Danube Cruise Part 3

The next morning we see many small vacation places as we approach Vienna.

Many of the places have fishing nets.

They are all on stilts to protect them from frequent river floodings.

A very sturdy way to get power cables across the river.

Smaller shack is a bit mysterious.

Not sure what this is.

Apartment living along the river near Vienna.

The Hilton.

We will double park once again.

Bus and walking tour of Vienna.

St. Francis of Assisi Church very close to our dock.

Hard to believe this is one of the first things we see.

Parliament building behind a Film Festival area.

The monument to the Empress, Queen and Archduchess Maria-Theresia von Habsburg-Lothringen.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of Art History,

also often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts")

Mirror image building is the Museum of Natural History

Imperial Palace

The Belvedere Museum houses much of the work of Gustav Klimt.

Lipizzan horses of Vienna. The Lipizzan breed dates back to the 16th century,

when it was developed with the support of the Habsburg nobility.

Out the back door of the stables we find building embellishments.

The streets are full of art, much like the rest of Europe.

This one of a lot of detail. Gold too.

Wonderful roof on the St. Stephen Cathedral.

Elaborate interior.

Shopping and outdoor restaurants nearby so we had lunch.

We came back to the ship after lunch aboard the UBahn.

Then out for a castle tour.

In 1896, Gustav Klimt and a number of other artists quit the conservative

Künstlerhaus and founded a new art association called the Secession.

The building of the same name was completed in 1898.

The leafwork dome ("golden cabbage") is the symbol of the Secession and visible from afar.

The Schonbrunn Palace of the Habsburgs. Their summer residence.

Designed to rival the Chateau de Versailles. No pictures allowed inside.

The back patio.

The view out back.

A riot of flowers. Its good to be the king.

Dinner with our new Scottish friends, Emma and Peter.

And our Venice friends, Ellis and Carol. We always had a lot of laughs.

After dinner we went for an evening of Mozart and Strauss.

Singers and dancers entertained us.