Vienna Day 3 | rseurope2016

We went against Rick’s advice today (shhh!) and ventured to Schonbrunn Palace without purchasing tickets in advance. We wanted to have a more leisurely pace given that the tour was over and it was our last day of vacation. So we slept in a bit, had breakfast at the hotel and arrived at Schonbrunn a little after 11am. Getting there on our own was a breeze, and for once we managed not to get lost. There was a line, but it moved quickly and by noon we had our tickets and were touring the palace with an audioguide.

Schonbrunn was the summer palace of the Habsburgs. We were able to see 40 of the 1440 rooms, including the grand gallery where president John F. Kennedy met with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1961. The palace in its current form was built in the mid-1700s under Empress Maria Theresa. Emperor Franz Joseph, who ruled the Austrian empire for 68 years, was born at the palace and also died there. Following the end of WWI (and the end of the Habsburgs), the Austrian government gained ownership of the palace. After leaving the palace, we toured the carriage house, which I would not say is a “must do,” but we found it interesting and it was uncrowded. The collection includes numerous royal coaches, including the hearse coach that carried the bodies of Franz Joseph, Empress Sisi, and their son, Rudolf, during their funeral processions. Another main attraction is Sisi’s marriage coach, which is displayed being pulled by a team of fake white horses. We spent the majority of our time at Schonbrunn enjoying the gardens. In addition to fields of roses and other colorful flowers, the gardens contain some beautiful fountains and statues. We climbed up to the Gloriette for wonderful views of the palace and the city beyond. The gloriette was built in 1775 and used as a dining and festival hall. We had lunch at the cafe and spent the entire day at Schonbrunn. I was very impressed by the gardens--I liked them better than the gardens at Versailles.

Post-Tour: Thursday, June 30

Holocaust Memorial at Judenplatz

Back Home

We made our back to the city around 4pm and swung by to see the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, which was featured in the movie "Woman in Gold." The memorial stands in a square that was once the center of Jewish life and the Viennese Jewish Community during the Middle Ages. The memorial features an inscription to the “more than 65,000 Austrian Jews who were killed by the Nazis between 1938 and 1945,” and includes the names of all the concentration camps where Austrian Jews lost their lives. The monument is designed as rows of books with their spines turned inward. It occupies the same space where a large synagogue once stood, destroyed during a pogrom in 1421.

Habsburg Summer Palace

We had arranged to have dinner with some friends from our tour group who were also spending an extra day in Vienna. The eight of us returned to the Italian restaurant Greg and I had enjoyed so much, Caninetta La Norma. The owner recognized us and gave us high fives for coming back and bringing friends. We were treated to another great meal and terrific service. Although we dodged raindrops as we dined outside under umbrellas, we had a great time. We were given a complimentary after dinner brandy, reflective of the wonderful Viennese hospitality we encountered throughout our stay there. It was the perfect ending to a perfect vacation.

As we boarded the plane for the flight home the next morning, we were already dreaming about our next Rick Steves tour, which, if things go as planned, will be Paris and the Heart of France in 2018. Thanks for traveling with us—we hope you enjoyed the trip!

Fitbit: 19,903 steps, 8.01 miles, 29 flights