Who ordered the Weiner Schnitzel??

the hofburg palace
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Friday 24th July. It had finally arrived, the day to fly off to Vienna, the Imperial City to celebrate my 40th birthday! This time joining me were Ian, (my nephew) and my friend Neil. An early afternoon flight into a hot and sunny Wien Schwechat (Vienna Int Airport) and short taxi ride to our hotel, the Hilton Vienna Danube and we were there. The hotel is nicely situated on the banks of the Danube river(hence the name) and is a large prominent building in a relatively low key area of the city. After a quick look at our room and dropping off our luggage we hit the underground station for a quick hop into the city centre. This is a really easy way of seeing the sights and cheap too! 10 euros for a 48hr pass is great value. We arrived at Stephansplatz, a buzzing square situated around the Stephansdom, or St Stephens Cathedral. This is a really impressive building with a unique roof, amongst other things comprising of some 250,000 coloured tiles. From here we took a short walk to the Hofburg Palace, home to originally the Hapsburg empire and now to the Spanish Riding School. This is a massive palace with vast courtyards and gardens to suit. Walking a little further and seeing various sights, churches etc it was time to settle down for somewhere to eat. Our choice, one of the many Italian restaurants on offer,serving delicious food and equally good beer. This followed by a few more beers back at the hotel our first day was done. Another sunny day greeted us on saturday morning, which after our breakfast a walk along the banks of the Danube to the business district of the city for a few pictures. A walk along to Reisienrad followed which is an amusement park. This really is amazing and large too. It holds numerous rollercoasters, water rides and a couple of ferris wheels as well as other attractions. This is a must for any visitor to the city, particularly those with children as there is something for everyone here. A quick look around the 'closed', Ernst Happel national football stadium followed and it was time to enjoy the leisure facilities back at the hotel. A good soak in the 7th floor jacuzzi and shower were what our aching legs needed and we were ready for a night out. A beer in the hotel bar and off on the underground into the centre followed by a lovely meal and more beers in a couple of quiet sidestreet bars, it was by now 2.30am. A good night had by all!!A short taxi ride back to our room for a good nights sleep followed. Again,Sunday morning was bright, if a little breezy and we were on our way again, this time taking the tube into the business area. We were off to sample the Donauturm (danube tower). A quick 40 second lift to the viewing platform at 152 metres and stunning views across the city greeted us. WOW, this really was worth it, even for those of us who are not keen on heights! Back on terra firma, we took a walk around the lovely gardens the business district offered and it was time to get back on the tube again. This time, 15 stops later we were the other side of the city at Schloss Schonbrunn(schonbrunn palace). This is an immense building with vast gardens and grounds which have fantastic views upto Gloriette, somekind of summerhouse which now is a cafe but was once a dining hall. A walk around the grounds for some much needed shade and it was time to jump back on the tube, this time to Rathauspark(town hall). Every july and august this hosts musikfilmfest, an open-air festival with a huge screen to display film, opera and music to its visitors. After a short stop for a beer, and a look at the Hofburg theatre we had a quick walk back through the hofburg palace, back on the underground to our hotel to freshen up for our final night. After a bad choice of meal (on my part) we had a couple more drinks before we settled back to our familiar position at the hotel bar. A good nights sleep followed by a big breakfast and a walk to the now 'open' football stadium and it was time to pack our bags for the trip home. It was time to reflect on our trip and I would say, this is a fantastic, cultural, child friendly city for the whole family to visit. If visiting in the summer months, be prepared for the heat because it got very humid at times!!

a good soak in the 7th floor jacuzzi and shower were what our aching legs needed