June 22, 2009

FORT WORTH, Texas - After an exciting three days in Slovenia, the TCU Volleyball headed to Vienna, Austria for another day of fun and volleyball.

Day 7: Vienna
Upon our arrival in Vienna, we visited a beautiful palace where we spent a couple hours exploring the grounds, which were filled with several fountains, countless statues, amazing flowers and a zoo. The team split off into groups to enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride through the palace grounds. As it began to sprinkle, we enjoyed the view of the grounds from the comfort of our covered carriage. Following the ride we were able to walk around and revisit our favorite spots.

Next we took the metro downtown. Being the third city we've been to with the public transportation as the primary way to move about we have become experts on the quick entrance and exit from the cars, which only stop briefly at each stop. When we arrived downtown we entered a gorgeous cathedral that had a live mass going on in the native language, German. Witnessing this ceremonial practice made the church experience more memorable.

After that we got free time in the city, which we used to shop and eat. The streets were lined with souvenir shops, high-end stores and street performers. We got to see a break dancing crew along with other talented performers.

We called it an early night due to the chilly evening weather and scattered showers. Upon arriving back at the hotel we each spent the last of our Euros on phone calls home to our parents.

From here, we will head to Prague for the final leg of our journey.