Alex and Sarah took the train to Vienna, while Marcia, Ella, Rachel and I drove. We meet at the Park Hyatt in Vienna. Thanks again to Hyatt Chase Visa points.
Ella and Sarah were reluctant to make the trek through 3% of the 1441 rooms of the Palace. Sarah, Ella and I stayed back and waited at a restaurant, got bored and took a walk, and came back to a different restaurant and ate. The Schönbrunn Palace was built between 1696 and 1730, and eventually converted into a residence for Maria Theresa, the only woman to serve as a Habsburg ruler. Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Hungary, Maria Theresa had 16 children, 5 boys and 11 girls. One of her daughters, Marie Antoinette became Queen of France.
One of the highlights of the visit to Vienna was seeing the performance of the Lipizzaner horses at the the Imperial Palace. 450 years of tradition in a portion of the Palace that the Habsburgs watched comparable performances. No pictures were allowed. I failed to check the battery in the camera. It was completely dead, so it did not matter that taking photos were prohibited.
