After a long day of driving, our Contiki family arrived in Vienna on Monday afternoon. We checked into our hostel, had a bite to eat and then begun getting ready for our "Classic Night Out". We then got back onto the coach and headed to a 16th century Austrian opera house for the performance. The show was a classical music performance which included small excerpts of ballet dancing and opera singing. The small orchestra played some of Mozarts most famous pieces, which was very fitting as Mozart had played inside the venue while he was alive! During the intermission we were treated to the VIP experience. We were able to go backstage, have a glass of champagne and get photos with the performers.
After the show ended, some of our group headed to a student bar called the "Travel Shack" which was a funky little place with interesting drinks. Yesterday we headed on the coach into the centre of Vienna where our tour manager took us on a brief walking tour to point out some of the iconic sights in Vienna. We then visited a Swarovski crystal store as Swarovski where we were given a brief spiel about how Swarovski originated in Vienna. We then went for an early lunch up a roof top bar where we had views of Vienna and a tasty lunch. After lunch we had a couple of hours of free time before we had to meet up with the group for our schnapps tasting. The majority of the group headed to the park which had some nice statues and had a nap on the grass. I decided to go back to the hostel to put on a load of laundry and have a nap there. After a rest I was waiting for an uber to take me back to the meeting place and our tour manager and coach driver walked out so I went in on the coach with them instead.
After picking up the rest of the Contiki family, we headed to the Schnapps museum which is about 100 years old. We were given a talk from the girl there who told us about the history of Schnapps, the different types of Schnapps and Absinthe you can try and also how to make your own Schnapps. We then got to taste the Schnapps and some braver travellers tried the Absinthe which went up to 80% alcohol. I tried chocolate banana and hazelnut chocolate Schnapps which were both very tasty.
We then went back to the hostel to get ready for our "Schnitzel and Screams" night at Prata theme
park. At the theme park, we had a dinner which consisted of a soup entree, followed by chicken schnitzel for the main and apple strudel for dessert. The food was alright but fairly average given it was in a theme park. We then had 3 hours to go on as many rides as we wanted. We were given a voucher for the 90m Giant Drop and the Super 8 roller coaster and the other rides varied from 4-15euro each. What was great about this theme park is that there were heaps of rides to choose from and literally no lines to wait in. The whole two days prior to going to the theme park, our tour manager and coach driver had told us of their experiences riding the ecstasy ride and how sick it made them and challenged everyone to do it. So after using our vouchers on the giant drop and the roller coaster, we all met up as a group and the majority of us went on the ecstasy ride which spun you round and round and upside down in time to music for a solid 6minutes. Everyone really enjoyed the ride but when we got off, a handful of people threw up their dinner and many others decided they felt too sick to go on any other rides. I felt absolutely fine, I don't really get motion sickness at all and I was keen to go on as many more rides as I could fit in the time. A small group of us ran around for the remaining hour and a half going on another coaster, a big spinning ride and finally the slingshot. We then headed back to the hotel and most of us decided to have a quiet night in as we were completely exhausted from the theme park and also still battling the Contiki cough.
This morning we said goodbye to Vienna and Austria and we are now driving through the Czech countryside and a rainstorm.
Photo with musicians in intermission
Mozart and Strauss concert
After the show ended, some of our group headed to a student bar called the "Travel Shack" which was a funky little place with interesting drinks. Yesterday we headed on the coach into the centre of Vienna where our tour manager took us on a brief walking tour to point out some of the iconic sights in Vienna. We then visited a Swarovski crystal store as Swarovski where we were given a brief spiel about how Swarovski originated in Vienna. We then went for an early lunch up a roof top bar where we had views of Vienna and a tasty lunch. After lunch we had a couple of hours of free time before we had to meet up with the group for our schnapps tasting. The majority of the group headed to the park which had some nice statues and had a nap on the grass. I decided to go back to the hostel to put on a load of laundry and have a nap there. After a rest I was waiting for an uber to take me back to the meeting place and our tour manager and coach driver walked out so I went in on the coach with them instead.
Schonbrunn palace
After picking up the rest of the Contiki family, we headed to the Schnapps museum which is about 100 years old. We were given a talk from the girl there who told us about the history of Schnapps, the different types of Schnapps and Absinthe you can try and also how to make your own Schnapps. We then got to taste the Schnapps and some braver travellers tried the Absinthe which went up to 80% alcohol. I tried chocolate banana and hazelnut chocolate Schnapps which were both very tasty.
100 year old cash register
Selection of Schnapps and Absinthe
We then went back to the hostel to get ready for our "Schnitzel and Screams" night at Prata theme
park. At the theme park, we had a dinner which consisted of a soup entree, followed by chicken schnitzel for the main and apple strudel for dessert. The food was alright but fairly average given it was in a theme park. We then had 3 hours to go on as many rides as we wanted. We were given a voucher for the 90m Giant Drop and the Super 8 roller coaster and the other rides varied from 4-15euro each. What was great about this theme park is that there were heaps of rides to choose from and literally no lines to wait in. The whole two days prior to going to the theme park, our tour manager and coach driver had told us of their experiences riding the ecstasy ride and how sick it made them and challenged everyone to do it. So after using our vouchers on the giant drop and the roller coaster, we all met up as a group and the majority of us went on the ecstasy ride which spun you round and round and upside down in time to music for a solid 6minutes. Everyone really enjoyed the ride but when we got off, a handful of people threw up their dinner and many others decided they felt too sick to go on any other rides. I felt absolutely fine, I don't really get motion sickness at all and I was keen to go on as many more rides as I could fit in the time. A small group of us ran around for the remaining hour and a half going on another coaster, a big spinning ride and finally the slingshot. We then headed back to the hotel and most of us decided to have a quiet night in as we were completely exhausted from the theme park and also still battling the Contiki cough.
Hannah enjoying the Volare coaster
This morning we said goodbye to Vienna and Austria and we are now driving through the Czech countryside and a rainstorm.
So many different things you are doing, and so brave! I couldn't even go on a Ferris Wheel without having to hold on. The Schnapps museum looks so interesting.... you seem to be going from pubs, to amusement parks to classical entertainment... how exciting to get the full experience, trying to many different things.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your mothers comment. Keep enjoying yourself while you can
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