After a tiring and slightly nauseating FlixBus ride from Budapest to Vienna, I was ready to start a new adventure! On day 1 in Vienna, Austria, I walked to my hostel, took a long nap, searched for and devoured a plate of schnitzel, and then made a new friend.

Very quickly, just the day after having arrived, I took a day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia with Stephanie. Read about this trip in my last blog post.

We enjoyed an early dinner in Bratislava, so when we got back to Vienna at about 7:30 PM on day 2, we left in search of some local wines. We visited Wein and Co and each tried a couple of whites before heading back to the hostel for the night.

Day 3 in Vienna was (finally) a full day spent exploring the city. Stephanie and I woke up early and enjoyed a delicious brunch at Erich, followed by a walking tour of the city.

Our tour included major attractions around the area, such as the Vienna Opera, Imperial Palace, Heldenplatz, and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. I also enjoyed learning more about the history and culture of the city.

Following the tour, we took a moment to relax by trying the iconic Sachertorte, a special Viennese chocolate cake with apricot jam and dark chocolate frosting. It was a bit dry, but the whipped cream and coffee at the Aïda coffeehouse really pulled it all together.

We used this intake of sugar and carbohydrates to fuel our journey to the top of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Thankfully, we opted for the elevator ride up to the top rather than making the hike up hundreds of stairs. Then, we were free to take in the view and take lots of photos!

Cake isn’t enough for lunch, so obviously we followed this tourism with an apple strudel. Delicious! As we munched on the strudels while walking in the streets of Vienna, we searched through shops for postcards that weren’t as mediocre as the rest (unfortunately, I was not so successful).

Then, Stephanie and I headed over to the Belvedere Museum to check out some art. Specifically, we wanted to see The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. Finally seeing this famous work of art in person made the whole trip over to the museum worth it! There were also a few Van Goghs, Monets, Rodins, etc. at that I enjoyed seeing at the Belvedere.

After spending one last schnitzel dinner with Stephanie, I ended my evening at the hostel by doing laundry (I was somehow successful even with the machines’ instructions in German) and organizing my belongings for the next day. Vienna and Bratislava were wonderful, and I couldn’t believe that just as soon as I had turned this into a real solo trip, I made a new friend who I spend days traveling with and getting to know one another.

My time in Vienna had come to a close, but when I woke up the next morning and found a delicious breakfast on my way to the bus station, I knew that I was ready for the next part of my journey to begin.

On to the next country!