Day 3 ~ Vienna

Vienna, Austria’s capital and the seventh largest city in the European Union, is located in the eastern part of the country on the Danube River. Regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy (Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Liszt, Brahms), Vienna is also said to be The City of Dreams because it was also home to Sigmund Freud.

The Hofburg Palace is a very imposing presence in Vienna. Built in the 13th century and expanded in the centuries since, the palace has housed some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, the property houses a mixture of museums, ministries and courtyards. Below are two of the many buildings.

Imperial Chancellery Wing

Neue Burg Wing

The first structure for St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) was completed in 1160 with major reconstruction and expansion lasting until 1511. Repair and restoration projects continue to the present day. This Romanesque and Gothic cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history.

The Spanish Riding School  was first named during the Habsburg Monarchy in 1572 and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It was named for the Spanish horses that formed one of the bases of the Lipizzan breed. We walked by the school and got a peek at a few of the horses in their stable.

We also got an eyeful when we passed by a salon where two people were getting their bodies painted.  You would have thought we were in Amsterdam.

Because Bonnie has taken so many trips with Grand Circle, we were treated to a fabulous dinner with the the captain of our ship, Pavol Buzgovic.

What was on the menu you ask? A seven course dinner that included grilled veal loin topped off with Crème brûlée for dessert. 

When we returned to our cabin, we had the additional treat of this beautiful view  outside our balcony.

In the middle of the night, we begin our journey north to Melk.