Did you know that Vienna means beautiful in german? You probably don't because that is bulls*** and has not an ounce of truth about it. However for us, Vienna meant a truly amazing five days.
Our hostel, the "Do Step Inn" was not only a clever pun, but also a great place to stay. The facilities were very clean and it was nice to not have a suprise waiting for you in the toilet as we have been accustomed to. There was a lack of bed bugs and fleas which made sleeping a bit boring but that is the only complaint we had.
Our first night we had a "walk and fork" tour, which was the best value we have had since two girls for the price of one in Amsterdam. For €21 (A$28) we got a 3 hour walking tour of Vienna followed by dinner at a famous schnitzel house. Dinner included a schnitzel with salad or fries, apple strudel, a beer and a shot of Viennese hazelnut schnapps. It was without doubt the best meal of our trip so far and the schnapps was memorable.
Vienna has, in our opinion, the best food market on planet earth. We spent a lot of time and money at Naschmarkt, which was much appreciated by our tastebuds. The market is littered with fruit & vegies, deli's, nuts & dried fruit, bakeries, butchers, fishmongers and the best kebabs in the world. You cannot buy items of such quality anywhere outside of the red light district in Amsterdam.
I am reluctant to tell you that we are now in the Police records in Vienna. We were minding our own business in Stadtpark when we were approached by two police officers. The two men asked for ID and took down our details and where we were staying. We were a bit confused untill we saw them and two other officers leading off a criminal in handcuffs a bit later. It was lucky they didn't find the exotic creatures in our backpack that we were illegally transporting.
Austria is in fact the homeland of old mate Joseph Fritzl. For those of you who have been living in a cave for the past few years, Joseph kept his daughter Elizabeth locked in his basement for a few decades and had numerous children with her. In honour of this man, I feel obliged to share with you some of the finest Fritzl jokes.
Have you heard about Joseph's upcoming autobiography? It is going to be a best cellar.
What is the population of Austria?
About twice what you think.
Elizabeths Diary
MONDAY- Stayed in
TUESDAY- Stayed in
WEDNESDAY- Stayed in
THURSDAY- Stayed in
FRIDAY- Dad popped in
For legal reasons I must state that neither I or Mat endorse or participate in behaviour of this nature.
In all seriousness Vienna is probably the most beautiful place so far. It is hard to separate Vienna from Prague, but Vienna definitely has the upper hand in terms of architecture. The palaces are spectacular, with Belvedere and Schonbrunn our personal favourites.
Schronbrunn is without doubt the most amazing tourist attraction we have seen. It is set on land that must be at least 500 acres, on which every square metre is nature at is finest. The palace is massive, and there are two huge water features as well. Sitting on top of the hill is a restaurant and more spectacular architecture. From the hill we got a great view of Vienna and the palace. We also rediscovered our inner child as we tackled the hedge maze. The best zoo in Europe is also housed on this land. The highlight of the Schonbrunn for us was actually on our walk down the hill. We took the long way down through the forest, and decided to take a break in a clearing. For the next hour we were feeding birds and squirrels, having a lot of fun. The little birds were landing on our hands and staying there, while squirrels jumped up on our seat and were sitting next to us. One squirrel even sat on our laps.
During the middle of our stay it was 30 degrees for two successive days, which was very hot. To combat the heat we headed to the river Donau (Danube) for the day. There is an area called "Copa Cagrana" which consists of heaps of bars and restaraunts along the river. At our chosen bar, "virus bar", they had put sand all along the river bank and customers lounged on deck chairs whilst being served. If we got too hot all we had to do was get up, walk 10 steps, and jump into the river. If we wanted to see naked people all we had to do was look around, as a few people seemed to have the opinion clothes were unneeded baggage.
Coffee shops are very much a part of Viennese culture, and from our experience we can see why. The buildings are very grand and all waiters must wear suits. Our Viennese iced chocolate and apple strudel with vanilla sauce was an experience that cannot be put into words.
I am actually one quarter Austrian and I got to see the building where my Grandma lived as a child, an opportunity I was very grateful for.
Today we have a scenic bus trip to Salzburg, an Austrian town in the mountains. After all our hot weather it will be hard to cope with near freezing temperatures at night.