Days 28 & 29 - Prague to Austria

The 48 hour stop in Prague ended with an 8 am train to Vienna.  I had been looking forward to Vienna for a while because it's the only stop on the trip where I know some locals. 

Last year Simon lived with Dave and I while doing an internship at the Austrian consulate in Chicago.  His friend Chris stayed with us in Chicago for a week and went to Las Vegas with me before he returned to Austria.  Needless to say, we were able to make some memories. 

Chris met us at the train station since Simon was at work.  Chris told us that he was about to leave on a sailing trip to Turkey and offered his apartment while he was away.  Staying in a free apartment in one of the nicest districts of Austria sounded okay so I agreed.

The rest of the day consisted of catching up, remembering old times and a trip to a club.

Our second day in Austria included a visit Schönbrunn Palace.  The area was originally used as hunting grounds in the 1500's but has since morphed into the most visited place in Austria. 

The side of the Palace

Since monarchy fell in Austria in 1918 the palace has been preserved and currently exists as a museum. 

The front

Mozart performed inside the palace when he was only six years old.  When I was six, I was worried about what to eat for lunch.  Actually I'm still worried about that. 

The palace grounds are also home to the world's oldest existing zoo.  It was founded in 1752 and more recently it has seen th birth of a Panda.

We didn't feel like paying 20 Euro to see some animals so we walked by the free section.  As you can see it was not very exciting. 

After the Schönbrunn Palace excursion we went back to Chris' apartment because he had to leave for his trip.  Simon came over and we had an easy night.

Scott