My trip to Vienna - Even better than I expected!
August 31st, 2007
If I was to sum up Vienna in just a few words, ‘elegant, classical and romantic’ would probably be perfect!
I’m not a musical person and I don’t speak German so at first I was not sure what Vienna, the birthplace of Mozart and Schubert, could offer me, and was keen to find out!
After just a couple of days, the charm of this beautiful city had truly won me over, and it’s definitely somewhere that I would like to return to!
Vienna is a surprisingly large city but one which I think is best explored on foot with narrow mediaeval streets, magnificent palaces, squares and gardens all waiting to be discovered.
The school is just next to the Belverdere palace and gardens (surely one of the most picturesque sights in the city!) where it’s great to have a relaxing stroll after class!
In my opinion, some of the must-see, must-do things while you are in Vienna are:
1) Try the famous Wiener Schnitzel which is veal fried in breadcrumbs and usually served with sliced potatoes and vinaigrette (I had wrongly thought this was some kind of sausage dish!).
2) Take a ride on the Ferris wheel (the Reisenbaden) in the Prater fun fair. This is an enormous wheel, constructed in 1897, which offers spectacular views of the city from up to 200 ft in one of 15 cabins (which actually look like small railway carriages).
This was the first time I had ever been on a big wheel of this scale and was a little nervous so I made sure that if someone went to one side of the carriage to look out the window, I sat on the opposite side to try to balance things out a little!
3) Take a metro to the UNO city on the eastern side of the Danube and enjoy the ultra-modern architecture (a little like walking around around a Sci-Fi film set!) before walking back accross the bridge and into the centre of historic Vienna, perhaps pausing at one of the fantastic ice-cream parlours along the way!
In short, my preconceptions about Vienna were proved totally incorrect. I had wrongly thought that Vienna had been behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and was therefore expecting an old fashioned city with dark foreboding architecture.
This was largely due to having watched ‘The Third Man’ as a kid which is an excellent ‘Film Noir’ set in Vienna at the end of the Second World War, and which involves a lot of lurking in dark alleyways, conspiracy and double crossing!
However, what I found was a very modern and vibrant city, very much like other European cities such as Barcelona and Paris with colourful street entertainers and lively bars and restaurants!
So, if you’re keen to learn German, but are looking for somewhere a little different, why not try Vienna? I guarantee that you will not be disappointed!
Scott
September 17th, 2007 at 7:56 am
Hey Scott!
I also took a German language course in Vienna enjoyed it sooo much!!! Not only could I improve my German skills but I was also able to take advantage of that incredbly city. In my opinion, there’s another ‘must see place’ in Vienna; the Schönbrunn. It is a great palace a bit like the famous Versalles in Paris and you can easily spend an afternoon walking around on its luxururious gardens…
Don’t miss it!
September 17th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Hi Ana,
I must admit that I didn’t visit the Schonbrunn. I did walk past the main gates but there was a huge crowd outside which put me off! However, I’ve taken a look at the website (http://www.schoenbrunn.at/de/publicdir/) and it will certainly be on my list for next time! It looks like you can buy tickets on-line which will probably be my course of action so that I can beat the queues!
November 30th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Hi Scott,
Thank you for the tip! I’ll make sure I won’t forget that in my next visit to Vienna. Perhaps during the Christmas time, as I’ve heard there are amazing markets there.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Hi Ana,
I’m sure it would be fantastic!
You can find out more about the Christmas markets on the following website:
http://www.christkindlmarkt.at/markt_en.html
I’ve just come back from Berlin and the Christmas markets were in full swing throughout the city! I really enjoyed the bockwursts but wasn’t so keen on the gluhwein!
December 11th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Scott, i’m 18 years old and i’m really interested in doing the course in vienna. was there young people my age on the course? and is there a good nightlife?:)
December 12th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Hi Leah,
The minimum age at the school is 16 years old and there is no upper age limit. I’m sure that you would soon make friends with other students of all ages!
Vienna definitely has a good night life and the pedestrianised zone between St. Ruprecht’s Church and the Bermuda Brau microbrewery is one area (known as the ‘Bermuda Triangle’!) which has many popular bars and small clubs.
I’m sure you would have a great time!