Schonbrunn Palace tour in Vienna

Day 11
April 18, 2009
Vienna

The next morning, Rissa's childhood friend, Aring, and her brother, who have migrated to Vienna several years ago, brought us to Schronbruun Palace, the imperial summer residence. We skipped the state apartments and just strolled around the vast area surrounding the palace, which was inpired by the Versialles.







We went to Gloriette, a viewing terrace with a spectacular view of the palace.







We then literally lost ourselves in Maze & Labyrinth. It took me a while to get to the end of the maze while the others went at the end of the maze thru the exit.







We had few more hours before our departure to Salzburg so we decided to make a quick visit of Prater, where the popular Giant Ferris Wheel called Riesenrad is. I think we stayed for an hour, 30 minutes of which I spent at the restroom for a mild case of diarrhea. It was a nice way to end my Vienna trip.

Around Ring Boulevard in Vienna

Day 10
April 17, 2009
Vienna

We arrived at Vienna at 12 noon, after a 4 hour comfortable bus ride from Prague. The bus station was around what seems to be the financial district and we took the underground train to get to our hotel, which surprisingly was located right in the middle of a popular shopping district at the Ring Boulevard, at the top of LaCoste store, no less:



The hotel we booked, Pension Nossek, was elegant and old-fashioned. After checking-in, we walked around the area to find a place to sample Vienna's cuisine but ended up at Mcdonald's!





Near our hotel, we went to see one of the major tourist destinations in Vienna, the Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), which has survived through many wars and has become a symbol of Vienna's freedom.



We later on went to Hofburg, which used to be the political centre of the monarchy. Now, it is the seat of government of the democratic Republic of Austria.




Inside, we saw the Imperial Silver Collection, set of elaborate dining centerpieces and valuable golden and silverwares.






We also saw the Imperial Apartments, where we gained an insight into the lives of Austria's most illustrious imperial couple, Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, also known as Sisi. We also visited the Sisi museum, where we got to know more about the legend of Sisi.

After Hofburg, we walked around Ring Boulevard. We chanced upon the Museum of Fine Arts and its counterpart the Museum of Natural History.





We spent the rest of the evening at the shopping area around the hotel. I bought myself a pair of handsome brown leather shoes, made in Italy, worth 120 euros!

Another day at Prague

Day 9
April 16, 2009
Prague

Come Thursday morning, I found that our ticket to the Prague castle complex was not fully used yet. We missed some attractions, including the Golden Lane, which was included in the book '100 Great Wonders of the World.' I thought we have already passed through it on our way to the exit the other day, but apparently not. There was also the Powder tower which I thought might provide a wonderful view of the castle complex.

As it turned out, the tower only housed an exhibition of the Prague Castle guard. It was not even high enough to provide any view at all. The Golden Lane, on the other hand, was a charming narrow lane lined with little houses.



There is an exhibit of armors and weaponry...



as well as souvenirs like toys, marionettes, and glasswares, for sale




We spent the afternoon at a shopping area downtown, where I saw a Crumpler store. It really did not make sense to buy an Australian-brand bag in Prague, but I bought one for my SLR.

Late in the afternoon, we went back to Old town square and chanced upon the 65m-tall Powder Tower



We then went to Charles bridge, Prague's most familiar monument.




The bridge provided us a wonderful view of the Vltava river valley.