Vienna, in one word, is elegant. Picture a tall, blonde haired, blued eyed ballerina walking gracefully through a rose garden in the summer sunshine, with a wrinkle-free tutu and hair slicked back (with zero “fly-aways”) to perfection. That ballerina = Vienna.
The buildings are sky-high, well manicured and painted in beautiful pastel tones — yellows, pinks, greens and white. They demand attention with their detailing and fancy buttresses. We could have stared at those buildings for days, clicking away on our cameras.
You get the picture, right?
When we stepped off the train from Prague to Vienna, we had no idea what to expect. In the first five minutes of our walk to our apartment, we stumbled upon the Belvedere Palace and gardens. This was probably our favorite experience in our two-day tour of Vienna; maybe because this was our first stop, but also because the grounds are absolutely breathtaking.
The Belvedere Palace is separated by manicured flowers, fountains and Austrian artwork (paintings and sculptures alike). There is the upper palace which greets you at the entrance, and the lower palace which is where day-to-day activities took place in the late 1800s/early 1900s.
The Belvedere Palace was just a taste of Vienna’s opulence. On our second day, we visited the Schönbrunn Palace, which made the Belvedere look like the Austrian royalty’s cozy apartment in the city. Schönbrunn’s rooms hosted dignitaries and celebrities alike, from Mozart to Kennedy. It was also the childhood home of Marie Antoinette (“Let the eat cake!”) before her arranged marriage took her to France.
Schönbrunn’s walls also boast remarkable gardens that stretch for miles, a full zoo (lions, tigers and bears), and the Gloriana. The Gloriana is a massive structure that overlooks the castle grounds – once you survive the hike to the top of the mountain that it rests on – you are rewarded with a view of the entire city. We were extremely blessed with sunshine and cloudless skies; so our experience at Schönbrunn was even more angelic and memorable.
We even had time to squeeze in a run throughout the Belvedere gardens and a picnic in Stadtpark, before attending a four-string classical concert at St. Charles, located in the heart of the city.
For one hour, the sounds of Mozart, Haden and Beethoven filled the ancient church walls with melodies we will not soon forget. It was only appropriate that we had the opportunity to attend a classical concert in Vienna, home to some of the World’s most incredible classical concert venues, including the Vienna Philharmonic.
After the concert we stopped by a local brewery for a taste of Austrian schnitzel and some Pilsner. It was a delicious close to our time in Vienna!
We are currently moving Southeast to our final stop in Europe; a city with Gothic inspired architecture, famed baths and a rowdy nightlife. Budapest, Hungary…we can’t wait to see what you’re all about.
-Two for Takeoff
Sounds like Vienna was awesome! Can’t wait to hear about Budapest. Brian loved his month there riding around in the ambulance.
More pictures, please!
Elegant observations, Maggie May. Very entertaining writing. Keep up the good work, and have fun.
(Have you used all your headbands at least once? )