Vienna is full of gorgeous baroque architecture. We stayed with a lovely couple who we met in Yangshuo, China (thanks Silvia and Rudolf!). They were kind enough to take us under their wing and we got to experience more than just the tourist sights of Vienna. On our first night they took us to a traditional Viennese summer winery 'heurigen' with some of their family where we sampled the local wine and food. The outdoor garden was bustling with locals having a Sunday catch up and we felt fully immersed in the Austrian culture.

On our first day we managed to stumble across the final leg of a 1115 km bike race, Österreich Rundfahrt (similar to Tour de France), the annual film festival and jazz festival taking place in front of the town hall. We were pleasantly surprised to enjoy some rocking jazz in the home of classical music.

Highlights of our Austrian experience included listening to a baroque ensemble in the oldest church in Vienna and seeing our first harpsichord live, wandering the endless art galleries and beholding the extravagant palaces from the Hapsburg Empire.