We traveled most of the day yesterday to get from Prague to Vienna. We caught a train that went about 100mph on average, and the trip still took almost 5 hours. The train station in Vienna is really nice, and we were able to catch the subway that took us right to the apartment--saved a lot of money since we didn't have to use a taxi!

Our host met us right out by the door, and showed us the place. We unpacked and went to the grocery store that was right across the street. I was starving at this point, so we found an Austrian looking restaurant for dinner. We shared, but the bill was still pricey--one of the reasons we are only here until Friday. :)
I think we were in bed by 9:00, traveling is so tiring!

We got an early start this morning with a visit to the suburbs and Schönbrunn Palace. I had purchased our tickets online, so we were able to just zip right in and begin the tour. No pictures were allowed inside, but take my word for it--the place was amazing. Lots of gold leaf, porcelain, paintings and tapestries. This was the summer home of the Hapsburg family, and it was quite opulent.

We were only able to view 40 of the 2,000+ rooms, but it's been done very well, with a lot of the original furnishings.

Once we'd finished the tour, we made our way to Old Town and caught a Free Tour. I wasn't as impressed w this one as some of the others we've been on, but it was still a good tour. It was hot today, almost 90 and we walked around for about 3 hours.

Rich and I caught a tram that goes all around the city center and listened to another audio by Rick Steves. This one wasn't as good, but it was nice being off of our feet for a bit.

We got back to the apartment, rested for a bit and then walked over to this huge mall that's fairly close to us. Just walked around and checked out what it was like. Busy for a Wednesday night!

The apartment we are renting is a studio and pretty small, but still larger than a hotel. Vienna is an expensive place, a beer is about $6, small bottle of Coke is around $4.50! We've been sharing all our meals to help with our waists and budget!

Busy day again tomorrow!