Vienna Day Six - Spanish riding School and Home

This morning was our first early start of the week in an attempt to be checked out and at the Hofburg in time to see the Morgenarbeit, or morning exercises of the Spanish Riding School. I'm a bit of an equestrian and so had made it clear that although I didnt expect Sophie and Michael to come and sit through an expensive evening performance, I did want to at least experience some of this spectacle. It was only €6 to wonder in and watch the exercises for as long as you wanted, and we ended up staying right to the end even though each set of horses brought out were doing the same thing, and nothing quite as impressive as what the evening show seems to consist of judging by this video;

As you can see, these are very well trained horses, and the riders are exceptional. But even that aside, the arena is just beautiful with its chandeliers and pillars. Its within the hofburg buildings, and you do get the feeling of it being a show fit for a king (or emperor in this case). After this, we only had time for a quick final cafe lunch and then head back to the hotel to pick up cases.

It was a fantastic week, and one of the best holidays I've had. Most of that is due to Sophie, both because she was a great tour-guide and because it was so nice to see her after such a long time. Strangely the next time we meet will most likely be in Finland where she'll be visiting friends from Vienna. Also, must say thanks to Michael for being resident photographer for the week. It has to be said though that Vienna is a brilliant city with so much culture and history. 6 days really wasnt enough! I just hope it survives Euro 2008, hehe.