Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia
I was up early for my shuttle service from Cesky Krumlov to Vienna, Austria. Due to the fact that Cesky Krumlov is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, a private shuttle was my only option to get to my next destination. The trip went well (as in, I sat in the backseat and didn't get carsick despite the curvy, countryside roads of Czech Republic.)
After about a 3 hour trip I arrived at my hostel in Vienna. I will say, it was pretty luxurious to be dropped off directly in front of my hostel (as opposed to wandering around town with my backpack on searching for my next home ). It was around midday by the time I checked in and got some correct currency (back to Euros). I decided to make the most of the rest of the day and walked in to explore the popular town market. It was quite large and had a lot to see. I was a little put off by the vendors yelling to potential customers. It just left me with a not-so-nice feeling. On a positive note, it meant I didn't buy anything (which is always good for my budget and my already too full backpack!)
Next I got some soup at a cool shop that uses restaurant leftovers to make their soup and charges a very fair rate. I found out about this place randomly/coincidently on Stumble Upon the night before. Feeling happy with my pitstop, I made my way to the center of the city. The center was quite beautiful. Vienna was home to the Habsburg empire, and their role and power in history is still evident when admiring the buildings they once resided it. I walked around the Hofburg Palace, where the Habsburg emperors lived, the infamous Opera House, and some other impressive buildings (that i don't remember all their names:).
The thing about Vienna that was frustrating was that everything cost money. It is a city to go if you have lots of money (and time). So many museums and palaces and galleries and collections to see. All very beautiful, I'm sure, but not on a time and budget crunch.
I then made my way by the beautiful City Hall building. What intrigued me most about this area was that they were setting up for the upcoming Christmas Markets. I'm bummed I will just miss the "European Christmas Market Season." I've heard the Vienna market is quite beautiful, and it was evident by the intensive preparation and carpentry work that it was going to be a site to see.
On my way home I walked through a Gustav Klimt gallery. While not featuring original works, it was free and I've always been a big fan of Klimt's works. It was nice to read about his history and see some prints while being in the city he was from.
Early to bed and early to rise. I woke up early to spend the day in Bratislava, Slovakia. I decided to walk to the train station. Not the best idea, as the outskirts of Vienna were not nearly as nice as the center of the city.
After about a one hour train trip, I arrived to Bratislava. Unfortunately the day had turned quite overcast. The walk into the city from the train station was described in my guidebook as "glum and depressing." This in combination with the weather, left me with a less than positive first opinion of the city. After getting to the center of the city, I slowly changed my mind. While not a lot to see or do, I enjoyed strolling around and seeing the city and soaking up the cafe culture.
Unfortunately my train back to Vienna was cancelled three times. What I thought would be an "easy" day trip, turned to be a little more challenging. It ended up they were doing track work, so two beers, and one new Slovakian friend later, I figured out how to get home (including a transfer in the middle of no-where that I was happy worked out).
While not overly stressed by my train troubles, I was bummed that I missed out on going to the opera, as I had planned to go with a new friend that night. Good thing I got my opera fill in Prague. You just can't beat the cheap operas in beautiful opera houses that Eastern Europe provides! I got back to Vienna and it was dark (the sun now setting one hour earlier is cutting off my hours to explore). On the way home, I walked by the Belvedere Palace, a palace of a previous prince that now has a famous gallary with a lot of Klimt's works. Like everything else in Vienna, I only saw the outside, but it was still beautiful.
The next day I walked to see the Schobrunn Palace. It was the former summer residence of the Habsburgs. While the palace cost money to get into (surprise!) the gardens were free to walk around in. I enjoyed strolling around the palace gardens. I then headed back to the hostel to grab my things and catch the metro to the bus station to get my bus to Budapest, Hungary.
Overall, Vienna just didn't do it for me. While the center of the city was beautiful (a little too beautiful), the ring around the city-- where all the "normal people" action is..including hostels, shops, etc, was not very impressive. I value the culture and art scene, and it is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities, but it was just too overdone and expensive for me. Maybe when i have a lot of money and time, I will go back and have better opinions :)
After about a 3 hour trip I arrived at my hostel in Vienna. I will say, it was pretty luxurious to be dropped off directly in front of my hostel (as opposed to wandering around town with my backpack on searching for my next home ). It was around midday by the time I checked in and got some correct currency (back to Euros). I decided to make the most of the rest of the day and walked in to explore the popular town market. It was quite large and had a lot to see. I was a little put off by the vendors yelling to potential customers. It just left me with a not-so-nice feeling. On a positive note, it meant I didn't buy anything (which is always good for my budget and my already too full backpack!)
