15/09/22-Vienna
With the delightful tune of building work waking me up early, I took advantage of the early start and headed off to wander the streets of Vienna. Seemingly, my morning adventure didn’t quite go as planned, with most of the stops I’d planned being shut for varying reasons, but I enjoyed seeing many of the sights we’d walked past last night in the dark, now in daylight, and still looking just as cool! With the rain hitting, I played the game of diving between shop fronts with cover, and continued my exploration of the city before meeting Lea to head to lunch with some friends. A delicious lunch later, and some lovely conversations, and I ventured off on another solo adventure to one of the main tourist attractions, the Schönbrunn Palace.
Sat in stunning parkland, the palace was the home of Franz Joseph, the longest reigning emperor of Austria. I arrived a little late in the day but opted for the Grand Tour which was an audio guide tour of 40 of the state rooms. Whilst diving between organised tour groups, I enjoyed learning more about the history of the palace, but admittedly was a little disappointed at the price point. As the most expensive site I have visited this tour, I was expecting it to take a little longer than the 40 minutes it took to go around. Unless you have a strong interest in royal palaces, I’d suggest saving your euros and exploring the grounds and parkland as this is mostly free (apart from some special areas, such as the Orangerie). I climbed to the top of the park to the Cafe Gloriette, which provided wonderful views over the city! Sitting on a bench to take in the view and recover from a very uphill climb, I took my time before meandering back down a different route to see other areas of the gardens. Statues a plenty, and many finely manicured hedges, and it was time to head back towards the flat for a relaxing evening.
With our Vienna gig tomorrow, a more relaxed itinerary, and a no travel day, was very much welcomed!