Flashback to October....we made it to Vienna.
The capital of Austria, and its cultural hub oozing theatres, music,and arts. There is no denying that the city is impressive with its grand architecture, palaces, manicured gardens, and delicious Schnitzel. The weather was not cooperative...raining down on us every so often, the fog following us over here from Prague. We made the best of it.
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| Hofburg |
Everyone says Vienna is a must see, and I would agree if I was a wealthy woman with endless theatre nights lined up, dressed in elegant gowns, enjoying upscale dinners. This is the kind of city Vienna strikes me as at first glance, though I am sure having a local student show us the ropes might have left a different impression.
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| Hofburg |
After a long day of walking around, the sun peaked through the clouds for an hour or so, and blessed us with her presence during our lunch at the Naschmarkt. Now this I enjoyed...a flea market for food if you so will. Endless stands selling all kinds of things: an abundance cheese; vinegar in every flavour; fresh, dried, and candied fruit; vegetables; farmed honey and much much more. The small restaurant stands one after another, each smelling better than the next. We had decided on sea food as they had some fresh mussels in that day, and I must say all three of us were content...very content.
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| Naschmarkt |
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| Jay and Lu feasting |
Another impressive sight in Vienna was Schloss Schönbrunn. This enormous castle with 1441 rooms was merely a summer residence for the famous Princess Sisi (Empress Elisabeth of Austria). I found out that she could be considered as one of the first to strictly follow diet fads, uncommon at the time in the 1800s, weighing in at only 110 lbs with a height at 5'8". She became obsessed with her physical appearance, fasting and exercising often, and even tossing the underskirts and petticoats so popular at the time for a more slender appearance. I guess some things never change.
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| Schloss Schönbrunn |
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| Exploring the gardens |
The castle grounds are home to the oldest Zoo in the world, which is pretty neat if you think about it. It was actually quite a unique experience roaming the extensive grounds with the fog hovering above the trees, quieter than usual I am sure. We stayed until night fell, pretty sure we got locked in the grounds as the only exit we could find was by jumping a fence. Rebels...
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| Gloriette |
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| View from Gloriette toward Castle and Vienna |
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| Gloriette at night |
All in all Vienna was a good time, even though I was disgruntled after the waiter brought us mushy pasta instead of Schnitzel, and the photo booth ate my money, and a coffee break would cost 20 euros. It is the company that made up for all that...
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| Vienna October 2013 |
