Postcards from... Vienna

For me, Vienna, Austria, was one of those 'one day' places, as in 'one day I'll go there'. And I thought no more of it. Until I moved to Poland, that is, and realised that 'one day' had now arrived. You see, I had just discovered that I could get a bus from Bielsko-Biała to Cieszyn, walk across the border into the Czech Republic, and then get a train from Český Těšín to Vienna. And so that's exactly what I did.

Having ditched my luggage, showered and changed my jeans for a dress, I was ready to explore Vienna properly. As usual my map-reading "skills" let me down badly (I still have no idea where I ended up), but I eventually located two squares that were on my 'to see' list – Freyung and Am Hof. I had timed my visit badly though because most of the buildings I wanted to photograph were being renovated and were hidden behind mountains of ugly scaffolding. So, having sort of seen what I'd come for, I retraced my steps and somehow stumbled across Graben, Vienna's main shopping street, from where I easily found St Stephen's Cathedral. Rather disappointingly it too was half hidden by scaffolding, but I took several photos, positioning myself against a wall with my bag swung round behind me. I was not about to lose another purse to tourist-related stupidity.


Detail of building on the corner of Graben, the main shopping street



St Stephen's Cathedral

St Stephen's cathedral

With the photos snapped, it was time to find the mighty Hofburg complex. I thoroughly enjoyed strolling around the area photographing everything in sight, but the highlight was catching sight of the gorgeous Lipizzaner stallions being led back to their stables after morning practice. The following day I would get to see them performing in all their glory, which was utterly amazing.


Detail on a fountain in the Hofburg complex



One of the many statues adorning the Hofburg buildings

Square in the Hofburg Complex



Inside the main entrance to Hofburg Palace looking out

One of the gorgeous Lipizzaner stallions

The stunning riding hall where the Lipizzan stallions perform

Having seen what I wanted to in the complex, I dragged myself wearily down Herrengasse in search of Café Central, Vienna's most famous café. Formerly the meeting place for writers and artists, it's now home to locals and tourists alike who flock to this bright, airy space to indulge in Kaffee und Küchen (coffee and cake). And you only have to look at the cake display to see why.

Inside Vienna's most famous café

Decisions, decisions...

Little masterpieces

Zoning in on my favourites

From the moment I discovered the café, I was hooked. I ate there more than once, trying new cakes each time. But my favourite was – wait for it – a rhubarb tart topped with a sheet of white chocolate topped with an elderflower mousse topped with a dollop of rhubarb, a daisy (!) and a band of green-coloured white chocolate. And yes, it was AMAZING!

Heaven on a plate

Happily sated, on leaving the café I wandered aimlessly for a while, enjoying being in Vienna and noticing the little details. On my travels I came across many interesting door knockers, but none so fine as this one.

Knock if you dare!

I went in search of the Town Hall, only to discover that it too was barely visible behind its coat of scaffolding! Annoyed, I got the U-Bahn to Karlsplatz. On exiting the station I had no idea where to go. And then I saw it; the most stunning thing I'd seen in Vienna – Karlskirche (Karl's Church). Outside there was a huge pool, and I quickly joined the locals in kicking off my shoes and sticking my feet into the cool water... I could have stayed there forever, but there was yet more sightseeing to be done.

My favourite church

Next up were the Belvedere galleries, home to Gustav Klimt's 'The Kiss', which didn't disappoint! To make the most out of my €11 (£9/US$14.65) ticket, I scooted around the impressionists and realists section. Then, happy that Klimt alone had given me value for money, I left the gallery and walked slowly through the manicured gardens, taking hundreds of photos along the way.


The front of Lower Belvedere



View of Upper Belvedere, home to Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss"

One of the many statues lining the walkway



One of the sphinxes in Belvedere Gardens



View of Belvedere Gardens from Upper Belvedere



The back of Lower Belvedere

On my last day, I headed for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Schönbrunn Palace, which I had briefly seen on my first day before extreme temperatures drove me to seek out the hostel. I spent a happy couple of hours exploring a fraction of the gardens and visiting the world's oldest zoo before the relentless sun forced me to go in search of shade. And I knew exactly where I wanted to be – Karlsplatz.


The grounds at Schönbrunn Palace

Reflections at Schönbrunn

I was soon standing in front of Karlskirche, but not for long. Mere minutes later, I was sitting by the pool. I kicked my shoes off and stuck my aching feet into the cool water. Bliss! I stayed there for quite a while watching the world go by...

Now 13:00, it was a scorching 28°C (82°F). My bag felt as though it was filled with stones, although I would have dragged it around town if there had been anything else I really wanted to see. Instead, I got the U-Bahn to Landstrasse, from where I caught the CAT (City Airport Train) to the airport and went to check in at my hotel – an unnecessary but delightful extravagance at €132 (£110/US$180) per night that totally took the stress out of the following day's early morning flight.