Vienna

Vienna was another lovely city. I’m batting 4 for 4 on city choices (and I have no doubt Budapest will be just as good). I made it to my hostel without a problem – this one was also very nice but huge so it wasn’t quite as easy to meet people. I did have two boys from Scotland and Northern Ireland in my room, though, so my ears were quite pleased. After settling in, I walked towards the city center, which was not far from my hostel. The city is so grand and impressive. Around every corner was another huge and ornate building. I looked in some of the stores and wandered around the market in the center. Of course, I had some delicious apple strudel (my main reason for visiting Vienna). There were tons of people dressed like they were from Mozart’s era selling tickets to performances. One kind of awkward guy talked to me for a while but he was unconvincing. As I was walking away, another more chipper guy approached me and took me on a hunt to find cheaper tickets. He found a guy who was willing to give up his commission to get me a cheaper ticket – nice deal for me. They were really sweet and funny and tried to convince me to give them English lessons after the show. Don’t worry, that never happened. I went back to the hostel to change for the show and trekked back into the city to find it. I sat next to some nice Americans and had a great conversation during intermission. The show was good – it featured music by Mozart and Strauss, an opera singer, and two ballet dancers. The music was great, but the opera and dancing were a little corny and not spectacular. It was a nice thing to see in Vienna though. I accidentally walked to the completely wrong side of the center while trying to get home. It turned out to be a blessing, though, because I walked around the outside of the center ring and saw all of the magnificent buildings and fountains lit up at night. Truly gorgeous.

This morning, the UK boys started talking way too early. I would have asked them to be quiet but I couldn’t bring myself to silence such an accent. I had breakfast at the hostel and checked out. I walked to the center again and wandered around a few new parts for a bit. Then I decided to take the metro to a palace and gardens a little outside of the center. As I was about to buy my metro ticket, a guy handed me his day pass and said he didn’t need it anymore. Lucky me! The palace was very pretty from the outside (I didn’t go in), but the gardens were spectacular. I’m afraid to say it but they were much better than the ones at Versailles when I saw them. All of the flowers were in perfect bloom, everything was perfectly trimmed, and the fountains were flowing. I walked up a big hill to a mini palace on top that had an amazing view of Vienna. My day consisted of walking to different parts of the gardens then sitting for a while to people watch. It was quite pleasant. Eventually, I headed back to the hostel to get ready to go. I had some extra time so I walked around Naschmarkt, a giant open-air market with food and some clothes.

Now I’m on a bus to Budapest. I’m so glad this is my last city transfer before flying home. I absolutely love traveling but it can be quite stressful alone and I’m ready for a bit of comfort. I’m pumped for my hostel in Budapest (it’s supposed to be incredibly social) and to explore my Hungarian roots (mostly while sitting in the bathhouses). On Monday, I’ll be on my way back to Boston!!