Vienna, Austria! (Austria travels part 2)

If you haven't yet, scroll down a bit and read my first blog about our first two days of traveling in Austria, which were spent in the great city of Salzburg. And now that you've read it, please continue reading about our visit to Vienna!

Well, Vienna was also a fantastic place to visit. We had so many experiences and wonderful nights spent walking around the city and sitting in cafes drinking yummy hot chocolate and eating delicious pastas and schnitzel. Our first night in Vienna we saw a performance of the Vienna Boys Choir, which was amazing! We filled our next couple days with more visits to residences of those famous composers we all know and love (especially Mozart). Both cities, Vienna and Salzburg, were ALL about Mozart. There were literally the famous Mozart balls (chocolate candies) for sale on every corner! Anyway, we also visited the Cemetary where many of the composers are actually buried. That was amazing. And we visited this little theme park, St. Stephan's Cathedral, and we went to the event the "Long Night of the Museums". This was where we paid the price for one ticket and got admission to over 90 museums located all throughout Vienna! We took advantage of that event, which only happens once or twice a year, and visited about five to ten museums total. And by the way, our trip to Austria was from September 30th to October 4th, so a significantly long time ago, but I'm just trying to give you a timeline here of my trips, once I get everything updated! Anyway, here are pictures of everything!


Our first lunch in Vienna. SO MUCH SCHNITZEL! I only ate about half of what was on my plate!


An awkward angle, but that was the Vienna Boys Choir!


St. Stephan's Cathedral at night.


And the Cathedral during the day!


We got to go inside, and it was gorgeous.


Another Mozart residence!


A shot of the Vienna streets.


Schubert's grave.


Brahms!


Me, Tavia, Jessica, and Vivi (Tim's daughter) by Mozarts memorial. His actual grave is unmarked, so no one knows where he really is.


Then this is me with Beethoven's actual grave. How crazy is that?


We then made our way to the Schloss Schonbrun, but it turns out that it was closed that night!


This was the huge palace in Vienna, one that Mozart even visited once for a couple months at one time.


We snuck a peek inside through the windows... and it was amazing.


Last look at the castle before we had to move on to other things. Someday I'll go back and actually tour it! There was also a labyrinth in the courtyards we wanted to see, too.




This was our room in the hostel in Vienna! Super comfy, and we had our own shower this time. Loved it.


Sooo... that was Vienna for you! I hope you got a great taste for the capital city of Austria. Both Salzburg and Vienna had so much history, especially where music is concerned. I actually have a crazy story of my last day in Austria that Sunday... alone... and stranded. When I get a chance I'll post another blog and tell you that story :) Now you have something to look forward to!

Salzburg, Austria!

I am very far behind in my blogging! It has been way too long, and I have two entire trips to update you all on and I'm leaving for another one tomorrow morning really early. So let me tell you what I've been up to! On Wednesday, September 30th, the Heidelberg group left for Austria. We planned to visit Salzburg and Vienna, and our first stop was in Salzburg for two days. We hopped off the train and arrived at our hostel at about 2:30 in the afternoon with plenty to do that day! Throughout our stay there, we visited three of Mozart's residences, the Schloss Hellbrun, saw the Salzburg Opera perform the Marriage of Figaro, and saw many of the Sound of Music sights! I was really excited about those! And now I'll show you pictures of it all :)


This is Mozart's Birthplace. We toured and got to see in most of the rooms where he actually lived!


This is at the Schloss Hellbrun (Castle Hellbrun). This place was built for the purpose of entertainment, and the King who built it had trick fountains installed to trick his guests that would visit him. This is a picture of some people from our group sitting at one of the original tables, with fountains coming up through every seat!


Me and one of the beautiful sights on the palace grounds.


Big lake in the palace gardens!


We found the Sound of Music gazebo on the palace grounds!!


I just love the green fields of Salzburg.


We took a horse-drawn carriage ride through old town Salzburg. Yes, it was beautiful!


Famous arches in the old town.


This is one of the fantastic fountains in one of the city squares, and it's actually in the Sound of Music as well!


I had a few minutes to hike up a little bit and get a view of the city rooftops :)


This is me in the Opera House! Not the best quality, but I was still there!


Salzburg's fortress at night. I didn't have a chance to go up and tour it, but that's for my next trip there, I guess!


This is my last picture in Salzburg at the train station, leaving for Vienna!



So to sum this up, I really enjoyed my time in Salzburg. Out of the two cities, this one was my absolute favorite. I was a little disappointed that I still had so much left to see in the city by the time I left, but hopefully that means I will get to return one day! Salzburg is a fantastic city, and if you ever have the opportunity, go to it!!