VIENNA, AUSTRIA

I would like to start by saying that Vienna is not boring. Numerous people we met in Budapest warned us that there is not much going on in this city, after 3 days there, I would like to say that they just didn't know where to look. 

Aubrey Anne and I arrived by bus on Monday afternoon and found out that Vienna is a large city. When ever I used to think of Vienna, I pictured large white mansions with gravel gardens and carriages (which is exactly what the Museum section looks like!), but the first thing we had to do here was figure out the subway system. The subway stop for our hostel was under some serious construction, and throughout our time there we never once came out of the same exit onto the same street. This made it especially confusing to find the front door of our hostel which was actually a block around the corner from the sign, and involved extra walking with our heavy backpacks.

Lucky, my friend April had arrived in Vienna earlier that day and scoped out the scene. We handed the reigns over without struggle, and basically followed April's lead for many successful days. On the agenda for the day was going to the Prater to ride the Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna. The wheel is the oldest in the world, and while it may not be the tallest, it is definitely not the most stable thing, and I was so nervous the whole time. I was somehow convinced to do the giant swings also, and we all went home for the evening with smiles literally frozen to our faces.

Day two brought us the Schönbrunn Palace, who's wealthy residence included Marie Antoinette and all of her sisters, and the famous Sisi, a queen and popular fairytale here. I was worried about it being expensive, but it was really fun! The grounds were beautiful and all of the trees were slowly changing into fall colors. I had a little problem finding my way out of the maze there, but with shouts from Aubrey Anne and April I found my way out... eventually.

All over the city there are statues of the famous composers who made their mark in Vienna, and I loved wandering in the parks and coming upon Strauss, Mozart, and the very hard to find, Beethoven. To warm up after the parks, we went to an authentic Viennitian coffee house even though none of us drink coffee. It was really cozy with it's gray-haired, seasoned pianist and the dark wooden couches upholstered with red velvet. I let my German skills get ahead of me though, and ordered a really gross cake with poppy seed paste that I mistook for chocolate. The Austrian accent is hard to understand!

Besides the cake, the food was great. I ate my first giant wiener schnitzel and it was way larger than my head, and we were old by British boys in Budapest that the "ham and eggs are wicked in Vienna", and they were. The last day April's train left early, so Aubrey Anne and I had time to arrive late to the Glockenspiel show, attend an organ concert in the oldest church site in Vienna for some culture, and find the best falafel and kebab place I have ever tasted.  Aubrey Anne went back to the hostel to plan for her further travels and I headed to the Belevidere, an old summer residence that has been turned into an art gallery that hold the largest collection of Gustov Klimt paintings. It was so incredibly hard to find the entrance into this place, and I ended up walking along a wall parallel to my destination for a good half hour. It was worth it, however, when I got to stand in front of one of my favorite paintings for just as long while tour groups passed around me and as I learned more about it than I ever could from the prints I own.

Our first night train left at 8PM, and after a minor freak out about the correctness of the station where we were waiting, Aubrey Anne and I were headed overnight in our Harry Potter like compartment with uncomfortable pull down mattresses to Venice.