Austria, Vienna, day 2.

Given that we've only got two full days in Vienna, we're trying to pack in as much as we can, and, as much as I hate to admit it, the hop on hop off tourist bus makes that a lot easier. We hopped on this morning and went out to the Schonbrunn Palace which is a little way out from where we are - certainly not walking distance. This is quite an expansive and interesting Palace set on about 400 hectares that has a lot of interesting features, including its own zoo - apparently the oldest zoo in the world, even has koalas. The Palace building was styled after Versailles in France and having visited there can say that it didn't quite make it, still very impressive nonetheless. We wandered the Palace rooms and caught a little tourist train around the grounds so that we could see more. We got off at the Gloriette, which is an impressive building on a hill towards the back of the place. We had lunch here and enjoyed an amazing view of Vienna from the top of the Gloriette and looking back toward the Palace. Back on the bus, we wanted to stop at the Belevdere Museum, another beautiful big old building (not quite sure of it's history) that now houses a number of exhibition spaces. Vienna's permanent Klimt exhibition is in this building and this was on my list of things to see. Not disappointed. Back in the bus, hopped off at the Museum Quartier for drinks. We walked back to our hotel and ate at a great restaurant recommended by the hotel. Viennese food is really good, it heavy, I'm not sureI could eat it all the time. Roge is getting right into, he had the Goulash last night.Read more