What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0253

12601.  The soups on Viking cruises are great . . . and I’m not a (big) soup person;

12602.  There are McDonalds, Burger Kings, Starbucks and Subways in Vienna(, Austria);

12603.  There are a lot of hot dog/sausage stands in Vienna;

12604.  “Wien” is “Vienna” in German;

12605.  Austrians speak German;

12606.  “The Sound of Music” is not popular in Austria;

12607.  Austria is made of 9 provinces with Vienna as the capital;

12608.  Austria has a population of 9 million people;

12609.  The Spanish Riding School in Vienna is the home of the Lipizzaner stallions;

12610.  Lipizzaner stallions are born dark and turn white with age;

12611.  There are 74 (Lipizzaner) stallions in Vienna.  The stallions spend 3 weeks in the countryside and then 3 weeks in the city;

12612.  Lipizzaner stallions get 8 weeks of rest/vacation a year;

12613.  The Austrian National Library in the Hofburg Palace complex in Vienna is the largest library in Austria with more than 12 million items;

12614.  There are 9 public and 5 private universities in Vienna;

12615.  Vienna is big into café culture.  There are over 1,200 cafés in the city;

12616.  The Austrians seem to like their sweets;

12617.  At the Swarovski flagship store in Vienna (at Kärntner Straße 24, 1010 Wien, Austria), there’s complementary (Moët & Chandon) champagne, coffee and water on the top floor.  And the restrooms (in the basement) are free too;

12618.  Swarovski makes more than (just) jewelry and watches, they make tableware, glasses, decorative accessories, picture frames, ornaments and figurines too;