I was going to stay home and study for midterms. But then, my midterms all ended up being a week earlier (and I stayed home and studied for those). So, Laura and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to take a trip to Vienna!
First lesson learned: Parts of Europe that are not Italy get COLD even in the second week of October.
Second lesson learned: The right hostel is super cool and convenient and in the best place to explore the city!
Third lesson learned: Public transport everywhere that isn't Italy is fabulous. and easy.
I arrived in Vienna Friday and attempted to navigate public transportation by myself to our hostel. It was surprisingly easy and you'll all be happy to know I made it there even more quickly than expected! After grabbing a quick lunch nearby where I had the world's largest bowl of miso soup, we set off to explore the downtown areas of the city. We just happened to end up in the shopping district...so of course we needed to take time to browse the shops. (Don't worry mom the only think I bought was a pair of gloves!). But really, it was so pretty!
First lesson learned: Parts of Europe that are not Italy get COLD even in the second week of October.
Second lesson learned: The right hostel is super cool and convenient and in the best place to explore the city!
Third lesson learned: Public transport everywhere that isn't Italy is fabulous. and easy.
I arrived in Vienna Friday and attempted to navigate public transportation by myself to our hostel. It was surprisingly easy and you'll all be happy to know I made it there even more quickly than expected! After grabbing a quick lunch nearby where I had the world's largest bowl of miso soup, we set off to explore the downtown areas of the city. We just happened to end up in the shopping district...so of course we needed to take time to browse the shops. (Don't worry mom the only think I bought was a pair of gloves!). But really, it was so pretty!
After, we headed to the Museum quarter and while we didn't go in, we saw all of the restaurants, clubs and activities that were outside of them. We kept walking and ended up at the Hofburg Palace, which is in the center of town and of many important buildings. We sat under a statue and just enjoyed a beautiful Vienna night. Later, this club of roller skaters and bicyclists kept showing up and had all of their gear decorated in crazy glowing patterns– we didn't stay but they looked like they were having a really cool night event.
Day 2
On our second day, we woke up bright and early to see the city. The first stop right outside our hotel was the Naschmarket, which was a giant market that sold basically everything we could have desired from ice cream to lightbulbs. We were looking for breakfast and I eventually found a heavenly apply donut that I forgot to take a photo of. There were tshirts, souvenirs, jackets, and even mini flea markets in this huge market!
Then we made our way to the Hapsburg summer palace that is in Vienna, called Schlob Schonnburn. I'm obsessed with Marie Antionette, and the fact that this was her childhood home was so exciting!! It's supposedly the second most ornately decorated palace after Versailles, and it really didn't dissapoint. The Hapsburgs found a different and creative way to be decorative in every room, including rooms with items for conquests in Turkey. In total, we saw 40 rooms each more beautiful than the next! Sadly, I couldn't take any photos inside :(
Then we made our way to the Hapsburg summer palace that is in Vienna, called Schlob Schonnburn. I'm obsessed with Marie Antionette, and the fact that this was her childhood home was so exciting!! It's supposedly the second most ornately decorated palace after Versailles, and it really didn't dissapoint. The Hapsburgs found a different and creative way to be decorative in every room, including rooms with items for conquests in Turkey. In total, we saw 40 rooms each more beautiful than the next! Sadly, I couldn't take any photos inside :(
It was a cloudy/ rainy day so after lunch we watched an apple strudel making show which was really interesting to see how it's made. My favorite part was that they stretch the dough so its so thin you can see through it! While it was something I could never replicate at home, the actual strudel was amazingly delicious and warm and magical. As part of the package, you were given a piece to eat during the show!
We also went to the Gloriette, which Maria Theresa had built on the top of a hill on the estate where you could see all of Vienna. Sadly we missed opening times by a few minutes and couldn't go in the Gloriette or the giant maze, but we did see the incredible views!
I was also REALLY excited to find *fall* on the palace grounds, it's still nice and warm here in Rome!
Day 3
On our last day in Vienna, we went back downtown to explore all of the sights of the old town including the main church. We also saw Mozart's House and the Opera house (both pictured below!) It was super cold so some Starbucks Coffee was necessary, but we saw all of the old city sites. We also took a trip to the Danube River, which was not nearly as pretty as we had expected!
Finally, I ended the weekend in the best fashion: An entire row to myself on the plane!!
Ciao,
Alyssa
Ciao,
Alyssa