How do you see a city like Vienna in one day? I must say we did our best and I had no trouble falling asleep last night.
Today Wien, the German word for Vienna, is a modern city with about 1.7 million inhabitants. On our city tour in the morning, our guide pointed out many buildings of importance. The old moat to the town is now a street called the Ringstrasse and the old town is within that area. Here we saw the ornate buildings of the Imperial Palace, Hofurg Palace, which was home to the Hapsburgs from 1273 to 1918 when the royal family system was abolished. The president of Austria has his offices here.
one side has scaffolding.
In the afternoon we went to Schonbrunn Palace which was the summer palace of the Maria Theresa and the royal family. It was huge and we learned a lot about Empress Maria Theresa who ruled this area from 1740-1780. She had 16 children, which was a real feat in the 1700’s. Her youngest child. was Marie Antoinette who wound up at the guillotine in the French Revolution.
In the evening we went to a classical concert at the Hofburg Palace. It was
the Wien Hofburg Orchestra. I was worried that I would fall asleep but they made it light and humorous. The one percussionist whistled like a bird during one selection and even shot off blanks from a rifle and a pistol at just the right times. What a neat way to end our day in Vienna!
waiting for the concert.