Driving through Austria was an absolute pleasure. We had the Dolomite mountains on the left and beautiful scenery on the right! It was truly magical. When we arrived in Vienna we checked in and then it was off to the Rathaus (which is the City Hall of Vienna) and then to a Mozart and Strauss concert at one of the old palaces. Ok normally I'm not a fan of classical music but I really enjoyed this. It was a great experience. During intermission we were allowed to go into the next room where we were given champagne and could met the performers. We were also allowed to wander around some of the nearby rooms for a sticky beak. That was pretty cool. The next day we went into the city for a quick tour on the bus then Nick took us on a walking tour around some of the major monuments. My favourite story was the one of Maria Theresa who ruled Austria back in the 1700's. She sounded like a great lady! After the walking tour we had a tour through one of the Swarovski shops. Definitely a favourite stop. Lots of prettys! After that we had some free time where I finally attacked the shoe shops and bought some new shoes. See photos to see what happened to my last pair :(
That afternoon we met up with the group again to go to the Schnapps museum. I get a real thrill out hearing the history behind the places we visit in Europe. For example the man that took on the tour is the 6th generation to run run the factory. That is pretty amazing! They have the office set up in the museum exactly how it was when it first opened. He even showed us how to work the very first cash register they had. It was huge! Then we went through the back where he told us some stories of the past. They use to have 13 buildings on the railway line but during the war they were all bombed. That's a bit sad to lose all that history. But they managed to restore one building where they now have the museum. After our little tour they had ALL of the Schnapps that they make lined up ready for us to sample. Normally the tour includes 3 shots but because they are lovely people they don't count them but 3 was enough for me. Soft I know! I tried the famous Absinthe which didn't really do much....just tasted dreadfully awful! They also make the Schonbrunner Gold Liqueur which has 23 carat gold leaf in it. Now I can say my sh*t is gold :p (sorry for the language) The other one I tried was the rum coconut one. Yummy! After the visit to the Schnapps Museum we had a quick stop for photos at the Schonbrunn Palace and then we had a free night to go out or relax in the warmth of the hotel. Our stay in Vienna was short but certainly lovely!