Up at 6am
Off to Schonbrunn Palace at 7.30am.
First people through the gates so able to take lots of photos with no one there.
This is amazing.
The size of the place!
No photos inside but I had a ball with the camera in the garden!

In the 16th century, the ruler of Austria, Maria Theresa wanted to move from the Winter Palace in the centre of Vienna because of all the awful smells, garbage, sewerage, etc.... So she moved to the Summer Palace outside Vienna....it had been built by her grandfather as a hunting lodge.
This palace is Schonbrunn Palace that is now virtually in the centre of Vienna....the city moved out to meet it over the centuries.
Maria Teresa had 16 children in 19 years (no wonder the smells affected her!)
13 of these survived til adulthood.
Because the infant mortality rate was so high, Maria Teresa was fed 12 times a day while she was pregnant...the thinking being, well fed made a healthy baby....She put on a bit of weight.
Her 15th child was Marie Antoinette.
Marie Theresa's grandfather built the arena connected to the Winter Palace in Vienna where noble ladies would ride gracefully around in circles trying to catch the 'brass ring' on long elaborate sticks they carried.
It was called The Carousel.
The ordinary people wanted to play as well....so they carved wooden horses and placed on circular platforms...and ladies rode these horses to try to catch the 'brass ring'.
Hence The Carousel was born.
I did not know that. How amazing.
This arena became the home of the The Spanish Riding School with the Lipizzaner Horses in 1729.
Anyway...the Palace was never looted and only one bomb fell on the actual building during WW2....and it was a dud...but it did destroy one ceiling in the building.
This is the only thing that is not authentic in the Palace.
269 bombs fell on the gardens during WW2.
There are over 170,000 pieces of the official dinner set still in the Place.
The rooms were just fascinating to see....and the view out the back to the garden was jaw dropping!
Wow!
The view up to Neptune's Well and The Gloriette!
Maria Theresa decided The Gloriette should be designed to glorify Habsburg power and the Just War.
It worked, I'd say.
Simply spectacular .
This was one of the places that I especially wanted to see on my trip
( Lost count yet?)
I walked up the hill with Trish...NZ sister.
Well worth the walk.
The view back down to the Palace and over Vienna were STUNNING!
And the Gloriette up close....AMAZING!

Loved it...loved it.

Ok then it was 10am....( we are pretty quick...2 hours there )
Into Vienna for tour with a local guide.
Then 2 1/2 hours free time in Vienna.
200 yards from the drop off was the Winter Palace....therefore The Spanish Riding School.
So off I went.
Now, I was disappointed because, last night Trish had seen some of the stallions being led across the road.
And I had missed it!
There were no performances on the day we were in Vienna so I just hoped to catch a glimpse.
Walking down the road I saw the archway over the road where the horses are led from the stables to the arena and vice versa.
And there were horses being led across the road!

I sprinted!

b*****...missed them.
But then had a great time looking through the windows and doors into the stables.
And, I figured, if I hung round long enough, they would walk across again.
And they did.....twice!
What an iconic image!

Loved it. Took photos.
Loved it.
Then went to the shop...and bought everything.

Had a ball.

Back to the hotel for 2 hours, then onto the Schnapps Museum.
I like Schnapps.
ALOT!
Didn't know why we had to leave there really.

Onto to dinner at an amazing place.
It was absolutely jam packed with collectibles...everywhere....absolutely everywhere.!
The meal was amazing...I had pork ribs.
But, it was just such a funny night.
I was sitting with the NZ sisters, Adrenne and Sue.
The tone seemed to be set for the evening as I was describing my day with the Lipizzaner horses.
And I said I had taken a photo of horse poop....because it was famous horse poop.
They seemed to think that was a bit unusual so hilarity ensued.
Cannot describe it.
We just laughed all night.
Wonderful.
I did try to tell them that Calvin had told us that milk, yoghurt and ice cream was not allowed on the bus...he never mentioned manure....

Back to the hotel...didn't get to the bar after all...

In the bus now heading to Eagle's Nest!