Vienna Day 2

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Guten tag from Vienna! It was heartbreaking to leave Prague behind but Vienna has not disappointed us. We began the day with a filling breakfast and then hopped on the bus towards the breathtaking city of Vienna. Our friendly tour guide, Bettina, kept everyone engaged and informed about some of Vienna’s history and culture. We learned that Hitler applied to a school in the city but was declined twice because he lacked talent. Others like Sigmund Freud were forced to leave the city because their views were considered controversial. On our tour, we saw monuments dedicated to Mozart and the apartment Beethoven lived in for the majority of the 19^th century. Our first stop was the Belvidere Palace. Even though we couldn’t go inside, the views from outside made for great pictures. We finally arrived at Schonbrunn Palace where Maria Therese, mother of Marie Antoinette, lived. Here, we were fortunate enough to take a walking tour through the inside of the palace filled with elegant and ornate décor and tradition. We spent some time in the palace gardens and enjoyed the beautiful flowers and scenery. After we left the palace grounds, we headed into the inner city of Vienna and strolled through the town. The streets were lined with cafes and shops, so it was nice to do some walking, shopping, and eating. After spending a few hours downtown, we took the metro back to our hotel to get ready for the game and spend some time in the amusement park across the street from the hotel. Most of us rode rides, including the swings that are considered the tallest ride of it’s kind in the world, and is actually in the Guinness Book of World Records. After some traffic, we finally got to the sports complex and won our game 86-44. Afterwards, we traded t-shirts with the other team, exchanged names and email addresses, and joined them for dinner nearby. They were very welcoming and spoke terrific English. On the way home tonight the coaches and parents challenged the team to a sing-off. Some of the highlights included “Lean on Me,” “Build me up Buttercup,” and of course a few songs by Taylor Swift. Needless to say, the players won the battle. Tomorrow we say auf wiedersehen to the exquisite city of Vienna and head to Munich for the remainder of our trip!

Ally Blair and Laura Jordan

Labels: Top Photo: in the rose garden at Schonbrunn Palace Botto photo out in front of Schonbrunn Palace

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