Vienna

Hello All!

Kelli and my trip is quickly coming to an end.  We are in our last city and greatly enjoying Budapest.  We also had an amazing time in Vienna.  We enjoyed the cities huge art presence and spent our time touring the cities many museums and taking advantage of 3 euro Oprea tickets!

Our first day in the city was very busy we started our day with a free walking tour of the city and had a lovely guide who gave us a much better understanding of the history of the city and country.  We learned about the Habsburg Dynasty and Vienna when it was the seat of power for most of Europe.  He also shared how Austria and Vienna fell to the Nazis during WWII and many other stories of the city and countries rich history.  After our tour Kelli and I decided to check out St. Stephen's Cathedral while the Cathedral inside was of course beautiful it was is the roof that makes this church so memorable.   We got a great view of its beauty from the top of its tallest tower as well as incredible views of the city!

After Exploring St. Stephens Kelli and I decided to race the sun and see if we could get to Vienna Hundertwasserhaus before it got dark.  The Hundertwasserhaus is a condominium in Vienna. It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and built in the 1980's. The novelty of the wavy, uneven floors, the roof covered with grass, large trees growing out of the rooms, and their branches out of windows attracts many visitors.  I found that if brings out many peoples inner child and wandering around the building is like an easter egg hunt with surprises around every corner. 

From the Hundertwasserhaus Kelli and I then headed back to our Hostel to get ready to go to the Staatsoper or State Opera house.  We decided to go tonight because the Opera playing was Hansel and Gretel and since the Opera was definitely sung in German we had a better chance of following the storyline.  The show was incredible and it was an amazing experience to get to see a show at the Viennese state opera! 

On our second day in Vienna we visited two museums, the Albertina and the Hofburg Palace Museum that had an exhibit on Empress Sisi and on the Royal Apartments.  The Albertina was amazing! The museum had an incredible exhibit that walked you through the different artistic movements from Monet to Picasso I appreciated how the museum gave you enough information to really get a grasp of the history without overwhelming like so many other museums. 

After the Albertina Kelli and I headed in to the Hofburg Complex to see the Sisi Exhibit and the Royal Apartments.  Sisi or Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie von Wittelsbach was wife of Francis József I. she was therefore Empress of Austria, Hungary and Queen of Bohemia. She was dubbed the most beautiful woman of her time and was much loved by her people.  It was interesting to learn more about the family that ruled in Vienna for so long and the exhibit and Royal Apartments were interesting to see.  

The next day in Vienna Kelli and I took a day trip to Salzburg.  Although it rained all day we still had a lovely time taking a rather speedy walk through the Mirabell Gardens where Sound of Music was filmed. We then headed off to Mozart's Birthplace and enjoyed the museum there.  

Kelli and I then headed for Hohensalzburg Castle.  This Fortress was first built in 1077 and was added to through the years. It is the largest fully preserved castle in Central Europe and offers incredible views of Salzburg as well as a look at how the famous mountain town began.

After the Hohensalzburg Castle Kelli and I spent time wandering the old town before deciding to rest our feet and dry out a bit in a cafe.  Once we had warmed back up a bit and were re-caffeinated we headed of to check out the inside of Salzburg Cathedral before finding some dinner and then heading back to Vienna.  

Back in Vienna for our fourth day in the city Kelli and I spent the morning at Kunsthistorisches Museum or Art History Museum.  We wandered through the many halls that were absolutely filled with incredible paintings by many famous painters.  Kelli and I then decided to head out to Schönbrunn Palace to wander around and explore the palaces gardens.  This palace was the Habsburg family's summer home and so the gardens are extensive Kelli and I wandered them for about an hour and still probably didn't see even half of the land that was set aside for Austria's Emperors.  

Our Final day in Vienna was spent at the famous Leopold Museum, packing, and visiting the Staatsoper.  The Leopold was incredible and like the Albertina so well done Kelli and I saw works by Klimt, Egon Schiele, Anton Kolig, Ferdinand Hodler, and Victor Hugo.  All the their works were incredible and it was cool to get to see each artist in depth.  I didn't take many pictures of this day but here is rather famous piece by Klimt.

That Night Kelli and I headed back to the opera house to see The Nutcracker Ballet! It was of course incredible and extremely well done. A perfect way to end our time in Vienna.

Cheers!

Meghan

“And then there is the most dangerous risk of all — the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” – Randy Komisar