As I write this, I am sitting in a darkened lounge looking out across the Danube at the Buda side of Budapest. So much has happened in the day since I last wrote (our first day in Vienna) and today that it is hard to take it all in and put it in order. But I shall do my best. I only hope I get this online before 6:00 am as we have to be off the ship today by 9:45 for the last time—our cruise ends today. We are transferring to the Intercontinental Hotel for two nights, and then on Monday, we fly home.

But back to day two in Vienna. When we got up, the skies had cleared, and there was no fog. After posting and breakfast, we really had nothing we had to do before lunch and our afternoon excursion, so I decided to take another walk. This time, instead of staying on the side of the river our ship was moored on, I walked to the big bridge ahead of the ship and crossed over to an island that turned out to be pretty cool. I took the panoramic shot at the top of this post from the middle of that bridge.

On the way, I found some colorful workers, a lighthouse, and some modern landscapes (Vienna does have skyscrapers, but they are limited to being far from the old city. It’s like the modern city on one side of the river and the old one on the other), a beautiful park, strange statues, a sandy beach and Kathleen. See the pics below to find out how I saw all that on an early morning walk. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

After my walk, it was lunchtime, and after lunch, we were back in the Old City for the only paid excursion we had signed up for on our original trip (we didn’t take) back in 2020—visiting the Spanish Riding School and seeing the Lipizzan Stallions. If you have no clue what I am talking about, then allow me to tell you. Found in 1572 by the Hapsburg Dynasty and brought to Vienna from Spain, the Spanish Riding School trains Lipizzan stallions to perform. Suffice it to say that if you really are intrigued after seeing my photos, make sure and check out the linked website. The horses and the organization are truly amazing.

How did we find out about them? A long time ago…(1963), there was a Disney movie called “The Miracle of the White Stallions.” It was all about how the Spanish Riding School had saved their beautiful and incredible white stallions from the Nazis. When we were kids, Kathleen and I had both seen it, and these incredible horses were something we have always wanted to see ever since. And on Wednesday, we got our chance. And not to see them perform but to go backstage to meet them and get to see (and smell?) them close up. Check out the photos below and the captions for the story…or go watch the movie (because of the limitations of the WiFi on board, I can’t check to see if it is on Disney Plus, but you can buy the DVD at the link). Or just look at my pics. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

After our backstage tour of the stallions, we had a little bit of time in the area of the Imperial Palace, and we went to have coffee and cake at a small Viennese Cafe in one of the museums (OK, it was a cafeteria, and the coffee was cold and cake stale) but that meant I had time to take a few photos of buildings that had been fogged in the day before and I really liked some of the shots I got of this opulent city. Don’t forget; if you click the first shot, you can then scroll through with your arrow keys or by swiping…and PLEASE…don’t look at my photography on a phone. Please…

And then we were back on the “luxury motor coach” and headed into Viennese traffic for our ride to the ship. As soon as we were on board, the captain untied and set sail for our final cruise destination—Budapest! More about that tomorrow. I have to go take a shower, put my bags out (unlike ocean cruise ships, on a river ship, you don’t put out your bags until 8:00 am on the day you get off), have breakfast and be out of our room by 8:00. Our time to leave the ship is 9:45 for our transfer to the Intercontinental Hotel which will be our home for the next two nights. I will try to post again tomorrow, but if the weather is good, I am going to bundle up and go for a pre-dawn photo walk so it might be two days. You never know.