Vienna, Austria
On our second day in Vienna we woke up with a magnificent sunrise, which was only the beginning of a beautiful day. After our breakfast, we left the ship early in the morning and headed to one of the most visited sites in Austria, the Schönbrunn Palace.
Opened to the public in 1960, the Palace was designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer. Ordered by Leopold I, the old property was taken and reconstructed into a palace. The Palace is an impression of imperial elegance and it was the huge Habsburg summer residence. The Palace and gardens illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg Monarchs.
Our tour of the Palace included a walk through 40 of the 1,400 rooms of the castle, and for some of us, a walk through the gardens (a large area along the sides and the back of the palace). The gardens included many paths through the forest, a variety of different gardens, a Zoo, and a Green House, which has more than 1,500 species of orchids. Some of us even hiked to the Gloriette Monument, which is located on the top of the hill overlooking the entire palace and gardens.
When the tour was over we had the opportunity to enjoy a fascinating marionette show. We saw an amazing performance of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik with lights, landscapes, beautiful colors, music, and small wooden marionettes. To finish our visit in Schönbrunn Palace, we couldn’t leave without tasting the favorite dessert of the Imperial family: the apfelstrudel! We entered the Imperial Bakery (also a coffee shop) and enjoyed a delightful taste of this delicacy, as we saw how they lovingly prepared it.
At the end of the day we returned to the ship, leaving behind the fantastic city of Vienna. We were happy about all of the things that we saw and learned and we all looked forward to our next adventure…
