Today we slept in and then caught a minibus to Austria. Actually, since we were the only people on the minibus, it was more of a taxi. We got a ride through beautiful, green Czech countryside to the Austrian city of Linz. I recall that Linz was Hitler's favorite city. Hmmmm. From Linz we caught a train into Vienna.
We spent two chilly days in Vienna. The renaissance architecture here is really fantastic. There are so many huge ornate buildings, even the 50th best building in Vienna would be noteworthy in any other city. Above is the Hofburg Palace.
The one tour we did was the Schloss Schonbrunn. This palace is simply MASSSIVE. Franz Josef the First, last of the Habsburg monarchs, reigned here during the end of the great Austrian empire. He lived here and was the big guy in charge for 68 years! Ruling from 1848 to 1916, he passed on before seeing his empire be dismantled after picking the wrong side in WWI. Seeing how these people lived was quite fascinating.
In contrast to the Schloss Schonbrunn; our Vienna hotel was the smallest room considered fit for human habitation Ive ever seen. I've seen bigger walk-in closets. Vienna is a beauty, though we wouldnt rank Austrians as the most friendly people in Europe. We were ready to move on back into Eastern Europe for cheaper prices and better weather.
Today we slept in and then caught a minibus to Austria. Actually, since we were the only people on the minibus, it was more of a taxi. We got a ride through beautiful, green Czech countryside to the Austrian city of Linz. I recall that Linz was Hitler's favorite city. Hmmmm. From Linz we caught a train into Vienna.
We spent two chilly days in Vienna. The renaissance architecture here is really fantastic. There are so many huge ornate buildings, even the 50th best building in Vienna would be noteworthy in any other city. Above is the Hofburg Palace.
The one tour we did was the Schloss Schonbrunn. This palace is simply MASSSIVE. Franz Josef the First, last of the Habsburg monarchs, reigned here during the end of the great Austrian empire. He lived here and was the big guy in charge for 68 years! Ruling from 1848 to 1916, he passed on before seeing his empire be dismantled after picking the wrong side in WWI. Seeing how these people lived was quite fascinating.
In contrast to the Schloss Schonbrunn; our Vienna hotel was the smallest room considered fit for human habitation Ive ever seen. I've seen bigger walk-in closets. Vienna is a beauty, though we wouldnt rank Austrians as the most friendly people in Europe. We were ready to move on back into Eastern Europe for cheaper prices and better weather.
