Travel is a Wonderful Thing The journey not the arrival matters.. T.S Eliot

Last night Celeste and I headed out for a meal.Vienna looks far prettier at night with many of the buildings lit up, with restaurants also doing a brisk trade.  Outside the Opera house a lot of people of all ages had gathered to watch the Opera on a huge screen as it was being played live due to it being sold out. The volume was cranking as we could listen to the singing two blocks away. After dinner, which was Wienner Schnitzel, we headed to Hotel Sacher and ordered coffee and Sacher Torte which we savoured then ticked off our 'to do' list. Today we headed off to Melk Abbey and a boat trip down the Danube. We met outside the Opera House, piled onto a bus that was very large and comfortable,then headed 1.5 hours through the countrside to meet our boat. The countryside was very similar to Victoria until we hit the Danube where it changed to quite hilly and steep cliff faces. The castle where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned and executed was basically a ruin that sat atop a huge ridge . The ridges were planted with grape vines and is the main wine growing region for Austria. We met the boat and sailed for a couple of hours upstream toward the Abbey past lovely towns built on the edge of the river and towering cliff faces. The Monastery is situated on top of a large cliff overlooking the Danube on one side and towering over the village of Melk on the other. It is an imposing sight as it is so large. The Abbey was founded in 1089AD by the Benedictine Monks and is the largest Baroque Complex in the world. It is still home to 30 Monks and also 900 school children who attend daily. The library houses books and manuscripts from Medieval times. After spending a few hours throughout the Abbey we climbed back onto the bus for the trip back to Vienna. It is claimed I had a "poppy" nap complete with a snore or two but I cannot confirm this! Once back in Vienna we went for a walk remembering to stay out of the bike lanes as they fly along beside the walkways. It is a good system that works well. All in all a very good day with perfect weather.

Today was a big day. In the bright sunshine we stepped out onto the Vienna streets. At 9 am it was quiet. Everyone must have forgotten to set their alarms. The only ones around was Celeste, myself and the delivery drivers. 10 am however the floodgates opened and shopkeepers flung their doors open and the crowds grew quickly. We headed off to see the Hofburg Palace. This is an enormous site with many areas of attraction. The Lipizana horses and stables ( unfortunatley the horses were not performing while we are in Vienna ) however the stable complex with their handsome tenants were available to visit. Empress Elizabeth (sissy) apartments and the grounds. The museum was full of artifacts and day to day utensils of the household of the time and all very Baroque. The apartments of Empress Elizabeth and the Emperor of Austria were amazing and very opulant. The area took a couple of hours to get around. Stopped at a hot dog stand ( great bratwurst sausage ) then onto the Naschmarkt which is a big street market with fantastic stalls of meat, fish, fruit, in fact anything you could want including lots of restaurants. Back to the hotel for a rest before heading out for the concert.

THE CONCERT. The evening was warm and we made our way to the Palais Auersperg to see a concert by the Weiner Residenzorchester performing works by Mozart and Strauss. 10 musicians, 2 Operatic singers and 2 Ballet Dancers led us on a fantastic journey for 2 hours in a building that Mozart had played in on many occasions during his life. The music was beautiful with the singers belting out Opera that made your nerves tingle. The conductor was performing on a Stratavarious violin that dated back to the 17th Century and such was the reaction of the audience that 3 encores were played before they retired. Celeste and I floated back to the Hotel Restaurant to finish off this very special evening with a delicious meal. What a great way to end our stay in Vienna.