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Vienna, Austria
May 30th, Sunday - Trip to Vienna, by DW
The word for the day is "amusement".
Getting on the road by 7:50 was a treat and provided us with
the early start we desired. The drive was estimated at 7
hours and ended up being 6.5. The countryside from Dresden to
Vienna is hilly farmland, dotted with thick forests. As you
near Vienna the Austrian Alps fill the horizon with their
peaks. It was actually a lovely drive on a sunny day and
reminded us of driving home from the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan through the pine and birch trees.
 Finding the Etap Hotel went smoothly with only one wrong turn.
Once ensconced in our room, we reviewed the area map the desk
had provided us with that lists the major sights and locations
of Vienna. TD and I decided that a huge park dotted with a
ferris wheel would be best on a lovely day like this. We were
also told "that this is a holiday weekend (for Pentecost) in
Austria, and stores are closed today and tomorrow". Luckily
for TD across the street from the hotel is a BP with a nice
supply of diet coke and breakfast foods.
Heading off, map in hand, found us at the park within 15
minutes searching for a parking place. However, it took us an
another 15 minutes to find one. The ferris wheel that dotted
the map was actually a demarcation for an amusement park.
There was free admission and you paid per ride. The first
thing we did was to walk the park looking at all of the rides
to see which ones hit our fancy. There were several thrill
rides that had us immediately saying, "No way!". Like the one
that has four seats attached to a metal arm that swings you
around in a circle. Going 100 feet in the air, flipping upside
down, then flying downward face first, only to be whipped up
again, isn't our cup of tea.
 AD immediately fell in love with the go-karts and spend a
goodly portion of his 24 euro allotment riding them. TD and I
opted to save our money (10 euro) for the brauhaus. The beer
was delicious and provided a nice venue to watch the thousands
of people walking the park. We have never seen so many ethnic
groups in one place before and were amazed at the number of
people out spending the big bucks for amusement. The food was
reasonable in price, so we ate dinner at one of the many
cafes.
 AD conned his way into one more ride on the go-karts and ended
up with several abrasions on his back from the more than
vigorous adult drivers slamming into his car. He and one
father were racing to the finish and the man was determined to
win. Since AD also wanted to win it was quite the battle. Both
of them whipping around the corners, veering to avoid the
pileups caused by the other drivers and the dad trying to edge
past AD who held the lead. Finally he slammed AD into the rail
and slipped past just as the buzzer rang to end the race.
Although I think AD had a lot of fun, watching an adult try to
beat your child makes you want to defend him. I could have
smacked that guy for ramming my baby's car. Luckily for him,
my hormones are not raging today!!
May 31st, Monday - Sightseeing in Vienna, by TD
 Breakfast from the BP across the street
wasn't very good. AD ran across to buy some stuff. He bought
buttermilk by mistake because it was the smallest container.
Poor kid spit out the gulp as soon as it went in his mouth.
The stuffed croissants were only fair and the coffee
machine was broken. (Just like the one at the Etap.) We went
back and got regular milk, iced cappuccino and other rolls.
Who was hungry anyway?
 After doing some schoolwork, we drove into the center of the
city to see some sights. The city was quiet because of the
holy day and the early hour. Our selected place to visit was
the Schonbrunn Palace. Construction started on this former
country home in the 1700's. The city has grown out around the
grounds. There are 40 rooms available for viewing. Many have
the original furnishings belonging to the Emperors and their
families. There were hordes of people because no one had to
work today. That made the viewing in the rooms difficult, if
not uncomfortable. The audio guides couldn't be fast forward,
so we eventually gave up on them.
Austria was ruled by Emperor Franz Joseph for the last half of
the 1800's in what was the height of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. He was a workaholic with a photographic memory. His
office and bedroom showed a life different than you would
expect of a monarch. He lived in fairly modest surroundings
while his wife's suite was very elegantly appointed. They had
decorated one wing of the palace, leaving the other in a
fashion from the previous century.
 After touring the palace, we walked out into the vast gardens
and park which surround it. AD had wanted to tour the maize
but it was a disappointment compared to others we've been to.
One section had just been planted so a wire fence separated
the tracks. The sun was shining brightly and was hot. How nice
it is to be outside in shorts and t-shirt. We've not been this
warm since India.
 After leaving the gardens, we drove back to the center city in
search of lunch. There were people walking on the sidewalks
now. Parking was plentiful because of the holiday. We found a
salad bar which is something we are always craving and rarely
find. The main pedestrian street had few shops open but the
restaurants were packed with patrons. Street performers
entertained us. The "golden statue" look was popular. Usually
there would only be one in a city. A pair of male acrobats
attracted a huge crowd. The walkway started at the opera and
looped around to the museum district.
 It was too early to go back to the hotel. We chose to find
Mozart's grave as our next destination. It happened to be near
our hotel but expressway construction has cut off almost all
access. We drove around and around trying find the one correct
street that would take us there. The grave is marked with a
modest headstone but flowers are planted by the cemetery staff
to enliven the plot. The cemetery lacked the grandiose
mausoleums we expected to see. The rich Parisians of the same
era left us with amazing structures.
Back at the hotel, we played some cards before going to
dinner. There is a huge mixed development near our hotel where
we had spotted a Chinese restaurant. Poor AD never orders the
right thing. Seafood fried rice, means seafood...squid, clams,
and more squid. Not the shrimp he was looking for. So as usual
DW end up eating something she didn't want because AD got
food he didn't expect. I don't eat seafood.
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May 31st - Schonbrunn palace
 On the map of Vienna, we saw a palace
with a maize in the gardens. I thought "lets go to
another palace". We got tickets to see the 40 rooms and
some other stuff. On the audio guide, it said " that
Empress Elizabeth was 5 foot 9, had a 19 inch waist,
only had a orange and a slice of cheese a day to eat,
and did exercise. She weighed 106 lbs". After the tour,
we went to a maize and it was not the best I have done.
We met some people from Michigan while waiting to buy
the tickets. I asked one of them "how many countries
have you been to?" She said "6". She asked me, and I
said "30 countries". She was surprised that I had been
to so many.
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