25 July: Last waltz in Vienna
At 8.30 am our coaches pulled out en route to the southern sector of the Venetian Woods. After an hour's enchanting drive we arrived at the Monastery of Heiligenkteutz (Holy Cross) which has been inhabited by the Cistertian Order since 1133. It lies in the heart of the Woods and currently houses 83 monks who have made a musical recording which has sold 2 million copies and overtaken Madonna. The Medieval architecture was breath-taking. I have only put a couple of photos on FB because the choice was just too difficult.
We then drove on to Baden which means a little town for bathing. This dates back to Roman times. They made use of the
sulphorus hot springs for underfloor heating. We drove past the house in which Schubert gained the inspiration for his songs "Winter Journey" from the lime trees we saw growing in the garden. For most of us the highlight was the tour through one of the 88 houses Beethoven lived in. You'll see his harpsichord and very untidy desk on FB. It was in this house that he composed his 9th symphony.
After a magnificent lunch provided by a local restaurant we drove back to our Hilton hotel.
Before we left on this memorable tour daughter-in-law Stephanie instructed us to visit the famous chocolate shop in Vienna. At that stage we thought we would only be in Vienna overnight so we didn't pay attention.  With the extraordinary change of plans we needed further directions so Mark said it was by the Opera House. We had a few hours spare before our Viennese concert,  so we hopped on a bus. Fortunately we had bought a 2day ticket so off we went in search of one Opera House. Hummmm. Having found it we thought we'd better look at it so we finished up doing a grand conducted tour right through! ! What a bonus that was! 🙌

However we were really searching for this chocolate shop, so after we'd toured this incredible building which was nearly entirely destroyed at the end of WWII and which now houses 2,300 people for their 65 performances,  we set out in earnest for  this shop.
Peter found it. He has a very long nose for a good chocolate. You'll see his fully restored smile on FB. After all that of course, we absolutely HAD to have an iced chocolate in the adjacent cafe. Well, if you ever want the ultimate iced chocolate,  that's where you'll find it.
Back to the hotel, change for dinner,  and then board the coaches again to attend the Royal Waltz Concert at the Museum of Natural History. We were just spell-bound listening to the tunes of the Strauss family waltzes and polkas interspersed with bursts of Mozart's temper. A soprano and baritone plus two dancers added variety to the 8 member orchestra.  All beyond description.

Back to the hotel and pack to have our bags  ready for a 6 am pickup to go to Budapest.