Vienna-last day

The next day we headed back into town and went on this enormous historic Ferris wheel (Riensenrad auf Deutsch). It provided nice views of the city and is iconic to Vienna a lot like the Eiffel Tower is to Paris.  I remember seeing a show on the history of the Ferris Wheel years ago and this one was talked about.  People can pay to eat dinner and even get married within the little moving houses.

After the Ferris Wheel we let the girls choose one more ride to go.  Kaitlan loved going on the swings with Dad while Aubrie wanted to go on her first roller coaster with Mom.  Aubrie's reaction: it was over way too fast and not worth the money.

Hurray!

Next we headed to Hofburg, the former imperial residence of the Hapsburg family in the center of Vienna.  It looked more like a giant Parliament building but I guess the King liked being close to his job.  Here we toured the Sissi museum and learned about Austria's last Empress, Elizabeth, known affectionately as Sissi (she's the younger sister and it was her older sister who was supposed to marry the King/Emperor, but he liked her best).  On display at the museum was all kinds of stuff she used to own (dresses, jewelry, teeth cleaning supplies...) as well as a view into the life of a woman who did not like being the center of so much attention.  Who could blame her?  We thought the girls would love a look into the life of a real Princess/Queen/Empress but the exhibit only mildly held their attention.

After dinner we walked around the city (Ted's idea).  I don't remember the name of this building but it demonstrates the massiveness and exuberance of architecture common in the heart of Vienna.

 

As the sun set over the spires of Vienna we thought of the best parts of our trip. And the answer?  Weiner Schnitzel and Sacher Torte from Hotel Sacher.  Vienna in German is Wein thus Weiner Schnitzel is 100% Austrian.  They definitely do it better than the German's and Swiss (in my opinion).  Sacher Torte? Cake covered with a chocolate shell with a slight hint of raspberry jam baked into the middle.  Delicious.