August 25

Today was the third day of our second three-day weekend. I decided to go back to Schonbrunn Palace and see all the things that I didn’t see the first day that I went there. First, I went to look at more of the gardens and the large and beautiful fountains that were laid out in various spots around them. My friend told while we were walking around these gardens that during imperial times the fountains weren’t run with pumps but with a crank that servants had to spin, so when the emperor wanted to walk around the gardens, the servants would have to run out before them and start pumping the fountain for when the emperor walked past. I thought that was interesting. Anyway, we went to the Wagonburg next where all of the imperial carriages were on display. Some of the less elaborate carriages exhibited here were used for everyday use, while some of the more elaborate ones were for celebrations and parades and such. I loved the more elaborate carriages, such as the Imperial Coach of the Austrian Court. It would be amazing to ride around in such an over the top mode of transportation. I also liked looking at the cute mini-carriages that were made for the kids. They looked exactly like the grown-up ones, except smaller. After the carriage museum, we then went to the Palmenhaus. This is a huge greenhouse that is full of many tropical plants that wouldn’t otherwise be found in Vienna. It was very beautiful. To finish off our second visit to Schonbrunn, we went to the Apple Strudel Show, where the chefs showed us how to make Austrian Apfelstrudel. We were given a free sample also. Even though it was good, I have to say that it still wasn’t as good as my mom’s apple pie.
After visiting Schonbrunn, we went back home to find something to eat. We eventually ended up eating Kabops once again. There are so many Kabop, Kasekrainer, and Pizza stands around this city that I can’t help but going to one of them to eat almost every day. I am kind of looking forward to going back home so that I can find something to eat that is not full of salt or fried. The Kasekrainers and the Turkish Kabops are very good though.
The German word of the day is Kino, which means “movies”.