Vienna

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Vienna didn't really interest me much, and the main reason I went this past weekend was as a stopover for Budapest. In the end I was justified in it not interesting me much, but I'm still glad I've seen it. I arrived with a whopping 8 other people on Friday morning from an overnight train which wasn't too bad, but I was staying at a different place and I was the only one who made our planned rendezvous, so I was by myself for the whole time in Vienna.

The first day I mostly walked around and inside the ring, where most of Vienna's old buildings and attractions are. I have a feeling that going inside the buildings would have been cool but I'm cheap and short on time. There's a huge church in the middle of the ring, Stephensdom, but the entire top half of the spire was covered in scaffolding. I forked out 4 euros for a ride up an elevator to the top of a different tower at about roof height, so I only had a half-view of the city, and I felt like I didn't earn it since I didn't have to walk up. Some other cool places around the ring are the Rathaus, the Opera House, and the Hofburg Palace. I'm not sure of the boundaries of the palace, but the whole area is a collective of huge old buildings with passage ways and parks between them.

The next morning I went to the Schloss Schönbrunn, which at first worried me as I walked up and saw the massive amount of tourist buses. I was also expecting to get hit with an entrance fee but was pleasantly surprised when I wasn't. The place is best described as a massive gardens, but there's also a palace which can be toured for a fee. The palace overlooks a huge flat area with gardens and walkways followed by a fountain and a hill with an interesting building on top. I walked up the hill for a great view of the city and then I walked around the other areas of the gardens which were much more empty and peaceful. The areas off the main drag are a great place for a scenic walk with an occasional fountain or garden. This is my new favorite spot in Vienna.

After I left the gardens I was off to Budapest.

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Photos

Park at the palace
I believe this is at the palace area, but there were lots of nice but small parks inside the ring.

Schloss Schönbrunn
The main area of the Schloss Schönbrunn viewed through the fountain.

Forest Stroll
The look of the Schloss Schönbrunn outside of the main area.