Vienna, Austria

For me, Vienna was a very outwardly pretty but expensive looking town. I started my journey from Poland and landed in Austria. I was determined to see this city that claims to be one of the most beautiful cities out there and I was pleasantly blown away. There is so much to see in this place. There are castles, palaces, statues, horse carriages with actual horses, nightlife and a lot of what I call man-made appeal. 

Overall, Vienna is like Paris but who decided to give up drugs and is now sober for a year. The buildings are pastel and actually clean, unlike Paris. The cultural scene is vast and awesome if you are rich. I would say this was a complete opposite experience to my Auschwitz visit. All man-made and like a bride, waiting to be admired, Vienna waited to be gazed upon.

St Charles Church

This church has a beautiful lagoon blue top, like a lot of buildings in Vienna. It was constructed at the time of the plague by Emperor Charles. It features Baroque style architecture. The pillar carvings tell stories. They are so intricate and super cool.

St Stephen's Cathedral

This place is the symbol of the city of Vienna and it located at the center most point of the city. It is also known to be the tallest church in Austria. The architecture is Gothic and Romanesque style. I was super impressed by this building. It lies stark in the middle and is surrounded by great shopping centres.  

St Peter's Catholic Church

Can someone quiz me this: Why are churches so goddamn beautiful? Around this church, the area is featured by many horse drawn carriages and the horses have such a nice athletic and smooth body. Once again, as you can see very well in the picture, the dome has the previously visible dome, with a nice copper eroded lagoon blue colour. It feels so tranquil to observe. 

Hofburg palace

This was the former palace of the Hadsburg dynasty in Austria. The president lives and works here. It features so many statues and this really cute gate. I was taken aback by a pride flag flying high in front of the palace but I suppose the woke agenda finds unlikely places to mushroom. Overall, this palace is a must-visit in Vienna, with so much to see just outside. 

Outer gates

The outer gates of this palace are quite interesting as they might remind you of the Pantheon and they are made up of iron inside. They have a really nice intricate structure and some stuff written on the top. 

Strange statues

What is weird is that since Vienna is so culturally and mythologically rich, there are so many statues everywhere in the city. On the castles, on the roads, statues, statues, statues! One can take a few minutes and analyse these statues closely. They tell many stories.

The Museum of Natural History

Let me just tell you one thing. Your girl is broke. Remember, this is Vienna. The museums here are extremely expensive. Instead of having to sell my heart, liver and kidney to see a couple of artifacts, I decided to make the most of it and see the outsides of these buildings. They are pretty neat too!

The Parliament Building

Now, I do not know why and how but the parliament buildings all across the european spectrum from the north to the south look exactly the same. Okay, maybe not the same but quite similar. They all have these well distinguished poles. 

Burg Theatre

Like I said, your girl is broke. So, this was a really wonderful building, from the outside. Honestly? Vienna is like a museum from just the streets and the outsides, so I am not complaining. This is one of the most important German language theatres in the world.

Votive Church

Apparently this guy, Franz was going to be assassinated but he wasn't. They thanked god and made this church in that name. Now, when I was there, they had an upcoming film festival and they were making arrangements for it. Apparently, every other month they have some kind of celebration here. 

Schönbrunn Palace

This was the king's summer residence. I did not quite get why so many people came here to visit, as it was quite average. It was like any Mumbai Government building. Do not sue me for this. However, the forest surrounding it is quite expansive and the spring is quite beautiful. At the top of the mountain, there is also another reflective structure which is awesome. It is a hike to get there but it is definitely worth it. The view is wonderful from up there.

Belvedere Palace

This place is so alluring. It was under construction so they placed a huge cardboard with a print out of the palace in front of it to mark it as "palace". I found that quite humorous. Watching the sunset from here might be one of the best experiences ever.  The palace was totally worth it. It was a pulchritudinous view!

Well, that's it for my day in Vienna. I liked this city. However, does it have the same character or history or pain that I saw in other cities? No. 

It is a tourist paradise with pretty painted buildings and eye-candy architecture. So, it is not a place where one can pay hommage to a deep past. It is a chill place, to have dazzling cityscapes and a nice nightlife. 

Aditi's recommendations

• I bought the day pass for travelling by train metro etc and that costed me 8 euros and was valid for 24 hours. I would recommend you buy this to cover all the major sites as they are a bit far from one another.
• Use the train, metro, tram etc and figure out routes using our friend, google maps!
• Take the city in and interact with people. 
• The local food is not much to be crazy about. Rather, eat kebabs, cheap and filling!

Ciao! Until next time!