Thursday, Sept 30
We have been gone one week and the time has flown by. This morning was free for us so we headed to the Spanish Riding School , the home of the famous Lipizzaner horses. We were able to view the morning training of the horses in the school arena. The practice session lasts between 10 and 12 in the morning and we were able to watch many of the horses as the were put through their paces. These horse are truly beautiful. The breeding of these animals is very controlled and they all are from a line that dates back to the original Imperial stud in 1580. The breeding records are strictly kept and only the best horsed get to be in the Spanish Riding School. I remember seeing the horses at a show in Ottawa but this was much better seeing them in their own home . This afternoon the organized tour involved a visit to the Vienna Woods in the countryside outside Vienna. We started with a visit to the 12th century Cistercian Abby at HeiligenKreuz.( translation Holy Night) This Abby is still in excellent condition and was it really was a great experience to see. From the outside the building did not seem very special but we were in for a real surprise once we entered. The interior was incredible. It amazes me how these buildings were constructed . The roof was so tall . Gale and I watched Pillars of Earth on TV a while back and it involved the building of a mid evil era cathedral and the problems involved in construction. Here we get to see the finished product and can only stare in awe. We continued to a few other historical sites and to the town of Baden for a brief walk about. Dinner was at the town of Gumpoldskirchen at a unique restaurant called Bruckberger. This place specializes in traditional Austrian country food served on platters directly to the table. The crackling pork skin on the leg was amazing. Baden is in a great wine growing region and the restaurant served wine grown in it’s own vineyards. Back to the hotel at the end of another busy day. Tomorrow is a day on our own and we will be going back down town to see any sites that we have missed and of course give Gale a chance to shop.