 |
 |
| Day 14 |
 |
| Prisoner's Gate at Mauthausen |
| Schonbrunn Palace |
| Day 15 |
| For me the last day of the tour always produces conflicting mixtures of emotions -- I�m ready to go home but still not ready to leave here. So many unexpected things happened on this tour and even the energetic Rolinka finally looked tired. The local tour guide who was also Rolinka�s good friend led a walking tour of Vienna. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| One afternoon was not enough to see and experience the rest of Vienna. I wasn�t staying an extra day to sit at the caf� and people-watch. With a Lara bar and a bottle of water for lunch, I managed to squeeze in my schedule the National Library, Hofburg Treasury, Opera House tour and Stephansdom where I climbed its tower. Of course, I finished the afternoon with more gelato at Zanoni. Since I don�t have a good sense of direction, I did my dry run to find the bus stop for the airport, and the next morning I was glad I did that. |
| We had our last group dinner at the cozy Brezel-Gwolb restaurant. Rolinka read a poem which she had composed the night before in English to describe our last 15 days. We all have different memories of Rolinka. To me, she was the most caring, considerate, fun guide to travel with. Since I was traveling alone, she made sure I had a company to dine with or spend my free time. The group I traveled with was also great, and I never felt like I was a third leg. The entire group presented a beautiful pink sweater to Rolinka who had given us more than 100 percent of herself. She looked so �pretty in pink.� Whenever I see pink and blue, I think of Rolinka. |
| One rare moment in Salzburg -- our only group photo |
| National Library |
| Opera House |
| View of Vienna from Stephansdom Tower |
| Anchor Clock at Vienna's oldest square |
 |
| Leaving Hallstatt reluctantly, we stopped at somber Mauthausen, a Nazi concentration camp. It was the last camp to be liberated, and it was liberated by the U.S. military. Watching the movie, we asked ourselves how human beings could commit such atrocities. I walked down the �Stairs of Death� with sadness and disbelief. |
| We continued our tour to Vienna, stopping at the opulent Schonbrunn Palace, Austria�s rival to Versailles. |