Travel Tuesday - Austria

It's time for the second Travel Tuesday post! I'm so glad you all enjoyed reading about Hungary and were sharing it with friends who also plan to travel there. You should all seriously go if you get the chance. Today will be all about Austria so let's get started.


To get to Austria I took a fairly long bus ride. The reason it was so long was because one of the girls kept getting sick so we were stopping every so often to let her get off and puke or do whatever she needed to do. I get it, sometimes things happens and you can't control it but I'm that person who gets from point A to point B as soon as possible with stops only for gas or something along those lines.

Due to this we were running a bit late and arrived at our hotel in Vienna for a quick check in because we had an opera/concert to attend! We had about fifteen minutes to get ready so it was a mad dash for everyone. I mean, we all wanted to look nice but we had spent a majority of our day on a bus so without a shower it was a bit difficult but everyone managed. The Vienna Philharmonic was absolutely wonderful! I recognized all of the music they played and we were treated to opera singers, dancing, and just an all around wonderful time. Even if you are not a musician I am certain you would be able to appreciate it all.

Here is the Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church) which I recommend everyone go to at night because it has a reflecting pool and it's seriously crystal clear!

Schönbrunn Palace from the outside but mind you it is so much bigger than just this one shot!

One of the fountains at the end of Schönbrunn Palace's gardens.

Go behind the fountain and you get this view of Schönbrunn Palace!

Head up a very winding hill and you get to see the other part of Schönbrunn Palace that is set on top of a hill with a beautiful view.

Hundertwasserhaus was created to be different because the architect believed people needed windows, colors, and unevenness in order to break the mold.

Do you need some Monet in your life? I did. 

Ok I won't spam you with Monet paintings but honestly go visit Albertina if you get a chance!

The giant Ferris Wheel! Better known as Wiener Riesenrad.

The view of the city from the top. There was so much to see.

Some of these pictures will look familiar seeing as I posted them on Instagram but if you don't follow me there you get to see some now! (:

I must say the Schönbrunn Palace is amazing. Sadly I didn't have a ton of time there because there is just so much to do but you need to see it. The tour of the palace is fantastic and thankfully the guide I had was very knowledgeable. The rooms are immaculate and very well preserved. They have plastic panels covering different walls so people don't touch them, which is very smart to help preserve them. There are wonderful statues, paintings, and designs all around. You truly get a feel for how they were living back when there was still royalty ruling the nation. 

Outside of the Schönbrunn Palace is the gardens, which are massive! They have a zoo in there along with a maze so you can get yourself lost. Then there's the gorgeous fountain statue that you can see above. I legitimately had 10 minutes until I had to get back to the bus and had only just reached the fountains. The guide had said it would take 5 minutes to get from the gardens to the bus meaning I only had 5 minutes to do any extra exploration. I knew the other part of the palace was set on the hill and was a good distance away. I probably should have started to make my way back to the bus but of course I didn't! I booked it up to the top of a long and winding hill, asked a bunch of strangers to take my photo with the gorgeous view I had as my backdrop once I reached the top, and then raced back down the hill. I'm sure I looked a bit crazy running down this terrible incline that people were struggling to even climb up but I made it onto the bus without a moment to spare because it started to take off once I was through the doors. No joke. It was worth it though.

Hundertwasserhaus is an interesting little area because the architect didn't want anything to be structurally the same as its surroundings. The floors are uneven, there are different colors everywhere, and there's even a room in the apartment complex that is just for a tree! It is of course growing out of the window because it is so large at this point in time. The view is such an interesting sight to behold because it truly does just break the mold and stand out compared to all of the buildings around it. It's something to see while you're there and go into just to explore.

Do you need some art in your life? I did so I visited Albertina which had some Monet paintings on display as well as many other artists. The atmosphere was very quiet and respectful as soon as I stepped inside. Security had me check my backpack into a locker and can I just say I was pleasantly surprised when the locker didn't require me to pay for it. Also the locker was very nice because it was electronic and I set my own security code so that made me feel a bit better as well. Walking around the museum was great because most of the paintings were rich with history and the blurbs that were placed next to them held so much meaning. I spent a lot of time looking around and taking in the wonderful pieces that others had created.

Everyone has talked about the Ferris Wheel so I made my way there to ride it! I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie so the Ferris Wheel wasn't that amazing to me. Don't get me wrong, the view from the top is gorgeous just to see the city but compared to say the London Eye or the High Roller in Vegas it isn't that tall. There were some special booths on it that were set up for a very fancy dinner or even for what I would consider a possible engagement so that was fun to see. The Ferris Wheel is set up where a theme park is and if I had more time I probably would have bought a ticket or pass just to ride all of the other rides!

Must see list:

• Karlskirche 
• Schönbrunn Palace
• Vienna Philharmonic
• Albertina (art museum)
• Hundertwasserhaus (It's just so different!)

Have any of you been to Vienna or are you planning to visit? Let me know in the comments because I'd love to know what you did or are planning to do. I know I want to spend more time in the city!