On our last day in Vienna, we took it easy and just tried to enjoy our final day of traveling.  It is hard to believe that this is our final day on the road (not counting the long, long flight tomorrow :).  It was another windy and cloudy day today with a large threat of rain.  We wanted to check out the Globe Museum where they have some really old maps of the world, but upon checking our guidebook we realized it was closed on weekends.  I guess we should have thought of that earlier. :( 

Instead, we headed straight for our next destination, the outdoor market.  There are so many falafel and gyro stands here that it's hard to choose one.  We got a falafel sandwich for an early lunch.  Upon seeing the size of some other patrons' sandwiches, we decided we could probably share one - it was definitely big enough for two!  The falafels were good, but I'd still recommend the one in Budapest as the best falafel pita I've ever had. :) 

After eating, we headed for a small cafe selling a wide variety of wines by the glass - and cheap!  Only about $2 per glass.  This place was situated right in the middle of the market and we snagged an outside table where we could watch the comings and goings of the market crowd.  The market was 10 times more crowded today than it was during the week, and we had fun watching everyone go about their business.  We had brought some books to read while we sat, but we didn't even need them, the people were so entertaining. :)  Mario's glass of Cabernet wasn't very good, but I had another of the Blaufrankisch wines (see wine of choice below) and it was very good.  We've discovered it isn't wise to vary from their wine specialties here, as you'll most likely not be enjoying your choice. 

We left our perch at the wine shop and bought a few tidbits from the market stalls (green olives stuffed with cheese and some dried fruit).  Walking towards the Belvedere park, the weather was taking a turn for the worse, with more wind and a small bit of rain.  We stuck it out and reached the park where we admired the large Belvedere palace, now home to yet another art museum. :)  We walked through the expansive gardens and rested on a bench for a while, finally getting a chance to read our books.  It was cold and windy and we didn't last very long - maybe 20 minutes. 

With not much else on our agenda, we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon and got ready for our long journey tomorrow.  For dinner we revisited our nearby restaurant, the Centimeter (which we did find out has 5 locations across the city) for a repeat dinner of our first night in Vienna.  While both of us have very mixed feelings about this being our last day of this long journey around the world, I think we are both ready to spend some time at home in the US. 

Final thoughts on Austria:

Food:  The guidebook for Vienna even states that there is no real Viennese food in Vienna these days.  We found this to be true, with tons of Italian, Chinese, Japanese restaurants and Turkish Gyros (including falafels!) on just about every corner.  It was a little hard for us when we did try to go into a German/Austrian restaurant as the menu's would rarely be in English.  We noticed a lot of wiener  schnitzels on the menu at those places. 

Wine of Choice: Schiefer Winery's 2004 Blaufrankisch (Red wine)

Memories:  Museum's Quarter, going in the Art History Museum when we thought it was the Natural History Museum!, Hofburg, watching the Lipizzaner training session, convertible Smart Cars, trying to go wine tasting in Krems - although it didn't really work out too well, walking around the small town of Krems, riding in the modern upper deck of the "Wiesel" train, hanging out in the market drinking wine and watching the people at the Gyros shop, the Centimeter restaurant, the ultra high pitch noise at night from our windows, the airconditioning discussion with the hotel staff (it didn't work, but they kept insisting it was because of the sun).

People:  People here were generally very nice to us but I wouldn't say they are as outgoing as some other places we've been.  We felt like we blended into the crowd pretty well here, as there are always lots of tourists and locals all walking around the streets.  People seem to be out and about here quite a bit - biking, walking, shopping, and eating out (which is strange to us since most places we've been to the locals couldn't afford to eat out).   

Economy:   Austria enjoys one of the strongest economies of the EU.  Industrial, metal,  and consumer electronics dominate exports, while the port of Vienna is the largest facility for container transloading in inland Europe (on the Danube).  

Climate (late June): Mild - we had some really hot and warm days here followed by some cold, windy and rainy days.

Exchange Rate: 1 US dollar = 1.25 Euro

Safety Rating:
 - Our Perception Before: 9 out of 10
 - Our Perception After:  9 out of 10  Very, very safe feeling. 
 
Recommendation to friends:

8 out of 10 for Vienna - It was somewhat of a struggle for us to find things to do in Vienna besides the plethora of museums.  We're not big museum fans, but we were still lured in by a few and enjoyed our time in those that we did enter.  If you are a fan of museums, this is the place to be (10 out of 10 for museum lovers!). :) 

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