Vienna

After two cities with a pretty jam-packed sightseeing list, it was a bit of a relief to find that Vienna wasn't so breathtakingly busy for us. We arrived by train in the afternoon after another fairly long and nap-filled ride, and checked into our hostel around 2ish. Later that evening, after a nice and quick dinner in town, we went to the Musikverein to see the Vienna Mozart Orchestra perform. After all, what's The City of Music without a brilliant classical performance at a gorgeous concert hall?

Though they naturally played some pieces by Mozart, they also played a collection of pieces by Haydn and an encore finale by none other than Strauss (naturally, his most famous piece, An der schönen blauen Donau; or, in English, The Blue Danube). It was a beautiful and cultured evening, even if it did seem a bit geared toward tourists. But even with the entire orchestra dressed up in those silly looking Mozart headdresses and old-fashioned 18th century garb, the music performed was quite flawless. And who could be dissatisfied by the venue at which the concert was performed?

When we got back to the hostel, I decided to check out the bar scene and wound up having a pretty fun time meeting all sorts of different people, from London to Baltimore to Munich. In fact, the couple from Munich said they'd be at Oktoberfest as well, so we may very well see them again in a couple more weeks. Like the guys we met in Berlin who reappeared on our trip while in Prague, it's always a good thing when travellers can meet again. By the way, if you're wondering why I'm holding a water gun in the photo below, it's because our hostel's bar rewards all purchases of their 10€ for 4 Jäger Bomb deal with a fully loaded Super Soaker. Reluctant smiles on slightly soaked bar goers were followed by more Jäger Bomb purchases, which were then followed by an above average night with new friends.

The next day we set out to explore a bit of the city, which was fairly small and relatively unimpressive (maybe we just thought that because we had just visited two of the most interesting cities in Central Europe). Still, there were a handful of charming streets and impressive statues and structures to see and snap photos of.

When we had had our fill of downtown Vienna, we headed to Schönbrunn Castle. There wasn't a whole lot to impress us inside the castle (and photos weren't allowed), but the massive gardens outside, in what I suppose you'd call the backyard, were quite lovely and entertaining. Kinda makes me want a bigger backyard--or a backyard at all!

We found fantastic fountains and lookout points that loomed over the grounds, and a maze and labyrinth with a variety of fun things to do within each. It was clear that the grounds were well maintained, and were also frequented by appreciative locals looking for a peaceful place to perspire on an afternoon run. All in all, a nice surprise to an otherwise average day abroad.

One other funny thing happened when we returned to the city to explore the museum quarter. What is simply know as the Yellow Box is in fact a permanent little building that helps host various promotional activities and gives away free cold beverages to passersby. That particular evening was their first ever bull-riding event, and Joanie couldn't resist.

It was one of the girls at the Yellow Box who recommended the nearby Leopold Cafe for dinner, and although the service was a bit slow (perhaps standard for Europe?) we enjoyed the food and returned to thank the girl after dinner. She invited us to stay for a bit longer and have a free beer, so how could we resist?! Before we left, she gave us each an Austrian style t-shirt made to look like traditional attire, the latter of which the girls who worked there were wearing that day for the event. We thanked her and the others once again and decided instantly that these would be perfect to wear to Oktoberfest in a couple more weeks. Just tryin to blend in with the locals!

Next up: Budapest! Been looking forward to that city in particular for a while now. I'm very interested to learn more about where a large part of my ancestry can be traced back to, and also to meet my grandpa's cousin and wife. For now, I leave the reader with one of my favorite images captured during our brief time in Vienna. Gotta love those dirndls!