Vienna Journal - Day Two

Still a little bit full of beer and more than full enough of pretzels, me and my fellow explorer and bestie made our way to Schönbrunn Palace, the glorious former summer home of the Habsburg Monarchy.

We didn't want to particularly pay for a tour of the palace as we like to explore by ourselves, so we walked around the grounds at the front and side of the palace. Getting to the back, we saw the gardens and Neptune fountain, as well as the Gloriette crowning a 60ft hill. The Gloriette was originally designed as a symbol of Habsburg power and now houses a cafe and observation area.

As I have recently started running, I knew I was now capable of climbing this hill (which I wouldn't have been able to a month ago). When we got to the top and onto the observation deck of the Gloriette, we found beautiful, sweeping views of the city. We stood there hand in hand on the rather romantic monument for a while, viewing the city. After this, we walked through the (again, rather romantic) woodland which surrounded the Gloriette.

We then made our way back to the centre of Vienna and Stephansplatz, we stopped to have lunch at Haas & Haas: an adorable little eatery with traditional Viennese coffee and a large tea shop.

One coffee, Italian sandwich and a hazelnut cake (which was eaten before I remembered to take a pic), we explored St. Stephan's Cathedral for our next adventure. We climbed 343 winding steps, up to The Tower Room, (thankful again for the running). A panoramic view of the city greeted us at the top and we could even see Schönbrunn Palace, that we'd visited earlier that day and Prater, the world's oldest ferris wheel.

Next, we wandered around Stephansplatz and the surrounding shops as well as the Baroque, Hofburg Palace. From there, we attempted to find the butterfly but we couldn't *sad face*, so we went back to the hotel and got ready for The 25 Hour Hotel. This hotel, is a cool and modern place for all types of travellers. I practically ran up to the rooftop bar (I'll do anything for a rooftop bar) and I almost died at the sight of lights made out of drums (as I am a drummer). We got a beer *shock* and went out onto the deck where we had a great view over the city. I would definitely go back to this bar and even stay at the hotel.

Full of more beer, we made our way to Karlsplatz and had some traditional street food, of frankfurter sausages and chips and baklava for dessert, (again, I'd pretty much do anything for baklava). Don't be afraid of street food, obviously you'll know if the place looks dodgy and the locals eat at these place all the time: you'll be surprised how yummy it actually is!