Vienna, Austria

"Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly."

- Frederic Chopin

Vienna is a four and a half hour bus ride from Prague! Zack and I headed over to the train station at 6 am, and got into the city center around 11. We rode here on a Flixbus, which was a double decker bus! Since we were the first people in line to get on the bus, we got our first choice of seats, and sat on the top in the first row! (This has always been a dream of mine!) The ride took us through the mountains and countryside, and we got to see the sun rise. The views were breathtaking, and definitely worth the early morning. We had a full 12 hours in the city, and had an amazing time! Despite a few early afternoon drizzles, the rest of the day was full of sunshine, and we hit every top tourist spot in the city!

First stop, Schönbrunn Palace!

Schönbrunn Palace, meaning "beautiful spring," was a summer estate ruled by the Habsburg monarchs. This imperial palace was built using Baroque influences in the 15th and 16th century. Maria Theresa, the first woman to rule the Holy Roman Empire, lived in this palace in the 1740s. Maria Theresa fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and The Seven Years War. She had many educational and financial reforms. However, many history books leave out her lack of religious tolerance. In our Jewish Prague class this semester, we learned that she was actually very anti-semetic and kicked many Jews out of European cities during her rein. Prague's Jewish Quarter was completely exiled during this time period. She gave birth here to the future Emperor, Franz Joseph, who was much more tolerant, and fought to protect other religions.

The Schönbrunn Palace was breathtaking, and we got an audio tour inside! We didn't realize how big the palace was, and ended up spending a few hours exploring and learning about Austrian history! The palace has a huge garden with many fountains, which we walked around for a while. We were lucky to come on a Tuesday, as it is Vienna's biggest tourist attraction. It was very peaceful, and we didn't have to wait in any lines!

The inside of the palace was beautiful! I loved all of the painted murals and chandeliers!

There were also many portraits of Maria Theresa's family, as she had 16 children.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I found these on the official database and wanted to share so you can get a general idea!

Neptune Fountains

These ducks know all the fanciest fountains to swim in!

Obelisk Fountain

A walk through the gardens

On our way to St. Stephen's Cathedral, we stopped for lunch to get some Schnitzel!

The most important and famous cathedral in Vienna, St. Stephen's Cathedral. Mozart and Vivaldi both had their funerals here, and Beethoven used to perform in this cathedral. Built in 1160, it has Romanesque and Gothic styling.

Hundreds of prayer candles lit

Check out that church organ!

The mosaics on the roof shone from the recent rain, breathtaking!

Belvedere Palace, built in 1697 for another summer palace for the Habsburg dynasty. (I swear, these guys were like the Kardashians of The Holy Roman Empire...) We didn't pay to go inside here, but enjoyed walking around the gardens.

We were slightly confused as to what the deal was with the giant animal heads everywhere, but I was excited to see a pig!!

The Hofburg Palace, the former imperial palace in Vienna, built in the 13th century.

(In case you didn't think Vienna was already the city of Palaces)

Modern potato sack art in the central park?

The Kunsthistorisches Museum, an art museum in Vienna

Finished off the day at a traditional Vienna coffee house! We had cappuccinos and cake! We had such a full day, getting back into Prague at 3 AM, but it was so worth it! We were able to see everything on our bucket list for the city, and Zack had always dreamed of going to Austria! I actually surprised him with the bus tickets. It's the least I could do with him traveling across the world to see me and all.. What an amazing day!