Other than my day in the Wachau region, exploring the Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens was my favorite part of Vienna. I spent about an hour touring the castle, and the next 3.5 hours were spent wandering the grounds. It was a perfectly beautiful and relaxing day.
My mom is my go-to person for travel tips. While I was planning my trip to Vienna she was visiting my Aunt, who happens to be going to Vienna in a few months. They suggested visiting Melk and enjoying the Wachau Valley, which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I knew nothing about the region, but took their advice- and I am so glad I did- it was one of the highlights of my trip.
Melk is about an hour train ride from Vienna and has a completely different feel than Vienna. Vienna is a city sprawled out on a flat plain, Melk is a small town in rolling green hills nestled along the Danube. It was quite the contrast to Vienna and a great change of pace. On perhaps the highest hill sits Melk Abbey, offering great views of the Abbey from almost everywhere in the town. The small quiet streets lined with shops were so relaxing, had I the time, I could have stayed for days.
The Abbey is large and full of so much rich history. Perhaps my favorite room was the one room where photographs were not allowed, the library. Exquisite jewels, embroidered tapestries, marble halls- these are all wonderful and intriguing, but nothing is quite as blissful as shelves of books set in rich wood towering over my head. The balcony overhead that led into the adjoining room, the plethora of books holding so much history, the massive old globe sitting between the tall cases…it was heavenly.
After touring the abbey and strolling around the gardens I walked down to the river for a little boat trip. The scenic boat ride offered beautiful views of charming villages and old ruins scattered along the rivers edge and nestled in the rolling hills and surrounding vineyards.
I ended my trip in Krems, another quiet riverside village. After meandering through the village and enjoying a snack in the park I headed back to Vienna.
Vienna seemed overwhelming when I was planning my trip. I was worried that two and half days might not be long enough to see everything on my list, but it was the perfect amount of time.
I arrived in Vienna Monday afternoon and spent the remainder of the day wandering around the grounds of Hofburg Palace and the numerous surrounding parks, enjoying a delicious cake from Demel (per Rick Steve’s recommendation, that man knows good cake!), and walking in the direction of any building that caught my eye. Every street I turned down seemed to have multiple buildings or monuments that I was drawn to- I felt like I was being pulled in a million different directions. I loved it!
I ended the evening at Rathaus (city hall) to join in the summer film festival where concerts and various films are shown for free. That night was an Italian Opera by Giuseppe Verdi. While opera is beautiful and the performers are undeniably talented, it just doesn’t hold my attention for my long. I lasted about 40 minutes before making my way back to the hostel. I blame it on the lack of subtitles. 3 hour opera in Italian, and I have no idea what they are saying? I’m impressed I made it as long as I did.
Every corner of Vienna seems to have something to offer. It is a beautiful city with lots of gorgeous buildings, lovely parks, and yummy cakes. Today the pictures will do the talking.
Chew on This 