Wednesday, September 4, 2013

For our final day in Vienna, we headed to Belvedere, a beautiful palace built for Prince Eugene of Savoy who helped to successfully fight off the Turkish invasion of Vienna in 1683. The palace is now an art museum focused on late 19th and early 20th century German artists. It is notable for its Gustav Klimt collection, including his famous "The Kiss" which was quite mesmerizing to see. The range of styles used by Klimt was impressive and the exhibit displayed them all. A special exhibit on the Decadent school was a treat. Here are some photos of the palace and grounds (apologies for the crooked photos). (Fiona made Carl buy the Tilly hat.













Since arriving in Vienna we have kept saying we have to try the famous Sachertorte . Today was the day and we headed to the Hotel Sacher. The torte was delicious - you can understand why it has remained so popular for the last 180 years. See photos below. Carl swore this was the first and last time he would be caught photographing food!






Finished the afternoon at the Hofburg palace with a tour of the museum.






Dinner tonight was at Zum Finsteren Stern, a small out of the way spot filled with locals and a German only menu - always a good sign! Had excellent seafood at an outdoor table - nice warm night tonight. We have a 10am train to Budapest tomorrow. Sad to leave Vienna.

Fiona & Carl

Location:Vienna, Austria