6 of 6, Vienna

Last day in Vienna! We were excited about going to Praterstern, because it is supposed to be a large amusement park. Well, it was an amusement park but it was creepily empty and the only other people there were the workers who looked like most of them were there for maintenance. There were lots of creepy statues. Everything was closed up and boarded up. A huge clown loomed over a small walkway, and even the Ferris wheels were empty. 

We tried to go to the planetarium, but it turns out we had missed the last show. So we grabbed some lunch at a little pizzeria nearby the metro and headed into the main section of the city. Where we got off was right behind the Museums Quartier with lots of old buildings and pretty things. We walked by the Parliament building and Wien University before seeing a huge cathedral - with an ice skating rink in front! It was amazingly cool - two open spaces for free skate, and a longer track that took you around the park area. We almost did it, but it was 15 Euro and we didn't have enough time to really enjoy it. So we kept going and ended up in this little park with another church on one side and in the middle of an intersection. 

We ended up at a hotel's restaurant/bar and had a mid-afternoon cocktail before heading back to meet Rima. On the way to the bus, we had to stop and check in. The TV time (like at the airport) said 30 minutes before, but the guy at the counter said 20 minutes before, which was pretty confusing. We did make it on the bus, however, and endured a rather uncomfortable 4 hours. Terry managed to sleep some, but I only slept the first hour and then had to play games with myself to see how long I could keep my eyes closed!