Sunday, May 26, 2013

Day 4!


Guten tag! This is Kelly R and Steph reporting our adventures in Vienna! We had a quick stay in Vienna (less than 24 hours), which turned out to be very exciting but exhausting at the same time. So the day began as we left Hotel Roma at 8 am (still half asleep), crammed into a bus/van and hit the road for a 4 hour drive through the Czech Republic. We stopped right before crossing the boarder to spend the remainder of our Krohns on mostly traditional candy/ice cream, which was a nice treat! Once we got into Vienna, we went straight to our hotel and got a few minutes to get ready and discover the fact that we would have no Wi-Fi at this hotel (which is why there was no blog yesterday and no contact from any of us L…we bet you missed us). Next we walked to a main street to get lunch at the restaurant of our choice. Some chose the Doner Sandwich, a traditional Viennese sandwich, and others played it safe and got some very good pizza. Then, we traveled through the city to the beautiful Schonbrunn Palace. We walked through the perfectly groomed gardens, took pictures by the huge fountain, and some of us even walked to the top of a hill to get pictures overlooking the city. It turned out to be a hike, and it could definitely give the hill in EC a run for its money! After exploring outside the palace, we got to take a guided tour through the extravagant rooms of the royal family’s home. The palace was preserved with furniture and paintings that were original and it was amazing to see the lifestyle that royal families had. It was even more incredible since this was only their summer home! Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but we decided a camera wouldn’t do the palace justice anyways.



Then, we took an underground tram to more downtown Vienna. Since we were here for a short visit, we got a speed tour around the city to see the museums and generally where things were. It was cool to run into a Gala Event where it seemed like famous people were arriving dressed in extravagant gowns. Next we walked through the shopping district, where parents should be glad we didn’t go in any of the stores there! They were all couture such as Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and many other bank account draining stores. We made it to St. Steven’s Square that consisted of many small vendors, shops and giant cathedral. We were lucky enough to go inside during a real service and walk around and take pictures. The stain glass windows and detailed artwork were breathtaking!

After our time together, we got time to explore Vienna on our own. Many of us made a mad dash to a café to get some coffee, since the time change was starting to catch up with us. We got to do some shopping in the less expensive stores and stroll around the city for a few hours. Our last stop of the day was at a modern restaurant, which served pizza, pasta, and salad that was made before your eyes! To cap off the day, our tour guide bought us gelato, which we ate on the way back to the hotel. Even though our stay was short, we are all grateful that we were able to stop in Vienna and experience the Austrian culture and explore the city!


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