I woke before Abby on the train as we were stopped in Budapest for an engine change. The sun just beginning to rise, I managed to grasp a few glimpses of the Danube (again) and some very pretty city streets. We were quickly in some foggy countryside as the sun rose, incredibly picturesque. 


We arrived in Vienna around 8:30, 10 minutes late on our 16 hour leg. Amtrak could learn a thing or two. We were now suddenly in a modern marvel of a building that handles more passengers than pittsburghs airport. Easing back into a more western life was a bit more jarring than expected. Our hotel held our bags as we decided to grab breakfast before trying to find something historical to make ourselves feel better.


Having decided to stretch our legs, we walked a bit more than a kilometer to a small cafe in a park. After struggling with our lack of German language skills, we managed to order a spectacular breakfast on the banks of the river Wien. Shortly after we hopped on the U Bahn and headed to Schönbrunn Palace. 


And what a palace it is. The grounds are absolutely enormous flowing out behind the equally large palace. We opted for the tour first, as large crowds were already forming. A short wait, which we filled with espresso, and we were able to enter at our assigned time for our self guided tour. 

Sadly we weren’t allowed to take photos, but I’m not sure they would do the rooms justice. We meandered through 40 rooms of immaculately preserved and restored paintings, wall coverings, furniture, clothing and dinnerware. Large halls. Private bathrooms. Studies. All of it was pristine and stunning. 


After we explored the gardens and grounds for longer than it took us to look through the actual palace. Fountains. Flowers. Sculptures. Acre after acre of perfectly sculpted trees and shrubs guided you along wonderful gravel paths. A climb up the hill at the far end of the gardens led to an amazing view out over the city. After plenty of walking in the sun, we headed back to the hotel to see if our room was ready and to cool off a bit. 

Checked in, refreshed and cooled down a bit, we headed back out for more sights and dinner. We swung by Augarten to admire the old porcelain factories, and the let over defense towers from WW2. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, it was hard to imagine such massive structures built for war. 


We carried on around the ring road that used to separate old Vienna from the newer outer sections. Now a wide boulevard accommodating trolleys, cars, bikes and pedestrians, large historic buildings lined both sides. We settled on a fantastic restaurant based in a vaulted basement underground for dinner. The food was outstanding, and the beer even better. Full of both, we took in the night sights as we made it back to the hotel. Another nights sleep in a real bed, and we would begin the longest, and final, rail leg of our trip. To Paris.