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Day 10: Vienna.
Another long day of sightseeing in a city that has me in two minds (I shall explain why towards the end of today's blog).
Today I woke up to the unwelcome sound of heavy rain outside my window. Luckily by the time I was ready to leave the hostel it has stopped and the weather was now quite mild. I decided to start my day by visiting Austria's imperial palace, just outside the centre of Vienna. Because the palace was so large and unlike any that I have come across so far I decided to take a tour. For just under 15 euros I got a very in depth tour of 40 of the (2000) palace rooms with an audio guide, as well as entry into the palace grounds. Throughout the tour I learnt about the Hapsburg royal family and one of their most famous members Marie Therese (Marie Antoinette's mother). After the tour of the palace I wondered around the grounds, getting lost in the mazes, and seeing the view from the Coliette. After almost three hours at the palace I decided to head back into the centre for some food. I managed to find a cute little Viennese restaurant near the river where I had a fantastic meal of beef goulash with dumplings and a very random fried egg.
After filling up on one of my favourite meals so far I headed over to the Reisengrad (the giant ferris wheel). The wheel, which is unique to Vienna, is over 200 feet high and has carriages made out of wood. The ride only lasted about 15 minutes, but was worth paying for to see the view of the city (and also to join all the tourists before me and sign my name on the inside of my carriage). After seeing the city from above (and leaving my small mark on Vienna) I headed back to explore it more closely. I made my way over to Vienna's main cathedral and to see Mozart's house (both of which just from the outside as I had already spent too much in the city. By now I was quite tired so I found a little cafe for a coffee and truffle torte (yum). Unfortunately by the time I had finished the weather had turned very grey and cold so I decided to call it a day and head back to the hostel. Ten minutes after I got back a torrential downpour started with a bit of thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure.
So there you have my final day in Vienna. Now to explain why I am in two minds about the city. I came to Vienna with images of grandeur, history and culture in mind. Although these things are prominent in the palaces, the Spanish Riding School, all the museums (basically all the tourist attractions), the city itself is quite underwhelming. There are building works everywhere, the streets are quite dirty, and even though the city has so much history there are far too many modern shops and buildings that simply don't fit in with the historical surroundings. I still had a good time in Vienna, and the imperial palace and riding school are worth visiting, but it's definitely not going to top my list of favourite cities. On that note, tomorrow it's time to move on again.
Watch this space.
Lois x
- comments
Momma bear Well, the tourist sites seemed worth it and you do like to learn of the history and the food, well, the cakes must definitely be worth it. I remember feeling dissapointed with Madrid. Louise really loved it - but i didn't - sometimes places just do not live up to expectations, but you have so many wonderful countries and cities left which i can't wait to hear about - not so late this time - just couldn't wait up any longer for this blog - had to go to bed!!