During the night we were awakened by thumps and bangs as we travelled through a lock. We woke up in time to watch the docking process in Bratislava.
At dockside we were met by our local guides and a little "choo-choo". It took us on a short tour so we could see the highlights, then we had a brief walking tour of the old city.
During the free time that followed, some people visited St. Martin's Church, where many coronations took place when Bratislava was Hungary's capital.
The rest of us wandered to the little market and did some shopping. Then aboard the buses to drive to Vienna (only an hour and a quarter).
On arrival in Vienna we went straight to a restaurant for what was the first disappointing meal of this trip. They were so understaffed that eventually Lizzie and Elsie started carrying dishes of food from the kitchen. The strudel was excellent though.
From the restaurant we left for a bus tour of Vienna, seeing the highlights
When we disembarked from the buses we were at Stephan Platz and immediately went into the church. It is magnificent!
From there, we had a walking tour and some free time. It was chilly, windy and damp but luckily we felt only a few drops of rain.
Wandering along the edge of the stables of the Spanish Riding School we were lucky enough to be able to glance into the courtyard and see the ring of stable and several Lipizzaner Stallions hanging out of their stalls. This was a better Lipizzaner visit than the farm in Croatia by far! Great surprise!
Eventually Larry and the two Johns, Mary and I made our way to an Australian pub near the Opera House for a drink. Back at St. Stephen's we went inside again and were lucky enough to hear a very good choir rehearsing.
Half a day seems very little for Vienna and it's really unfortunate that our engine troubles meant that both Bratislava and Vienna were short-changed. As of tomorrow though, we're back on schedule.
Lovely buffet dinner on-board tonight enabling those who opted for the Mozart Concert to get away.
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