Today was a big day! We visited Vienna, the capital of Austria and the center of the Habsburg Empire, from daylight until dark! We started the day with a bus tour of the city center, the oldest part of Vienna, and saw the Opera House, the stables of the Lipizzaner Stallions, and the awe-inspiring St. Stephens Cathedral. We also strolled through the Karntnerstrasse, the shopping area in Vienna, and did lots of window shopping!
The afternoon was spent visiting the Schonbruun Palace, the summer home of the Habsburg Empire. It was very ornate and compared to Versailles in Paris. We couldn't take pictures in side, so we made pictures in the beautiful gardens. The palace was completed in 1749 and is noted for its magnificent interior and delightful gardens. While we were waiting on our bus to arrive, we went in the cafe' and enjoyed an apple strudel, which is very famous in Vienna.
This evening was truly the icing on the cake! After dinner we attended the opera in Vienna, the home of classical music. It was a delightful performance with a nine piece orchestra, two opera singers and two ballet dancers. The evening was very entertaining! When we returned to the ship at 11PM, the staff was waiting at the door to welcome us back to the ship and had cups of Hungarian goulash with finger sandwiches for us in the lounge. We were told that was a tradition after attending the opera!
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