The Palace

We availed ourselves of the wonderful Vienna Metro to take us to the Schloss Schonbrunn Palace this morning.  This opulent palace served as the summer home some of the Hapsburgs Dynasty.  It easily matches some of the great residences in Europe with large gardens both front and back and gold leaf decorated rooms in the interior.  According to the audio guide, one of the rulers wanted a simple life, which obviously meant something different back then!


We had a quick break for lunch before our class and I had found an 'authentic' Mexican restaurant very close to our hotel, Taqueria Lox Mexikas.  It was actually very authentic and very good.  It also gave us a little taste from home which we've been missing.


 After class today, we ventured off to Prater Amusement Park, another quick ride on the metro.  Charging no admission, the park supports itself through ride tickets and food vendors.  Since Friday was a national holiday, the park was full of happy people riding rides and enjoying the beautiful day.  It also was a great place for us to try our photography skills.

For dinner, we ventured down a side street near the hotel that offered a variety of restaurant options, from Japanese to Thai to Austrian.  We ended up at Ulrich, a little sidewalk cafe. The food was excellent and it was fun to see Austrian families out enjoying a Friday night.  It was quite apparent we were in a different part of Europe, with the average Austrian being tall, thin, and often blonde.  Much different than the Eastern Europeans in Prague.

Tomorrow: Final Workshop Day

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