Today was a beautiful day in Vienna!  This city is breathtaking (probably because Austria is the second richest country in Europe.)  After a huge breakfast at our hotel, we met up with Manuela so she could take us to many different museums and buildings. One of these buildings was the Habsburg Palace where Maria Theresa lived and ruled.  The palace is accompanied by many other beautiful buildings and 20 different gardens, as you'll see in the pictures, and all of them together are referred to as Maria Theresa Square.  The square and the buildings are massive because all of Maria Theresa's servants and workers lived in them.  It was actually very beneficial to be her servant because it was a steady job, provided a home, and ensured security.  What a very small world because while we were here in the square we ran into a group of former bearcats that our professor Allison knows!  Yes, we chanted B-E-A-R....C-A-T-S in the middle of courtyard :)
Maria Theresa had 16 children! And almost all of her children were named Maria besides her two sons; Joseph II and Leopold II.  Maria Antoinette of France was Maria Theresa's most famous child who eventually became queen of France.
It was very busy today because tomorrow is a German Holiday, which also means all of the stores will be closed. 
We also went to Hero Square just like we did in Budapest.  There were only 2 major heroes but their statues were huge and very neat to look at.  The main hero in the square defeated Napoleon and you'll see a picture of his statue below.  Our last stop with Manuela was to St. Stephen's Square where the most prestigious and expensive shopping avenues are.  There was everything from Armani to Coach to Versace.  Needless to say, we went to a different part of town to eat lunch! 
After our time with Manuela was up she sent us off to the outside market closer to our hotel and that was my absolute favorite.  You would compare it to a farmer's market in America except WAY bigger and more diverse.  They had fresh fruit, fresh veggies, dried fruits, meats, cheeses, handmade goods, teapots, and more.  My favorite part was the end of the street which turned into an indian market which had everything you could think of from India.  I bought a huge elephant (I LOVE elephants) tapestry to hang on my wall at home along with a few other things.  Oh, and I've spent more in 6 hours in Vienna than I did in 4 days in Budapest so that's the only downfall. 

Talk to you soon!
Cassie