Vienna - Day 2

I woke up on my second day in Vienna feeling better than the day before. Less congestion, less scratchy throat...but wow were my legs sore! I started off the day with a visit to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer palace of the Habsburg family. It is a massive yellow complex surrounded with acres of gorgeous gardens. It said that Schonbrunn can only be rivaled by Versailles. I've never seen Versailles, but wow was this place incredible! Since I had heard that it gets really crowded at Schonbrunn, I got there right when it opened at 8:30am and pretty much had the palace to myself until the very end of my tour. I saw the many opulent imperial rooms where Empress Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Josef and the famous Sissi (and families) lived and worked when they weren't at the Hofburg. My favorite room was the Lacquer Room, with its amazing inlaid wood floor and panels with gorgeous lacquered paintings. After the tour, I walked around the gardens in the sunshine, reflecting on how lucky I am to be here.

After Schonbrunn, I slowly made my over to the Kunsthistorisches Museum to see the Habsburg's world-class art collection but realized I had left my ticket back at Christina's apartment. Argh! :( Since I didn't want to pay for a ticket again and my feet were hurting, I chose to lay down on the lawn in the Maria Theresien Platz (large park next to the Museum with a huge statue of Maria Theresa) and enjoy the sunshine while studying my music.

After my little break, I walked over to the Naschmarkt which is a market with produce stands and yummy places to eat. I meandered through the stalls, and was reminded of the Pike Place Market back home. Succulent cherries caught my eye at one stand, so I motioned to the vendor that I wanted a handful (he didn't speak English and I have no clue for 'handful' in German). When he asked for 6 EUR (about $8.70), I thought I had been swindled due to the language barrier. I glumly paid and made my way to lunch at a sushi stand. Food was decent, and I took another opportunity to study my music and rest my feet (I'm thinking I might need to invest in another pair of shoes over here). Christina later told me that all the produce in the Naschmarkt is expensive, so she didn't think I was taken advantage of. Just normal prices for cherries in early summer at the Naschmarkt. Good to know.

Christina was able to get off work early, so we met up and headed home to relax a bit before my transit to Graz via train. Since there is no way I was going to manage the U-bahn with my two gigantic suitcases in tow, I called a taxi to take me to the Bahnhof (main train station). I managed to catch the right train and arrived in Graz at 10pm. Another taxi (with a hilarious driver), and I made it to my hotel! Thank goodness there was an elevator to take me to my fourth-floor room!!! After a long and wonderful day I blissfully crashed into my bed, grateful to have been able to spend a few days with my childhood friend in the wonderful city of Vienna, and excited for the next stage of my adventure - GRAZ!