I left Prague early the following morning and headed for my next stop : Vienna. You may be wondering about my itinerary – why, from Salzburg, did I go to Prague instead of heading straight to Vienna?
Well, because the budget train tickets only had those routes available. And I had a limited budget, so I took advantage of that, even if it meant longer traveling hours. I figured it would be nice to see the countryside, which includes the Alps and the lakes. Or worst case, if the views were pathetic, then I could just catch up on sleep and gather energy for my next stop.
Anyway, I arrived in Vienna around noon, which gave me plenty of time to see the city before I hop on my next train to Zurich at 10:00 pm that same day. Vienna, though not as blessed with spectacular views of the Alps as Innsbruck or even Salzburg, was still gorgeous. I really love Austria! Or what I’ve seen of the country so far.
In Vienna, most of the city’s highlights were also within walking distance from each other. I was already tired though, so I decided to just take the trams even if it would cost me a bit. The 24-hour ticket with access to all the public transport in the city cost around 10 euro.
But the sights in Vienna made the ticket worth it. There was the imperial palace which was really, really impressive. Inside it were notable buildings and other structures such as the cathedral, the museum, and the treasury.
I went inside the treasury (for a fee of 12 euro) and checked out some of the world’s most treasured possessions, which Austria’s former royal families used to own. Some of the notable displays I saw were :
- the gold plated and silk laden cradle of Napoleon Bonaparte’s and Marie Louise’s son (this cradle was left in Austria because Marie Louise was the princess of Austria when Bonaparte married her)
- the capes and crown jewels that former Austrian kings used to wear
- the official cape used during crowning ceremonies of new kings, which was made of heavy silk and decorated with gold threads and thousands of pearls
- the world’s biggest precious stone which was converted into a jar, upon order of the king
- the bowl which many thought of to be the Holy Grail since it is said to be the bowl used to hold the blood of Christ when he was on the cross
- one of the nails used on Christ’s left hand, which had been made part of a chalice
- the ornaments (capes and medals) used by the Order of the Golden Fleece, the world’s most powerful chivalrous group, organized and headed by the Duke of Burgundy
Aside from the treasury, a lot of other structures in Vienna are worth visiting. The atmosphere speaks of old world and royalty. Even the museum and their congress building look impressive.
There was also this smaller castle called Belvedere, which was about 15 minutes away from the city center. The compound was vast and probably looks better in summer, but looked good to me even covered in snow. It is said to have been constructed for one of the Dukes of Austria in the old times.
Vienna had this winter festival going on when I was there. They had a fair in their city park where food stalls were set-up, a skating rink area was roped off, and the city park had colorful lighting and decors.
It was another worthwhile visit and fulfilling visit for me. I had a great time in the city, especially while inside the palace and the treasury, which makes me think I must have been a princess in one of my past lives ‘cause I felt so at home there. Haha.
Anyway, I left Vienna at 10:00pm onboard an overnight train to Zurich. I arrived in Zurich at around 7:00 am the next morning and went on a short exploration of the city. There’s nothing really worth noting there as it looks like a typical modern European city. But at least I’ve been there and now I know J
