Ah Vienna. The cultural center of the world during most of the classical era. Of course I'm sure Italy and France would argue this point, but we're in Vienna so we're arguing it's here! We arrived via "Rail Shuttle". The train system here is very advanced. Expensive, but advanced. We had concerns leaving Munich that due to the landmark floods taking place throughout Europe that we wouldn't be able to even get here. The tracks to Salzburg have been shut down due to the flooding and we heard service would be interrupted. But all it did was make us a bit late. The train travel through the countryside in excess of 230km/h in buttery smooth silence.

We arrived and noticed something, all the buildings are old. Not 1960's old, but 1760's old. Like, almost every building looks like it witnessed a time of horse drawn carriages, powder white wigs, and the dramatic fall of the corset. It is quite neat as you feel very connected with history. This is especially true downtown in an area called "The Ring". It is here where the world famous Vienna Opera House is located as well as a number of churches, university, and the museum quarter. It is also where you will find a lot of tourists from literally everywhere. It is a massive tourist district with high end shopping, lots of gelato and schnitzel with loads of patios for sitting and enjoying a coffee or beer, which are both the same price by the way so the choice is truly yours. It seems most people here choose the beer. The buildings are grand and many are being restored all the time. There are an abundance of horse drawn carriages all around this area constantly pulling people everywhere. The horses are just as well dressed as the drivers. The churches here are stunning with some impressive stained glass work. What's really nice to see is the abundance of parks and green space available to anyone who wants to sit. On a Wednesday afternoon these parks were full. They are very well taken care of with loads of bike paths everywhere. It seems that the cyclist has just as much clout on the road as the car for there are almost as many dedicated paths and traffic lights for them as there are for the motorists. Vienna definitely encourages walking and cycling over cars and it shows.

When looking at the amount of festivals taking place it is quite dizzying to take in all the activities. There are a lot! We briefly bumped into Vienna pride by the museum quarter where they had setup mock beaches, and the Bicycle Festival. Yes, a huge festival for urban cyclists. Not douche bag extreme mountain bikers or spandex clad triathletes. Regular urban cyclists. They even had bike polo games under way.

We also had to pay a visit to the Swarovski Wien ("Wien" is how Vienna is pronounced here) store. This is where Swarovski is based after all so they had to have a place that signifies their presence here in Vienna. Luckily they did. The place is a 3 floor store with many items that are not to be found in any store anywhere else. They also had on display many unique art pieces such as crystal encrusted carp and dragons, the wall of crystal panthers, and many over the top fashion statements as well. I lost Anna there for a bit. 

Walking along the Danube river was pleasant. It reminded us that aside from the classical history of Vienna there is a vibrant contemporary art culture here as well. The graffiti artists here take their art very seriously, and it seems the gov't lets them. There are some impressive pieces of art along the river that literally cover all the walls along the river path. This isn't a place you will find a lot of tourists. A number of little cafes and restaurants are located here with mostly locals and artists taking in the scenery and gathering to discuss their art. A number of photo and video shoots seemed to be happening while we were there as well. Vienna has always been a hub of creative thinking and ideas, something that hasn't changed in close to 300 years.

One of the great sites of Vienna that we fell in love with is Schonnbrun Palace. It is truly a palace. Originally commissioned as a hunting lodge in the early 1700's this palace was built to accommodate 1500 comfortably. It is truly massive! This palace has a great history all it's own. It was in this palace where Mozart gave his first concert to the royal family at age 6. It is also where President Kennedy met with the Russian Prime Minister Khrushchev for peace talks in the 60's. Napoleon spent some time here in the early 1800's the two times he conquered Vienna. The palace is truly grand both on the outside and inside. We took a grand tour and had a chance to explore the interior and learn all about it's history and some of the interesting people who lived there and ruled Austria. The rooms are large enough for grand balls and concerts and has seen it's fair share. The detail of all the artwork and construction is exquisite right down to the ornate stoves used to heat each room. Sadly we have no pictures to prove our point, as we were not allowed to take any.

What's even more impressive than the palace are the grounds themselves. As grand as the palace is (oh it's grand) it is a mere spot on the landscape of the grounds that surrounds it. These sprawling gardens go on for several kilometers. Grand fountains, 3 story aviaries for birds, huge sprawling green houses, a labyrinth, hedge mazes, large statues of naked men & women in togas, and loads of paths and flower gardens that just go on and on. We spent a great deal of time here and decided to settle on a bench, read, and become part of the environment. It was truly relaxing and enjoyable. The best part of this all is, if you don't take the tour, the gardens are free to anyone who wants to visit.

At the end of our exploration of the palace we took in some true Viennese culture by watching a show at the palace. In one of the palace's many halls a chamber orchestra was performing as they do every evening. They were a 15 piece orchestra performing pieces by Mozart and Strauss. The performance included opera singing and ballet giving the evening a good mix of entertainment. With no microphones or any amplification it is similar to what a classical performance would have been like in Mozart's time.

Vienna is an incredible place with so much culture and life everywhere. No wonder the UN picked it as the #1 place in the world to live. It's blend of history and contemporary art is exciting to see. Definitely a must see on anyone's travel list.

See you in Prague!