Imperial Cities, September 2nd Trip report

[disneytraveler]

I left Logan Airport at 10pm with no problem on my Northwest/KLM flight to
Amsterdam. I made sure i ate dinner at the airport before boarding. My connecting KLM flight was at 12:20pm and i arrived at the portal in time. Upon take off, the plane had mechanical problems. The airpressure was not working and it was getting hot inside. At 2, the captain tells us that this plane is not going anywhere. However, another one would be
next to us in 10 minutes(actually 50 minutes later 3pm). I board this plane and we finally take off. It takes 1 and half to get to Austria so i am thinking i will definately miss the ABD reception. I will be able to attend the
dinner though. Upon arriving at the airport in Austria,i was very pleased to
see ABD reps waiting for me. I did attend the dinner.

[isyt]

I can't wait to hear more!!!

[disneytraveler]

The first full day of sightseeing in Vienna we went to Schonbrunn Palace. It is a huge palace with beautiful grounds. There was guided tour through the palace grounds and rooms. No pictures could be taken inside but outside is ok. We were here for several hours! Then we took a mini train to Tirolerhof
for lunch. I order the vienerschnitzel ! Two huge servings were on the plate! It looked more like dinner. After lunch and around 215pm, we went
back to the hotel. In the evening, we had a private tour of the Vienna Zoo after closing. After the tour , dinner was at the Imperial Pavillion.

Photos coming

[disneytraveler]

[disneytraveler]

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[disneytraveler]

We also watched a applestrudel demonstration and ate some strudel. Afterwards, a marrionette show and back stage viewing of the puppets. The theater played a classical theme. The puppets are small while the marrionette
i bought in Venice last year is big and heavy. On the stage , they seemed larger !

[disneytraveler]

Our next day in Vienna was themed, Symphony of Sights. After a great breakfast buffet, we went on a walking tour of Vienna. It was interesting to see that you can walk into an alley and see old preserved houses and buildings behind more modern places. Along the way, we also saw St. Stephens Cathedral and several momuments! In addition, we saw Hofburg Palace to.
Our walking tour finished at the hotel. Next, we boarded the bus to take us to Festschlos Hof , another palace. It is almost like a summer residence.

[disneytraveler]

Some photos of the Vienna walking tour!

[disneytraveler]

[disneytraveler]

[disneytraveler]

[disneytraveler]

[disneytraveler]

Behind the scenes at a marrionette show in Vienna!

The peformance before this was magical

[disneytraveler]

We had our bags packed and ready to leave Vienna early in the morning. After a great breakfast buffet , we were on our way to Durnstein. Durnstein is a nice pretty village. At the top of a hill is the castle where Richard the Lionhearted was held prisoner. It takes about 20 minutes each to walk up the steps to the castle and the same time back. I figured i would miss the cruise along the Danube if i did it. Therefore, i opted to stroll along the streets and shop . I bought some wine and some very pretty Christmas ornaments . The crusie ship arrived at 10:50 am and we were on our way down the Danube. A great big lunch was included also. I was very pleased with the cruise. It was a slow ride down the river with many sights! Along the way, many casltes perched ontop mountains and towns could be seen.

The weather was perfect! Very sunny and hot! I tried a drink called
Sturim. Its a high alcohol drink made with wine. Its almost like orange aide and wine, very sweet.

Around 130pm, we were on the bus at Melk to our next Hotel in Salzburg.
We had the rest of the afternoon until 630 pm for ourselves. At 630pm , dinner was at St.Peters Restaurant!

[ronny1]

Hi Steve! Glad to see your trip report. Did you enjoy this trip as much as Viva Italia? How was the food? The shopping? You know how I like to shop! I think of our trip all the time. Hope you're doing well!