Are you calling me a Wiener?

Way back when we planned our Budapest trip, we specifically opted to have a 22-hour layover in Vienna to get a glimpse of the city.  We rode in on our winged and propeller-led steer, a quick 50 minute hop from Budapest.  We had our baggage checked all the way into Athens, which meant that we didn't have to pick it up in Vienna.  As soon as we arrived into the baggage claim area, we left it, opting instead for the quiet streets on the outskirts.  Our hotel was a mere 7 minute shuttle ride to the airport, so within 15 minutes of departing our plane, we were in our hotel room.

We rested in the room for a little bit (because our day had been very hard) and then ventured downtown for a bit of sightseeing.  On the way to the station, amidst near-freezing temperatures, we observed some rambunctious kids throwing festive fireworks.  I wanted to join in, but alas, Princess wouldn't let me.  Our train arrived as soon as we landed on the platform and within seconds we were on our way.  We rode downtown to the Mitte station and then transferred to the subway for a short ride west.

Our daylight stop was at Schönbrunn Palace, the old summer stomping grounds of the Hapsburgs (former rulers of Spain).  We grabbed a handful of fried chips near the gate and then took in the sights. 

There were some big fountains out front, lacking water but full of ice.  Princess manned the camera and I posed.  We headed around the side to the gardens and began our walking adventure.  There were dozens of runners about, braving the cold to get in their cardio.  They were dressed appropriately, everyone wearing their full length spandex and furry hats.  We walked up one street to a fountain ornately decorated with bathing beauties and fierce monsters, under the watchful eye of four golden turtles and an Egyptian obelisk.

After a few minutes of snapping (pictures, not turtles) we headed up (really, up!) a street and arrived in front of a small palace, perhaps the kids' home?  Down the way lay the large palace, and in between was a large pool, though no longer a pool, as it was filled with ice.  I guess it's been really cold in these parts lately?  By now the sun had fallen below the horizon and the amount of available light had dwindled.  We rushed to take as many good pictures as possible and then kicked our own butts out.

We took the subway back downtown, getting off at Stephensplatz.  As soon as we exited the station, we were attacked by a crowd of costumed ticket attendants.  They were selling seats to various concerts, and we were "fortunate" enough to have come along just then, as the number of tickets left were few.  We settled on the cheap seats for the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Strauss concert with ballet dancers and opera singers. 
The concert was due to start in 45 minutes, so we marched ourselves across town to the theater.  Along the way we took in the festive lights of upcoming holidays and the masses of locals out parading the streets.

The concert was nice...there was a crowd of Italians that didn't know how to behave themselves properly (no chatting, picture taking, cell phone talking during the performance) but they didn't take too much away from the music.  The conductor, also one of the players, did a splendid job of leading.  The whole thing lasted 90 minutes, and then we were back out on the town.

A light rain had fallen while we hid inside, so the streets were a bit warmer when we exited.  We headed off towards a subway station, looking out for a decent restaurant along the way.  We found a few, but none had the exact type of local food we were looking for, so we decided for Italian food.  Go figure.  Princess had gnocchi (she's hooked!) and I had risotto with parmesan and prosciutto, and we each guzzled a Radler.  After dinner we took the train back out towards the airport and did our best to rest before the early morning wake up call.

We were up at 7, clean by 7:30 and in the shuttle by 8.  We had a small breakfast in the airport, saving 70 cents over what the hotel wanted to charge us.  Granted, it would have been all you can eat at the hotel, but the selections weren't super great.  Oh well...