Vienna was really enjoyable. Its like this huge lollipop with many different flavours- history, culture, food, nightlife, shopping, scenery, people- there was so much to experience! Speaking to friends who had been there before and could tell me exactly where to go was definitely helpful, and of course having the company of Phuong & Elizabeth while we were there made it nothing less than fun! Having said that, Vienna is indeed a place where one needs to sit down and bask in the atmosphere...instead of running around doing stuff.
So these are some of the things I did when I was there...
- Explored the first district (Innere stadt)
- Stephansplatz (the city square) & St. Stephan's Cathedral
- Walked the main shopping street- Mariahilferstrasse
- Visited the Schonbrunn Palace
- Hofburg (Imperial Palace)
- Ate at some of the old school cafes
- Had our hair blown all over at the Steinhof
Many of the cathedrals and famous sights were under restoration though...so I don't have many photos of those...here are some...
St. Stephan's Cathedral (above) defines the city centre and has been the heart of Vienna for centuries. It is one of the most famous Viennese sights and was built in 1147 AD. (Honestly it looks a bit shabby from the photo...but its different in reality..haha)
My top favourite is below>>>This is but one section of the Schonnbrunn Palace, which is one of the UNESCO's world cultural heritage sites. The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking- its one of those times when you feel on top of the world yet very insignificant as compared to the surroundings...you know what i mean?
Elizabeth with 3 of us...
Aha...Aida Cafe. Alvin told me to go to this cafe...I did and I took their menu as a souvenir. They serve delectable cakes and good cocoa! yum...can you spot the waitress in pink? In case you think this is just some old school cafe...read on...Aida is a chain of 26 espresso bar and pastry shops (Café-Konditorei) in Vienna, Austria. They have a devoted clientele, for whom Aida has achieved near-cult status. Business hours are from early in the morning until the early evening; the shops are open every day of the year with the exception of Christmas Day.
Ten Aida shops had been established before the Second World War, but they were all destroyed during the air raids on Vienna. After the war, Felix Prousek (1918-2003) took over the management and started rebuilding and expanding. His innovative approach to coffeehouse culture resulted in an alternative to the sheer Gemütlichkeit of the traditional Viennese café. Prousek was also one of the first to introduce Italian-style espresso machines in Austria.
However, for decades now, Aida has been resistant to change of any kind. This is first and foremost true of their interior design, very similar for all shops and reminiscent of the 1950s-1970s. Their trademark colours are pink and dark brown. Most of the furniture is made of plastic, and there is mostly seating without upholstery.- wikipedia
Moving on to the next point of interest...Centimeter! This place rocks my socks and floats my boat! It seems like i get much more passionate when i start talking about food...i cant help it la...haha! If YOU are heading to Vienna, please please go to this place for a meal. The food is good, reasonable prices, atmosphere is cool and the portions are huge! If you order this set meal thingey for 4 or 6, they serve you the food in wheelbarrows! We went there twice- the first time we ordered 2 mains to share among the 3 of us (BK, mac and I) and we were SO stuffed. The second time, we went with Qihan, Phuong and Liz so we ordered the wheelbarrow as well as a 2m long wurst (sausage)! The beers are rather cheap as well...and you could try the spritzer too (Its white wine with mineral water or apple juice). 
Vienna was relatively uneventful as compared to Prague...an update on that will be coming soon!
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