Day 7: Vienna, Austria and Budapest, Hungary By: Kady—Tampa, FL

We had our earliest start yet today!  We left our hotel in Maribor at 8:50 this morning and everyone was sad to leave such a beautiful place.  After a three hour bus ride to Vienna, Austria, we all unloaded off the bus and were so excited to start sightseeing in this historic, yet modern town.  We walked as a group past the Hofburg Palace, and then ventured into the newer parts of the city.  It looked like Fifth Avenue in New York City!  After a few photo ops, we all split into groups to walk around.  I wandered alone around this magnificent downtown, and my first stop was the St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stefansdom Cathedral).  I paid 3.50 Euro to climb all the way to the top of the spire.  I can’t read German, so I had no idea what I had paid for.  Man was it a long way up!  I am also very terrified of heights, so it made the experience that much more exciting.  The view was phenomenal and definitely worth the money.  From there I walked around the shops, looking for a restaurant to sit down in and use the restroom for free.  I stopped in a little café and people-watched for a few minutes.  After leaving there, I went into a museum that took you all through the Palace and into the old apartments of royalty past.  The museum was very interesting, but unfortunately I had to hustle through the end because I was running late for the bus.  We all packed back on the bus to head towards Budapest, Hungary, a two hour drive.  When we arrived in Budapest, we were met by Heni, our Hungarian tour guide.  She took us to our restaurant for dinner, a place aptly named Cactus Juice.  Though we waited for awhile, and weren’t too excited about the food based on the name alone, we were all very pleasantly surprised by the delicious meal we received.  On the menu was stuffed chicken breast, turkey kabobs, grilled vegetables, jasmine rice, mashed potatoes, and beef quesadillas.  For dessert we had a rich piece of chocolate cake.  It was delicious!  Following dinner we headed back to the hotel in cabs, and then headed to bed!

Editor’s note:  Due to an early start, we had a rather silent bus ride to Vienna, Austria.  As we stepped off the bus, the girls were greeted for the first time by some snow flurries.  We had a few group photos in front of the Hofburg Castle before heading to Stephenplatz where the St Stephen’s Cathedral stood.  This magnificent church has been under meticulous renovations for many years in attempts to preserve the architecture.  Our group disbanded, heading in many directions.  Ceej and company tried to reuse some of the other girls’ tickets to climb the church’s bell tower, but were caught.  Clearly God punishes those who attempt to cheat the church.  Emily and mama Cindy went through the castle treasury, viewing many of the crown jewels of the Hofburg era.  The girls went in search for gift shops and souvenirs, with many returning to the bus successful.  Once again, the bus was silent on our ride to Budapest, Hungary.   There we were again greeted by snow flurries coming in from many angles thanks to gusts of wind.  Here we also met up with an additional member to our group, Justine, who will continue on the women’s exposure tour after we all return home, in hopes of being placed to play volleyball somewhere in Europe.  Dinner was served family style and voted the best yet on tour.  Tomorrow, we have a full day of sightseeing with Heni scheduled.