Day 13: Venice (Italy) - Vienna (Austria)

It was another bus day, the coach only stopped at gas stations for breaks. When we had our first stop in Austria, I had chicken schnitzel for lunch. It was made from a battered chicken fillet, coated with bread crumb and then deep fried. It was very crispy. Not so for the beef schnitzel as the fillet was not tender enough.

Austria scenery is like those in postcards. The hills are dotted with small colourful houses and the grazing cows. It was very pretty.



Vienna (Wien)
Our hotel at Vienna was a five-star resort hotel. This was the only five-star hotel we had for the whole trip. It was a rare treat. The quality of European hotels is usually lower than the the rest of the world. So, if it is a two-star in Europe, it might be similar to one-star somewhere else.


Event Pyramide hotel



After checking in, we were heading to city center. The city was nice, clean and neat. The Austrian is very friendly towards the environment. For example, the cashier at supermarket didn't even give me any plastic bags to put in my groceries. I had to bring my own bag or pay 10 cents for one.

Stephansdom


St Stephen cathedral



Hofburg Palace


Entrance of Hofburg Palace


Spanish Riding School

Near the entrance of Hofburg Palace, a busker was playing a cello. The palace was deserted at night, and all we could hear was the sound of cello. It was a very beautiful piece. I was impressed with his skills, I think he could be compared to YoYo Ma, the renowned cellist :). There must be a lot of people who are very good at playing musical instruments in this country.

Rathaus


City hall

At night, the buildings were not brightly lit up. I would come again and take the day version of the buildings in the morning.

Day 14 >>