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| Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria |
We couldn't have picked a better place to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary and NYE. From the Schonbrunn to the Belvedere Palace, symphonies, concerts, museums, as well as endless shops, cafes and restaurants, Vienna captured our hearts. How could it not? It is the birthplace of Mozart, Strauss and Freud, plus the Hapsburg's, who ruled Austria for over 6 centuries. Their legacies still lives on after all these years. So much so that once the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, they played Mozart and the Viennese waltzed. It was so romantic that we began waltzing (pretend style) as well.
Every day during our stay we bundled up in layers and walked the narrow cobblestone streets towards a new attraction. Of course we always made time to stop at a cafe for a famous apple strudel or sachertorte accompanied by a melange. At night there was no denying the gluhwein (warm red wine) which is sold on almost every street corner. It does help to keep one warm when walking in the cold. I also have never seen so much sausages being sold in my life. Along side the hot wine booths there are endless sausage stands, which you can't seem to resist. Austrians may very well be the biggest consumers of pork in the world.
Before arriving our thoughts were to include a day trip to Budapest and Bratislava, but we discovered quite quickly that there was no way that was going to happen. We really wanted to take our time in Vienna and see as much as possible. If we were to include 2 other cities we would be cheating ourselves. We kept it simple and chose to go to Bratislava because it was only an hour away, and the old city would just take a few hours to see. Budapest would have to wait for now.
After 7 days and 6 nights in Vienna we headed back to Riyadh. I must admit that it was hard to get on the airplane. We simply had the best time there. We heard from many people on how fabulous Vienna would be, but I took it with a grain of salt. Now having seen it with my own eyes I agree, Vienna is magical and a beautiful city full of culture, rich in history, and very progressive. The more I travel to Europe the more I fall in love with it. Maybe we'll get posted there someday, but for now short trips like this will suffice my soul.
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| St. Stephen's Cathedral |
Every day during our stay we bundled up in layers and walked the narrow cobblestone streets towards a new attraction. Of course we always made time to stop at a cafe for a famous apple strudel or sachertorte accompanied by a melange. At night there was no denying the gluhwein (warm red wine) which is sold on almost every street corner. It does help to keep one warm when walking in the cold. I also have never seen so much sausages being sold in my life. Along side the hot wine booths there are endless sausage stands, which you can't seem to resist. Austrians may very well be the biggest consumers of pork in the world.
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| Apple strudel and a melange. |
Before arriving our thoughts were to include a day trip to Budapest and Bratislava, but we discovered quite quickly that there was no way that was going to happen. We really wanted to take our time in Vienna and see as much as possible. If we were to include 2 other cities we would be cheating ourselves. We kept it simple and chose to go to Bratislava because it was only an hour away, and the old city would just take a few hours to see. Budapest would have to wait for now.
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| Celebrating our 18th Anniversary at 821 Cafe |
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| Old Town Bratislava |
After 7 days and 6 nights in Vienna we headed back to Riyadh. I must admit that it was hard to get on the airplane. We simply had the best time there. We heard from many people on how fabulous Vienna would be, but I took it with a grain of salt. Now having seen it with my own eyes I agree, Vienna is magical and a beautiful city full of culture, rich in history, and very progressive. The more I travel to Europe the more I fall in love with it. Maybe we'll get posted there someday, but for now short trips like this will suffice my soul.
