Vienna: The Empire Strikes Back
Trip Start
Aug 18, 2011
1
21
45
Trip End
Jul 02, 2012
Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Monday, January 30, 2012
I stayed at a lovely hostel called the Believe It or Not Apartment Hostel. I don't usually mention hostels, but I wanted to mention this one because Lilly, the owner, did a fantastic job. The hostel was gorgeous. I honestly felt as if I was staying with a rich Viennese friend. It was really affordable too. Definitely check it out if you're planning a trip to Vienna.
On my first day I set out to see the Rathaus Park, the City Hall, the University of Vienna, the Burg Theater, the Austrian Parliament, the Votiv Kirche, the Pestuale statue, and the famous Stephansdom with it's beautiful tiled roof. I climbed to the top of the tower in the church and got a great view overlooking the city. Afterwards I took a break to try a famous Viennese cake called the Sachertorte at Cafe Diglas. It was fantastic! It's a layered chocolate cake with apricot jam coated on the outside of the cake. Just writing about it makes me want another one!
Next up I waked down the famous Kartners Strasse, a shopping street, the Statsoper (the main opera house), the Secession Building, the Hofburg Palace and the Burggarten and its greenhouse. I went inside the palace to see the Hapsburg crown jewels. They also had ceremonial items from other areas, including the Neteherlands, that were once under their rule. There's so much history behind the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Empire that it was a really fascinating museum to go through.
That night I went to a restaurant and ate some Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal that's fried) and an Apple Strudel. Both were fantastic!
I spent my last day in Vienna touring the Schloss Shonbrunn palace and seeing the Karlskirche, and Stadtpark before I had to catch my train to Budapest. I had a wonderful time in Vienna. I'll surely miss the wonderful food!
