Blogs from Austria, Europe - page 245

Today was our last day in Vienna. We started by taking the U2 to Karlsplatz, where we transferred to the U4 to Hietzing, which lies on the outskirts of the Schonbrunn Palace area. After walking through the Hietzing Gate we came to the Palmhaus. The Palmhaus is the largest and last remaining palm house of its kind in Europe and houses flora from every continent. I became quite enamoured with a turtle inside who seemed to pose for the pictures I was taking of him. After the Palmhaus we strolled closer to the Schonbrunn Palace and walked up the winding roads to the Gloriette, a building that was commissioned by Emperor Joseph and Empress Maria Theresia in 1775. We chose not to pay the admission to go inside because the building does not look like ... read more

Another beautiful day in Vienna... we really have been lucky with the weather so far. We started off this morning at the Spanish Riding School, home of the Lippanzer Stallions. We watched the morning exercise, which basically consists of two hours of watching the horses run and trot in circles. It was a bit monotonous, but the horses are beautiful so we stayed the whole time. They offer a Gala Performance on certain nights, but the price is rather high and the seats sell out quickly, so the exercise is a cheaper alternative. After the riding school we went to the Natural History Museum (the KHM) because we had free tickets. The museum was pretty much like every other history museum I've been to, so I wasn't too impressed with anything there. However, since it ... read more

Vienna was something of a down-tempo jump after the insanity of Prague. I struggled to find a bar with live music, let alone a CD track. Vienna is a city of culture, music and beautiful beautiful buildings. Leaving Prague was a tough one. It had been the best time of my travels so far - many friends, many beers and many nights out. I had been itching for a back-to-back nights out since Amsterdam, and Prague sated my appetite. But Vienna. Stepping from the train and being hopelessly lost (despite being within two hundred metres of the chosen hostel), did not bode well and the hostel, Wombats Hostel Vienna, was akin to an Argos store of backpackers. With not much to do in the city night-wise, no wonder the hostel bar (with free pool.... muwhahaha, ... read more

Orient ExpressJoschka BischoffIch muss mich kurz fassen, in drei Minuten is mein Internet Kontigent alle. Hostel hier ist ganz okay, auch wenn sie fuer alles Extra Geld haben wollen :( Wetter ist grandios und Fahrradverleih kostenlos, also sparte ich mir die Tageskarte. Dann ging es zum Stephansdom, in den Volksgarten, Spanische Reiterei, Prater (war nicht oben - Riesenrad ohne jemand zu kuessen is doof), Schoenbrunn. Cooler, billiger Tag :) Zeit ist um. xxx bis bald. ... read more

This is my first official day in Vienna and I am operating on about 2 hours of sleep over the past two days so I will keep this first entry short. Our flights were pretty uneventful. I did get an empty seat next to me on the long flight (Austrian Air) so I could stretch out a bit. Unfortunately that little perk did not help me get any sleep...instead I opened my eyes to find the woman who was seated two seats down from me with her head practically in my lap. After struggling to reclaim my extra leg room, she ended up laying down on the floor to try and sleep (which was quite entertaining to watch, right up until the flight attendant scolded her for doing it). When we arrived it was about ... read more