The Great Danube Cruise, Vienna Day Two

After the anticipation of yesterday, today was more relaxed but I still overexerted myself. We started off with a bus tour of the city. 

We stopped on the main shopping drag and I found one of the shops I had heard about, Knize. Sadly, like the reviews I read, it was an impeccable gentleman’s store from the 30s that hasn’t risen to the occasion for today’s customer. There was dust, there were drowsy sales people and too many racks of boring jackets. But I saw it nonetheless!

Mom and I toured the gothic cathedral but I was itching to get to Belvedere Palace. 

Apparently this is how the kids in Asia are taking Selfies now....

Its rooms are apparently amazing and their contemporary art museum houses lots of Klimt and Schiele. So mama bid me farewell as she stayed on the tour and I hopped in a cab and drove out ten minutes to the palace. It didn’t disappoint.

Not as famous as Schoenbrunn and luckily not nearly as crowded, it is a true gem like Catherine the Great’s Oranienbaum, although slightly bigger. It was nice to not be on a tour and not have an earpiece. Just strolling the grounds and admiring the lush gardens. I wished for Paul to be there to tell me the names of all of the flowers and plants.

The Belvedere has an upper and lower building which was a five minute walk down through the lush gardens. The upper was filled with the contemporary art collection on the second floor. It was wonderful to see those pieces in their own country. But downstairs is what was really dazzling. Every room was glorious and what made me happy was that every room had an illustration of what the room looked like in the 18^th century. 

I’ve always wanted house museums to do this: to see the changes or not, and to see illustrations of the people who once graced these rooms. One illustration even had a little leopard with a collar hanging out on those marble floors!

Check out the gold room!

Can you find me in the silver art project?

I took a cab back to the boat for lunch and then we all took a bus 20 minutes out of Vienna to see the Schoenbrunn Palace. 

It’s funny that the summer palace is 20 minutes away from the winter palace. But why ask questions?  Sadly this palace was filled to the brim with tourists and we were cattle herded around. The rooms were not as special as the ones at Belvedere but interesting to see all the same. It was wonderful to see a massive painting of the Spanish Riding School with Queen Maria Therese in full form riding around the room in her carriage. And there was some high haired, crimson dressed lady sitting right where mom and I sat just yesterday.  That made me smile. I also enjoyed the portrait of Maria Therese husband, Francis I pointing to the left. Our guide said, “This is the king saying, ask my wife!”

After our tour we were spent. Back to the bus and back to the boat. We had dinner and I passed out. We wanted to get up early the next morning to see the boat arrive in Budapest. The view we see every time we turn on Downton Abbey when the Viking Cruise ad is on air!