or that time Mike won 190 euros.

Our walk along the Danube Canal brought us to Wurstelprater, also known as the Prater Fun Park.

Our first point of interest was the Riesenrad, or Giant Wheel.

When the wheel was built for Franz Josef’s I’s golden Jubilee in 1897 it was the largest wheel in the world. 64.75 meters! (Today’s tallest wheel is in Singapore at 165 meters tall. Wow!) Riesenrad might look familiar to you if you’re a fan of the movie Before Sunrise (Chelsea!).

I always enjoy viewing a city from a different perspective. Unfortunately, it was a bit overcast that day to see into the distance.

After the wheel we walked around the amusement park.

It’s always a bit odd to be at an amusement park in the middle of the day. Especially, when there’s a notable absence of crowds. Everything just seems a bit more out of place and creepy. In fact, double dose of creepiness in…

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On our way out we stopped into a casino so Mike could drop 2 euros into a slot machine. 20 minutes later he exited with 190. Well played.

Rain interrupted a bit of our day but we ended up back at Museumquartier for another round at the photo booth and hammock house. This time Ikea had set up an interesting installation. Different colors and varieties of couches were arranged in the courtyard for people to relax and socialize on. We took advantage of the offer along with everyone else. Another great idea!

xo, jill

If you like graffiti.

The following day we started out walking.

Our first stop was at Hofburg Palace. Historically, this was the winter home of the Habsburgs. Currently, the Austrian president lives here. There are a few museums on the premises, but we passed them up in favor of being outside (and keeping our money).

whaaa?

We continued our walk along the Danube Canal toward the Prater Fun Fair (more on that later). We both enjoy street art so this truly was the scenic route.

The more natural view was quite pretty too.

xo, jill

Begin European adventure.

The first day Mike and I spent together in Vienna is a bit of a blur. I believe we started the day by getting a few groceries and having breakfast in the apartment. Judging from the photos the next thing we did was go to Stephanplatz. I wanted to play with my zoom lens a bit and capturing the gargoyles on the roof seemed like a pretty good way to do it. We also took a tour of the catacombs and saw the vessels that contain some of the Habsburg family’s organs. Photography was not permitted.

While trying (unsuccessfully) to find a vegetarian restaurant listed in Lonely Planet we happened upon the famous Anchor Clock. The special interest with this clock is that as the minutes tick, famous figures move across the face. At noon all of the figures parade by while music plays.

We headed to the Museumquartier with hopes of visiting the Museum of Modern Art. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovations! Fortunately, from across the courtyard I spotted a photo booth! It was the same photo booth that I had scouted out online prior to the trip. Everyone loves a photo booth!

Next, we rounded the corner of the Museumquartier only to find another surprise! Flederhaus! A house of hammocks! I saw this post over the summer and knew that Mike and I had to make Flederhaus a priority. Relaxing in hammocks in the middle of the city? Yes, please! The installment was designed by Heri and Salli and will stay up until October. I hope the installation is set up every summer. It was one of the highlights of our entire trip.

After relaxing in the air for a bit, we sought out another vegetarian restaurant. This one we found. St. Josef was definitely worth a little bit of walking. This was by far my favorite meal of the trip. It was healthy, filling, and fresh. I was happy.

We returned to the apartment with the intention of taking a nap before heading out again. Instead, we went to bed at 7:00pm. I guess we needed it.

xo, jill

Keep busy.

My first morning in Vienna I packed up my bags and set off to find the apartment Mike and I would be staying in during our visit. On the way I discovered some fun street art and a metro line on hiatus. That always seems to happen. An attendant pointed me to the proper tram and I found the apartment in no time.

Mike’s flight didn’t arrive until later that evening so I had the full day to keep myself entertained. It wasn’t too hard.

First up was a visit to Schöbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Habsburgs. The palace is one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna which was evidenced by the long line to buy entrance tickets. I didn’t mind waiting since I wasn’t in a rush, but I would recommend buying tickets online if you’re on a tight schedule.

I paid to see 44 of the 1,400 total rooms. Grander tours are available, but 44 seemed like enough to me. It’s always fun to see place settings, bedrooms, and the toilets of very important people… but after awhile the stuffy portraits on the walls tend to look the same.

While I enjoyed peeking inside the palace, the gardens were even lovelier (and free!). You could spend a day sight seeing in just the gardens alone.

From the palace I headed to Zentralfriedhof, Vienna’s most famous cemetery. I entered through the wrong gate which resulted in a long walk through neglected headstones. It was nice and shady so I didn’t mind too much until I stumbled upon a procession. Thank goodness the hearse turned down the row ahead of where I was walking so I didn’t crash the party.

The diagrams posted in the “popular” part of the cemetery were only in German but I was able to find these two important composers before heading back to the apartment.

Mike’s flight landed and finally, it was time for the slow-motion-running-towards-each-other moment. Except, it was more like speed-walking-with-a-shy-smile because neither one of us had our glasses on and the lighting on the street was pretty dim. I didn’t want to be running up to a stranger and have Mike come around the corner at that exact moment. Oops.

sleepy Mike?

xo, jill