I still hate opera, but they really know how to do it here in Vienna

Today was great. Got a good night of sleep last night and woke up bright-eyed and bushy tailed with a big day of sightseeing ahead of us. Today we had planned to take a Segway tour around the city; then do whatever Rick Steves told us to do.

The Segways were a blast. We rode around the old town and saw, albeit briefly, all the major sights from the outside: the Opera House, the Hofburg Palace, the Austrian Parliament building, the Vienna City Hall, St. Stephen's Cathedral, St. Charles' Cathedral, StadtPark, you name it.

The one drawback about Segway touring is that you can't stop for more than a couple minutes and really don't have the time to soak in the sight at which you're gawking. The one cool thing about Segway touring is all the people looking at you like you're riding on some device from space. So, after our tour, we set out to tackle all of Rick's "Three Triangle" sights in Vienna. First up was the Hofburg Palace. Let me tell you: those Habsburgs knew how to build a palace. This place rivals the Louvre in size and the royal apartments were spectacular. We also saw the Imperial Treasury; home to some of the most amazing pieces of royal accoutrement I've ever seen. Among these were the coronation mantle of the Holy Roman Empire, woven in 1100AD. Simply amazing stuff.

After the Hofburg, we enjoyed a grilled sausage from a street vendor and went over to the Opera House to check on the tour schedule. As luck (or unluck) would have it, there was a performance of Verdi's "La Traviata" tonight. Rick mentioned that the smart tourist will buy their tickets in the standing room only section for EUR3 per person. That's what we did and when the curtain went up, the set was simply amazing. I really hate opera, though, and Angela and I decided to pack it in after 30 minutes. It didn't help that our seats were literally at the top of the theater and therefore as hot as hell. I am not a convert to Opera, but at least I can appreciate the effort that goes in to staging a performance.

We returned to the hotel via the tram that follows the "Ringstrasse" around the old town and had an awesome gyro (called a "Durum" here) wrap and gelato for dinner. Not sure what we'll do tomorrow, but it probably involves some shopping.