Last year, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Europe, where I spent a few weeks going through Austria, Italy, and France. So consider this post 'Part 1', where I will show you my now second favourite city in the world (just shy of my home city!), the beautiful capital of Austria: Vienna.

Since the Habsburgs to modern times, Vienna has been one of the dominant centers of influence in Europe; with political, economic, and cultural influences that can still be seen today. It is also often considered the worlds top city for quality of life, and although I was only there a week, it probably deserves the title!

I took a lot of pictures during this trip (as you can imagine..), so it was a bit of an effort whittling it down to the best few for a good post. I got down to 22, which is still a lot, but I think each picture means enough to me to show it. So without further ado, I will start off my trip in my favourite spot in the city, the Stadtpark.

The Stadtpark

The Stadtpark is split in two by the Vienna River here, and has lovely, well kept gardens all around. It was my favourite place, and the first place I really saw; so it made for an awesome start while exploring the city. Also, funny enough, if you google the park you get a very similar picture to this one.

Here's the center of the Stadtpark, the Unsere Garten, looking at the Kursalon Wien. This lovely time-piece here actually works!

Strauss

Also in the Stadtpark, is the Johann Stauß Denkmal. Vienna is well known for the sheer amount of classical artists that lived and performed here, Strauss being one of many! There are many monuments just like this, all over the cities and parks, and I'll show a few more later.

The Vienna Opera House

Here's a shot outside the Vienna Opera house (Wiener Staatsoper). One of the many points of interest in the city.

A Gothic Church

This Gothic-style church was having the base restored, so unfortunately I couldn't get a good shot of the whole thing. On the other hand, I am really glad to see restoration projects, as it really shows how much the city cares about their culture and history.
So have a nice minimalist picture of the steeple!

The Ferris Wheel!

The Wiener Riesenrad, or giant (Ferris) wheel! This is in the Prater amusement park, and is one of the most popular tourist attractions. Personally I was much more a fan of the musical influences, but hey, everyone loves ferris wheels (well, unless you're scared of heights).

A More Modern Church

Here's the St. Francis of Assisi Church, which was built between 1898 and 1910. Compared to the Gothic style churches, this one looks a lot more 'Disney' like. If you told me it was Cinderella's castle I'd probably believe you.

Statues Galore

Just another shot wandering around the city, showing some more of the statue and old architecture style in Vienna.

Smashed To Pieces

This one was pretty cool. This is the Haus Des Meeres. It was built inside an old WW2 flak tower!

The Schonbrunn Palace

Here's out front of the Schonbrunn palace. The palace is definitely worth the visit, and if you go, do get an extended tour inside! There is amazing history in the tour about the Habsburgs, Empress Elisabeth, and even Napoleon; while you get to see the architecture and indoor styles. No pictures allowed inside, unfortunately, though.

The Garden

The garden behind the Schonbrunn Palace was also quite incredible. It's one of those places that just never seems to end, the garden is MASSIVE! This picture only shows maybe 1% of the whole area, directly behind the center of the palace.

Statues in the Sunset

Leaving the Schonbrunn palace after a tour and dinner, the sun started to set. So, have another minimalist shot!

Music in Vienna

And really, with me talking about music a bunch, I have to say.. It wouldn't be a trip to Vienna without seeing some, live! Again, no pictures allowed, so I quickly snapped one while they were getting ready. Their performances were wonderful; the classical lover in me was definitely satisfied.

City Hall

Another day, this time a bit gloomy. Here's the Vienna city hall, aka Wiener Rathaus.

I was lucky enough to visit inside the city hall as well. Not nearly as interesting as the Schonbrunn, but it turns out that the building wraps around a small garden, so that was nice.

Mozart

A monument (memorial?) to Mozart, in the Burggarten. Mozart was actually born in Salzburg (which unfortunately I was unable to visit), but Vienna loves him as well, since he eventually moved and performed there.

Prinz Eugen von Savoyen

This particular statue is of Prinz Eugen von Savoyen, in the Heldenplatz. In the background you can see the tip of the Vienna City Hall (Rathaus), as shown earlier! This is me, and my amateur attempt at practicing my night photography after the sun set -- but I quite like how this one and the next turned out.

Theseus Temple

Some more night photography; moving over to the Volksgarten, closer to the Vienna City Hall. This is the Theseus Temple, and I quite like how it was lit up!

That's it for Vienna! These next few pictures I figured I'd include in the set, since they are still in Austria, as I left for Italy.

Hochosterwitz

The Hochosterwitz castle is one of the most impressive medieval castles in Austria, and it really deserves the title. The whole castle is situated on a rock (cough game of thrones anyone cough), but fortunately you can drive up pretty close, so the hike to the very top is not bad at all.

One of the many views climbing up the castle.

And here's the top! The view was pretty incredible, being able to see the Alps in the far background, and the very, very green Austrian countryside. Seriously, Austria is GORGEOUS.

Travelling Again

Off we go, past the castle. The whole way through the Austrian countryside looked like this, with beautiful green hills and mountains.

That's all for today! For those of you interested: Camera is Sony NEX-7, with a Zeiss 16-70mm lens.

Click an image to enlarge to the 1920x1080 version! They are, of course, down-sampled from my original copies, we can chat if you're interested in any full quality versions. As always, these are my original photos, and I maintain the copyright.

Don't forget to if you like my blog, I will keep posting picture stories! Next up, will be the continuation of this trip, into Italy, so don't miss out!

The Beauty of Vienna