Next I got some soup at a cool shop that uses restaurant leftovers to make their soup and charges a very fair rate. I found out about this place randomly/coincidently on Stumble Upon the night before. Feeling happy with my pitstop, I made my way to the center of the city. The center was quite beautiful. Vienna was home to the Habsburg empire, and their role and power in history is still evident when admiring the buildings they once resided it. I walked around the Hofburg Palace, where the Habsburg emperors lived, the infamous Opera House, and some other impressive buildings (that i don't remember all their names:).
The thing about Vienna that was frustrating was that everything cost money. It is a city to go if you have lots of money (and time). So many museums and palaces and galleries and collections to see. All very beautiful, I'm sure, but not on a time and budget crunch.
I then made my way by the beautiful City Hall building. What intrigued me most about this area was that they were setting up for the upcoming Christmas Markets. I'm bummed I will just miss the "European Christmas Market Season." I've heard the Vienna market is quite beautiful, and it was evident by the intensive preparation and carpentry work that it was going to be a site to see.
I next strolled down to Stephansplatz Cathedral. What struck me most about the cathedral was the colorful roof tiles, which i'd never seen on a church before. From here I went to find a coffee house. Apparently Vienna is quite known for it's coffee culture scene...dating back to the days when Vienna's great thinkers would sit, ponder, and reflect. In addition to coffee, they serve you a cup of water and invite you to sit and stay as long as you'd like. In addition to the delicious and rich coffee, I tried a piece of the infamous Austrian apple strudel. The lady at the shop was really sweet (literally) and gave me some great town advice and 2 extra pieces of dessert to take back to my hostel and share. What a nice lady!
On my way home I walked through a Gustav Klimt gallery. While not featuring original works, it was free and I've always been a big fan of Klimt's works. It was nice to read about his history and see some prints while being in the city he was from.
Early to bed and early to rise. I woke up early to spend the day in Bratislava, Slovakia. I decided to walk to the train station. Not the best idea, as the outskirts of Vienna were not nearly as nice as the center of the city.
After about a one hour train trip, I arrived to Bratislava. Unfortunately the day had turned quite overcast. The walk into the city from the train station was described in my guidebook as "glum and depressing." This in combination with the weather, left me with a less than positive first opinion of the city. After getting to the center of the city, I slowly changed my mind. While not a lot to see or do, I enjoyed strolling around and seeing the city and soaking up the cafe culture.
Unfortunately my train back to Vienna was cancelled three times. What I thought would be an "easy" day trip, turned to be a little more challenging. It ended up they were doing track work, so two beers, and one new Slovakian friend later, I figured out how to get home (including a transfer in the middle of no-where that I was happy worked out).
While not overly stressed by my train troubles, I was bummed that I missed out on going to the opera, as I had planned to go with a new friend that night. Good thing I got my opera fill in Prague. You just can't beat the cheap operas in beautiful opera houses that Eastern Europe provides! I got back to Vienna and it was dark (the sun now setting one hour earlier is cutting off my hours to explore). On the way home, I walked by the Belvedere Palace, a palace of a previous prince that now has a famous gallary with a lot of Klimt's works. Like everything else in Vienna, I only saw the outside, but it was still beautiful.
The next day I walked to see the Schobrunn Palace. It was the former summer residence of the Habsburgs. While the palace cost money to get into (surprise!) the gardens were free to walk around in. I enjoyed strolling around the palace gardens. I then headed back to the hostel to grab my things and catch the metro to the bus station to get my bus to Budapest, Hungary.
Overall, Vienna just didn't do it for me. While the center of the city was beautiful (a little too beautiful), the ring around the city-- where all the "normal people" action is..including hostels, shops, etc, was not very impressive. I value the culture and art scene, and it is consistently ranked as one of the most livable cities, but it was just too overdone and expensive for me. Maybe when i have a lot of money and time, I will go back and have better opinions :)
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