first day was tiring but tons of fun!

Stay tuned for more sightseeing tomorrow!