Trips, Pics, and Tales

We had just returned from our morning in Durnstein and had lunch in the Aquavit Terrace. This is definitely one of the parts of the Viking Ships that I love! Being able to have a nice, casual lunch outside while enjoying the beautiful scenery along the river! What could be better? After lunch we went up to the Sun Deck as we began our journey along the Wachau Valley.  Edina, our cruise director, provided us with a narration of the towns, castles, ruins and other sites as we passed through the 18 mile valley.  This valley is an UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with wine producing villages that date back to the Celtic and Roman times! It was a bit windy, and a little chilly out there, but the views were just spectacular! Alycen and I enjoying the scenery going by! Yes, it's a brisk afternoon, but we're loving the views from the Sun Deck! ...

After our morning tour of Vienna, we went back to the ship for lunch and then Alex and I were ready for our afternoon optional tour to the Schonbrunn Palace. This was the summer home of the Hapsburgs.  In 1569, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II built the original hunting lodge and called it Schonbrunn, which means "beautiful spring". Later, in 1775, Empress Maria Theresa, who was the only female ruler of the Hapsburgs, added to the palace so she would have sweeping city views.  We boarded the bus, and off we went! Palace bound! The palace is built to rival Versailles, and it shows! We had a few minutes to wait outside while our guide got our tickets so we could wander around a bit taking some pictures outside. Pretzels are everywhere here in Austria! Inside there's a good family tree of the Hapsburgs to get an idea of who ruled when and how they all were related. We had a guided tour through the imperial apartments ...