The trip was hosted by my old pals at Bus2Alps, who I also did Cinque Terra and Oktoberfest with. After a 10.5 hour overnight bus ride (awesome, right?), we arrived in Vienna where we immediately headed to the city center. Vienna is a very modern city, and has a lot of great shopping spots and restaurants. The only downer was it that it POURED rain and my poor new boots got soaked through. Looks like I will be investing in some rain boots soon.
But anyways, some highlights from Vienna were:
The State Opera House
The Sachre Hotel, where we indulged on a world-famous Sachretorte
St. Peter's Church
And a tour of a Schnapp's Factory!
That night, my friend/travel buddy Amy and I went to a traditional Bavarian restaurant where I was reunited with my precious Radler beer (half beer, half lemonade). I ordered meatballs and mashed potatoes, and the waitress told me I wasn't being adventurous enough. I stuck with my guns, because this was the only thing that looked okay in English. However, this is what she brought me:
Someone please identify the "balls" in this meat (hehehe). But it was delicious, nonetheless. Salty as heck, though. The German's love their deep-fried salty goodness!
That night, we headed to the Bermuda Triangle (not the tropical one, right Amy?) for a night on the town. They have some AWESOME bars and clubs down there, and there are a ton to choose from. Definitely drank more jaeger and beer than I had in a long time, but it was an epic night to say the least.
By the way...Austrians like their tequila shots with cinnamon and an orange slice. Weird, huh?
The next day, we spent our final hours in Vienna at the Schonbrunn Palace. However, we were able to participate in a very unique event that had just started in Austria that weekend: The Christmas Markets!!!
The Sachre Hotel, where we indulged on a world-famous Sachretorte
St. Peter's Church
And a tour of a Schnapp's Factory!
That night, my friend/travel buddy Amy and I went to a traditional Bavarian restaurant where I was reunited with my precious Radler beer (half beer, half lemonade). I ordered meatballs and mashed potatoes, and the waitress told me I wasn't being adventurous enough. I stuck with my guns, because this was the only thing that looked okay in English. However, this is what she brought me:
Someone please identify the "balls" in this meat (hehehe). But it was delicious, nonetheless. Salty as heck, though. The German's love their deep-fried salty goodness!
That night, we headed to the Bermuda Triangle (not the tropical one, right Amy?) for a night on the town. They have some AWESOME bars and clubs down there, and there are a ton to choose from. Definitely drank more jaeger and beer than I had in a long time, but it was an epic night to say the least.
By the way...Austrians like their tequila shots with cinnamon and an orange slice. Weird, huh?
Yup, these markets feature everything CHRISTMAS!! You can find them all over Austria, and they have all your needs for the holiday season: nativity sets, ornaments, decorations, snowglobes, creepy stuffed woodland creatures...they've got it all! Austria is GORGEOUS with all the Christmas decorations up, and I felt so lucky to be a part of their holiday festivities!
Oh, and I am currently lucky enough to be in possession of a friend of the family's Flat Stanley. He also enjoyed our visit to the Palace and its gardens :)
Our next stop for the weekend was Salzburg, home of the "Sound of Music," Mozart, and Red Bull. Our Bus2Alps guide described Salzburg as looking like a birthday cake. I couldn't agree more. The city is so dang charming, and you can't help but feel giddy walking through it. The Christmas decorations and markets made the city look all the more magical. It made me completely forget that Christmas was more than a month away. (SUPER bummed I'm missing Thanksgiving, by the way.) I like how Christmas seems less commercialized in Europe, and more about making the city look awesome and spending time with the family. Could use a little more Jesus though :)
After some souvenir shopping at the Christmas markets (get excited, my loved ones backed home), we had dinner at the Augustiner Brewery. Oh, German beer halls...how I had missed you. And German beer...I missed you even more. I know I sound like an alcoholic, but you seriously do not know beer until you've sipped the magic that those Germans produce. Going back to Keystone and Bud Light is going to be impossible.
That night at the hostel, we participated in the strangest event I had ever been to. It was called "Demon Night," and basically consisted of a bunch of crazy-ass Austrians in 1,500 euro demon costumes sexually harassing everyone in the bar. And that's all I'm going to say about Demon Night.
The next day, we took part in the world-famous Sound of Music tour! I was pretty much raised on this soundtrack, but was shocked when I realized I had never seen the movie in its entirety. I also forgot that the Von Trapps were a real family singing group. But alongside of the sing-a-long moments and seeing all the places that the movie was shot at, it was cool going into the countryside of Salzburg. Everything there is so lovely, and you feel like you have walked onto the Sound of Music movie set. Oh wait....we did :)
It is safe to say that I am officially in love with Austria. Better yet, I'm in love with Europe. Why must life separate me and my beloved in 4 short weeks? UGGGGGH I DON'T EVER WANT TO LEEEEAVE!
This weekend, I am off to Rome to reunite with Jenny Driver! Can't wait to see what new adventures await me :)
So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!
-Kara
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