In and around Vienna - Day 2

The weather once again was marvelously cooperative (I hear such cooperation has not been the experience of those left at home...). Our final day in Vienna started with a leisurely breakfast at a street cafe. Now, no longer cost-protected by prearranged tour meals (which, I will say again, were absolutely awesome!), we were shocked by the cost of some simple things one takes for granted at breakfast. Like butter: 1 Euro per portion! Yikes.

We headed out from there for a walk around The Hofburg Imperial Palace and adjacent sites. Once again, we were awed by the opulence of the Habsberg Dynasty. Here's a wiki link if you are interested in more details. The  Wiener Stadtfest 2011 was underway through the weekend so lots for festivities. Check out the beer-fest picture. I saw a sign boast something like beer from 20 different breweries and over 200 different beers (assuming I translated correctly of course...)

We took in St Stephen's Cathedral, walked through one of the main pedestrian-only thoroughfares, then hopped the underground to head down to the Prater: this is an absolutely enormous park that was once the hunting grounds owned by the Habsbergs but given to the city by Emperor Joseph II in 1766.

After a late dinner, we headed to the train station to catch a 10:08pm overnight train to Prague. 

Once again, here is selection of pictures for your viewing pleasure