Elegant, ornate Vienna

After a shower and sneezing, coughing, and generally getting ourselves upright (check out the kleenex pile--we've each caught a bit of a cold!), we had breakfast and began a bus and walking tour of old town Vienna.  There aren't too many cities whose old town buildings can rival Vienna for elegance and opulence. Everywhere we turned, elaborate buildings--some former palaces or villas--surrounded us. Maria Theresa had 16 (!) children and the history of the area was revealed in the statues and various buildings we saw.

   

  

During our free time, we visited St. Stephen's, whose outer facade was noticeably cleaner than most we'd seen--the cleaning process vividly apparent. And naturally we sampled a Viennese cafe where I ordered Jane a Kleiner Braune (espresso) and me a Kaffee Creme (coffee with cream). We were delighted they came with a "chaser" of water, since the coffee was wonderfully strong.    After lunch Jane and I elected to accompany the ship's chef to the Naschmarkt--a market dedicated to food. Chef Karl-Heinz discussed vinegars, cheeses, pastries--and naturally we sampled these. Fun! The pouring rain didn't seem to bother many--and the residents simply covered up their kids with a bit of rain gear and carried on.

             Heading back to the ship, we found some public hammocks and workout gear on the waterfront. Naturally Jane couldn't resist! Fun day.