Schronbrunn Palace, Vienna

Got into the hotel safe last night--paid about 32 euros for a taxi, which seemed like a deal because public transport would have been 10 euros each to get out of the airport, then another 5 or so each for the metro. The hotel was great--I even drank out of the tap! Mom keeps commenting on how spoiled we are and how much we love it! She especially noticed the soft, luxurious sheets, and the modern technology the hotel has to offer (we had to insert our hotel key for the lights to work!).

This morning we checked our bags at the hotel and took off for the Schronbrunn palace. We love the public transport system here! 5 euros each for a day pass, and it's good for any public transportation. It is very easy to use, and we are grateful for our experience using the Moscow metro system. I have to admit, I do miss the metro stations in Moscow--they are also so interesting and beautiful with their different themes.

We love Vienna~everything is so clean and beautiful! When we got off at the Shronbrunn stop, we made our way with the rest of the tourists up to the palace. We decided to not pay to go inside, and wander the grounds instead. Boy are we glad we did! So beautiful! The gardens are amazing! The first one we happened upon was a rose garden with pretty arches and rose bushes everywhere. Then we came upon a path where the trees had been pruned into archways that extended forever it seemed.

We then took a left right behind the palace. The most breathtaking view opened up to beautiful gardens that led to Neptune's fountain, behind which was a hill with a beautiful structure at the top! We couldn't believe it! Definitely the most beautiful view we've seen so far!

We wandered down to a Greek ruin and saw some more fountains and statues. We even wandered into the palace the back way and read some of the history about the place. We then bought the biggest pretzel I've ever seen in my life, and tried to get into an Apple Struddle making demonstration, which we missed by 15 minutes.

Satisfied with the palace, we jumped back on the metro U2 towards downtown. We walked past the beautiful opera house and were on our way to St Stephens Cathedral when we saw McDonald's and thought they would have free wi-fi. They do, so here we are, with our $1 salad and small diet coke. Definitely better than the 6 euro/hour price they were going to charge us at the hotel.

Now that we've finished blogging, we're heading out to the cathedral. More updates later!