Vienna was a city I was really looking forward to see however, while there were various points of interest, I did not enjoy the city as much as the other towns and villages we had visited. Perhaps it is because Vienna is a city with its expensive up-market shops and as such loses the charm of other places along the Danube.

The Danube (and where our ship is docked) does not flow through Vienna so we boarded buses for about a half hour drive into the city. Many of the buildings in the centre are very beautiful. Places of note are St Stephens Cathedral, the Opera House and the Hofburg Palace Complex. Many of these buildings are situated on a big wide boulevard called the Ringstrasse.

On our city tour we drove from the dock, along the Ringstrasse and disembarked at St Stephens Cathedral. After seeing the cathedral, we walked towards the Hofburg which is the Austrian president resides. It is also in this area that the famous Lipizzaner horses or Spanish Riding School are stabled and we were fortunate enough to see a couple of these horses in their stable. At the end of the city tour, we were taken to one of the well-known coffee houses of Vienna for a cup of coffee and a Sacher Torte (very rich chocolate cake - a speciality of Vienna). The rest of the day was free time for shopping or exploring before returning to our ship. Brad and I spent the time walking around the area of the Hofburg Palace which is huge.

That evening we had a choice of dining options. Some people remained on the ship for dinner before attending a Mozart and Strauss concert. Others chose a 'Beer and Schnitzel' dinner while a third group chose a 'traditional Viennese wine and music evening' known as a Heuringer. The Heuringer is the one we chose and we had a very enjoyable time. A Heuringer is the name originally given to wine taverns where wine growers serve the most recent years wine. There is a limited choice in the food served and generallyit is local homemade products. There is also live music - in our case a couple of gentlemen playing piano accordian and banjo. They were very good. Even though only a small group attended the Heuringer, we had a great time with good food and a great atmosphere.

On arrival back at the ship, it appeared that everyone else enjoyed their dining experience and those that went to the concert said it was great. Tomorrow we have another day in Vienna where we will visit the Schonbrunn Palace.