Tourists in Vienna

Now where exactly did I leave off .... ah yes, the day we spent walking around and touring in the city of music.

From the moment we set foot aboard the coach, this adventure had begun. As it turns out, the Vienese tour guide is actually married to a Canadian from Montreal, so having discovered that we were all from the land of the maple leaf, she was delighted to show us the courtesy of mingling some of the Canadianisms and her knowledge of our culture with the obviously vast store of her knowledge and appreciation for the city of her birth. Result: there was a particular pride in her presentation which was to be praised by all who pondered it.

As I've remarked before there is a special character to the way in which we tend to show off our own cities, treasures and things we love to those who visit or are particularly interested in sharing our interests, and this was truly evident during our stay in the city of music. Aside from its physical attractions such as the famous Saint Stephen's Cathedral, places such as the Opera House and the Schonbrunn Palace (the summer home of the Habsburg dynasty) allowed our guide the occasion to highlight some of the true treasures and heritage of the city: its musical tradtions, its religious heritage, and of course the importance that Vienna played during the reign of the famous Hapsburg family including such influential figures as Maria Theresa and of course her daughter Marie Antoinnette as well as the other fifteen siblings who all played influential roles in the culture and history of various parts of Europe.

Some free time in the early afternoon permitted a chance to sample the Vienese gastronomy, whether that was the typical cuisine or another of our choosing. How is it possible to leave such a place without a forray into the land of pastries and chocolate? I haven't managed to figure out the answer to that mystery.