Vienna Reprise

The sun came out today, just in time for our excursion to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. On approach and inside it looked very much like a mini Versailles, with grand staircases, lots of gold chandeliers and extensive gardens. Of the two interior areas we looked at, Maria Theresa's Rooms were my favourite. All the walls and ceilings are completely covered with painted frescos to resemble an indoor garden. No photos allowed sadly. They had organised a short visit to the Marionette theatre and we saw an excerpt from the Magic Flute. I think puppets are a little creepy but the detail and the movements they could achieve were amazing. We had some time to walk around the grounds. The boys were keen on the zoo and we headed over there after completing the labyrinth, but there was not quite enough time to justify going in.

We had a free afternoon in the city and decided to try the famous Käsekrainer - a sausage filled with cheese in a bun. Cam had a beer with his - a bit of a treat as the boat runs with the US drinking age, much to his disappointment. We bought them from a food stand, with Flynn during the ordering honours due to his German skills (limited but he was the best we had).

Against our better judgement we shelled out for the “Time travel Vienna” Magic history tour. We had done one in Rome about 10 years ago that we still giggle about. It was very lame, but there was a virtual reality part that was good and team Starrett tends to have fun regardless of the quality of the activity, so we enjoyed the afternoon. After rejecting the huge line to get into the coffee house of choice - Cafe Centrale, we shared a quick apple strudel and some drinks at Cafe Mozart before heading back to the boat. 

By now the boys have formed some friendships, as have I and the cocktail lounge time before and after dinner is a nice treat. The evening’s entertainment was a trip to the Prater- an old style Amusement park near the river. Tauck handed out pocket money, 15 Euro per person, as the rides are pay per ride. This caused much discussion between the boys about what was “worth” paying for. I donated my share to the cause and enjoyed watching them. They had teamed up with one of the other boys and I was relegated to the chief bag and phone holder, which suited me just fine as I’m not a ride person. The boys finished the night with a uno game in the lounge that went to 11pm.