Day 11: Vienna, Austria (Monday, August 18)

We finally had a lazier morning. I didn't get to sleep in super late though. They woke me up around 8:40 because breakfast ended at 9:00. So we all went downstairs for breakfast. I ate yogurt and bread and had some yummy hot chocolate. We then all went upstairs and took time to shower and get ready. We didn't end up leaving the hostel till around 10:30.

We went to the train station since it's easier to travel by public transportation here than worry about driving and parking. Our first stop was Schönbrunn. Just this big awesome castle, no big deal. The front is cool, but the back of it is prettier. It has gardens and other little places to walk to. (First two pics are in the front, the rest are when we're in the back)

I spy Russ photo bombing my pano!

It was then time for lunch so we went to find this place that all three boys were so excited to eat at. I guess the owner had been out of town and just got back today so it was open. Lucky them! It was called Schnitzelwirt. 

Ellen and I decided to share a meal because we weren't super hungry and we were told the portions were huge so we ordered a cordon bleu schnitzel. They weren't kidding about the size..

It was sooo good!! I still didn't even finish my half of it. And that salad was good too. Their salads are weird here. Those yellow things you see are potatoes. Which were actually my favorite part. 

We finished and headed down the street to a grocery store to pick up a few things. I bought some apples and nectarines along with some chocolate to eat and snack on later. 

We then walked around the Innenstadt for hours! My legs and feet are dead. We saw so many cool buildings. 

Just random cool buildings/pretty scenes we saw as we walked:

Hofburg, The Imperial Palace:

Parliament: 

Rathaus is the city hall:

We had to take a quick little break at this point to rest for a minute. 

We then moved on to Stephansdom or St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Tom, Russ, Ellen, and I walked up 343 stairs into the tower to see the view of the city. Liz and Logan sat out because their legs were dead and they didn't think it was worth it. I almost stayed behind with them but I didn't want to miss out. 

I don't know how I made it up those stairs when my legs were already dead. But it was fun to see the view so I'm glad I went up. 

We walked past the opera house. Crazy fact we learned; the architecture who built it didn't like how it turned out so he committed suicide. So sad. 

 

We then made it to another cathedral. I forget what it's called. We saw sooo many buildings today..

Reminded me of the Salt Lake Temple with the reflection pool. We sat on the edge of the pool for probably 45 minutes. We definitely needed a break from all of the walking we did. 

We went inside briefly since they were in the middle of a service which meant we didn't have to pay to get in. We snuck a pic and then left. 

We attempted to go to the cemeteries where Beethoven and Mozart are buried, but they were both closed. Luckily we still have some time in the morning to stop by before we move on to our next city. At this point though, Ellen and I had to go to the bathroom. Like really bad. And of course we were in the middle of no where. It took us forever to find a bathroom. Good thing there are plenty of McDonald's around. 

For dinner, we stopped at a street kiosk place and I got a Döner sandwich. Mmm this thing was so good! And super cheap for how much food it was!

We then went back to the Imperial Palace to see it lit up at night. It didn't disappoint. We sat there on the grass for a while just talking before we headed back to the hostel. 

My whole body is exhausted. I should have downloaded an app to keep tract of how many steps I've taken this trip. I have walked a ton! But it's worth it. I've seen some amazing things here! 

Tomorrow: Hallstatt, Austria & Munich, Germany!