Oh, Vienna #1

Grüß Gott aus Wien!

It is great to be back here after a three year break having visited Berlin and Budapest to celebrate our previous two anniversaries.

Strasbourg (thanks for the tip, Nicky!), Stockholm and Helsinki were very much in contention for this celebration. But when a four night/five day holiday becomes more like a three day break due to a late arrival on day one and an early departure on day five these destinations regrettably slipped off the list and so Vienna, an old favourite, is where we chose.

This is an image of the Schloß Schönbrunn an imposing palace that was built for the Empress Maria Theresia. She was the only female to rule over the Habsburg Empire. The palace was completed in 1723.

One of the many Christmas Markets that are dotted around this wonderful city is based here. In the extra image you can see two ladies enjoyed their hot pumpkin soup in a loaf of bread! There are several stalls that cater for those who need a drink or a bite to eat but at the Schönbrunn most of the stalls have tasteful and expensive handcrafted works of art on sale.

Footnote: added photo has subsequently been removed!