It was a JAM-PACKED day today! Not because we planned it that way, but just because that’s how things went!
Once again, we were out the door early this morning. The first item on the agenda (really one of two things we knew we wanted to do) was laundry. We were both running low on the essentials, so we located a laundromat (Waschsalon) about a kilometer away. It was brisk out this morning, but not raining, so we opted to walk there. Last night, we took all my packing cubes out of my suitcase and loaded the dirty laundry in, so we rolled it to the laundromat :) The laundromat itself was nice! It wasn’t vastly different from the laundromats in the states, except you paid for your machine first on a little electronic screen, payment was via card only, AND (the major difference) they had machines that would wash AND dry your clothes…ALL IN ONE! Given the amount of things we had and the size of the machine available for the dual purpose, we went with that option. It took a little over an hour for everything, and we did end up throwing our things in for another 10 minutes of dry time in a “standard” dryer, but that was mostly due to a few thicker things (jeans and such) that needed a little extra help. While things got cleaned, we wandered around for a little while, also so we might stumble upon somewhere to get breakfast. We did find a little Konditorei where we got some juices and chocolate croissants. When the laundry was done, we wheeled it back to the hotel, dropped it off in our room, then headed back out. We had pretty much zero plans for today until the mid-afternoon, so Brandon decided to take us to the historic part of town where the opera house, Rathaus, Parliament building, Hofburg, and other very cool buildings were! We walked through a little park near the Hofburg, outside of which stood a statue of Goethe. There were some additional statues in the park, as well as a small pond. It was lovely! As we wandered around the perimeter of the Hofburg, we heard some band music and noticed a crowd forming. We decided to join them to see what was going on, and it ended up being some of the Austrian military guard doing some kind of demonstration! It was very cool! After they marched off, we continued to travel across the plaza by the Hofburg with the intent of going to the Rathaus when I thought I heard the military band playing yet. I was like “They’re still going?! Where are they headed?” That question was soon answered as we came upon some police barricades and evidence of a setup for an important event/visit. There was a red carpet leading from a “drop off point” to the door of the Chancellery . The guard set themselves up along the carpet and waited while cameras were set up and we, in the crowd, got curious about what was happening. After about half an hour, a long line of police escorts and fancy black cars pulled up. It took us a few minutes still, but once we identified the song the band was playing, we figured out the special guest was the Prime Minister of Georgia (yes, there is a country with that name). It was a really neat and unique experience that I’m glad we stumbled upon! Following the observation of the arrival of the PM, we decided that we wanted to try and grab a little bite to eat before our other planned activity for the day. Brandon booked us a Danube River cruise that included a schnitzel meal! But we needed something to tide us over until the tour. Plus, we’d be on the boat for a while. We didn’t need to get schnitzel right away :) We took the Straßenbahn to the river area, grabbed some food, and then went to collect our boat tour tickets. We had some time to kill then, so we sat on a bench near the loading dock and got very cold because it was VERY WINDY today! The cruise itself was wonderful! We spent 3.5 hours going up and down the Danube, through two locks, and seeing a bunch of very cool Vienna landmarks! The schnitzel was delicious and came with some roasted potatoes. We had some hot chocolates first thing when we got on because I, in particular, was so chilly from the wind! It was a really nice time :) After the river cruise, we decided to get some ice cream from a place recommended by Brandon’s friend Eli. They had some nifty flavors, one of which was a pumpkin seed oil that I tried; it was delicious and I’d definitely get it again! We both also had a scoop of a buttermilk strawberry ice cream! So good! We got back on the Straßenbahn then, grabbed some jackets for ourselves at the hotel, then headed to the Wiener Riesenrad, which is a GIANT Ferris Wheel in another part of town. It was SO MUCH FUN! Up close, it doesn’t look that big, but once you’re on it, you really got the sense for just how huge this thing was! We got one rotation, which lasted about 15 minutes according to the signs, but I think we got a little longer :) There were some incredible views of Vienna, especially once we hit the top of the wheel! I love a Ferris wheel, and I actually didn’t know about this one, so I was glad Brandon found it! Physically tired but feeling wonderful inside about the day, we headed back to the hotel to settle in. Brandon remarked that we don’t have to pack to be ready to roll out to another place again tomorrow, which is very exciting! We still have one more full day in Vienna before we make our next stop! Stay tuned for that fun tomorrow, and, as always, enjoy the pictures!
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