Vienna Travel Diary

 

Oh Vienna, you beautiful thing. Vienna was the last stop on our interrailing adventure, and strolling around the main square with a fro-yo in hand was bliss after the bad weather I'd witnessed in other cities. I do maintain that weather completely determines the experience you have in a European city; a thunderstorm in Berlin had me doubting the place, whilst the sun in Prague twirled me head over heels. For me, Vienna had an Italian vibe; that laid back, artistic feel and the sight of hundreds of gelatos dotted all over the show.

 

The first stop on our tourist list was Belvedere gardens, from which I took the above photo, looking out over Vienna and a variety of hedges and fountains galore. This for me is definitely a must-see, as it leads you into a lovely spot for starting an Austrian exporation. Everyone I talked to before visiting made it sound as if Vienna was a huge city, but I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of need for public transport - there was definitely more distance to cover in Berlin. Other sights that I would consider to be worthwhile would be the Opera House and St Stephen's Cathedral, which is magnificent and haunting and completely towers over Vienna. You can practically see it from any point in the city!

 

Lunches were spent chilling in parks such as Stadtpark, although as a Philosophy student I would be intrigued by the Sigmund Freud Park if I ever went back. Vienna was the city in which I thought there was the most greenery; whilst Berlin was very much a London type area and Prague was more on the small city side, Vienna seemed more alive with nature and green space (perfect for grabbing an apple strudel and sitting on a picnic blanket for a couple of hours, especially since in the summer it gets pretty darn hot outside.) Obviously food-wise, if you go to Austria then you need to sample schnitzel, but for those of us that are veggie or considering it, a more fitting delicacy would be Sachertorte; I'm talking a big rich slice of chocolate cake with chocolate cream. Yeah boi. 

 

Another (possibly not as well known) part of the city that I would recommend to anyone visiting would be the markets, which I think you would find if you headed for the Secession building (there's a massive gold ball on the top of it, you really couldn't miss it if you tried). Walking through the markets is a food lovers dream, let me tell ya. The treats look amazing, and if you time it right you could walk through the stalls and receive sample after sample, I'm talking falafel, fruits, and pastries to the max. It's also maybe the most colourful place to visit in the whole of Vienna, and a great place to pick up souvenirs - I'm not ashamed to admit that me and my Mum bought wooden-spoon-people for just about anyone that we could think of.

 

 

There's a lot to Vienna that I didn't even touch on with the time I had, but when it gets to the end of a tiring trip and there's a pool at the hotel...one thing just leads to another and suddenly you're a sunbed potato. Although Prague will always be my favourite, Vienna came in close second and I would 100% consider going back there someday to see the artsy side to it that I didn't get to see.

 

Have you ever been to Vienna?