Advent in Salzburg

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Photos by: ilovetravels

Austria Trend Hotel Bosei

 

If I didn't go with the group I'd never choose this hotel not because it's bad but because it has only one flaw, it's far from the city center, everything else was great. I was pleased when I saw the room, neat, clean, and a spacious. Breakfast was excellent, staff polite, my daughter and I commented on how nice everything was.
Yet all those who go by car I sincerely recommend it. 

Photos by: ilovetravels

Advent in Vienna

Advent in Vienna Slideshow: Ana’s trip to Vienna was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

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Gaestehaus Eva-Maria Salzburg

Breakfast  room

“As you are in the village”

Pension situated in a quiet part of town is almost idyllic. A real vacation.
On the other hand it is very close to downtown and all the sights you must see in Salzburg. Husband and I were placed in a double room with bathroom that was clean and neat. We also have breakfast and we were satisfied. The host is always at your service. I loved his cats. If I ever go back to Salzburg I'll probably stay there again!

Cat

Room

Minimundus - Journey around the world in two hours

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MINIMUNDUS

While I'm preparing a trip to Amsterdam, which I'm planning for April, I'm trying to recall some of the places I visit on my past trips.
One of them was Minimundus in Klagenfurt where I went seven years ago. O God how quickly the time flew by and the places I managed to visit during that time.....So, Klagenfurt, an Austrian city on the border with Slovenia in the past known as Celovec. I can't remember any important details that I could write about, but there is one place that you shouldn't miss while staying in Klagenfurt and it's called Minimundus.

It's a place that represents the whole world using models of the most known places in the world which makes it an interesting place to visit no matter if you're an adult or a child. I remember, while I was walking through that large park and looking at the world's most important buildings in miniature, saying to myself: "I was there, I have to go there." And trust me some of the idea for my trip came exactly from this place.
I still lively remember while I was watching mini Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona ​​I was thinking: "This is my next destination". And a year later I was in Barcelona.

Minimundus, the miniature world  is a nice place to visit and  learn some interesting things. There are approximately 150 models of famous structures, trains and ships that take visitors on a trip around the world in, as said in title,two hours.  Minimundus  models are constructed  in details on a scale of 1:25  by using original materials, like sandstone, basalt lava or marble. They are created in the Minimundus model workshop, by students or by expert model makers.

Sagrada Familia - Barcelona

Acropolis - Athens

Taj Mahal - Agra

Great Wall of China

Statue of Liberty - New York

Petra - Jordan

Eiffel Tower - Paris

Belvedere - Vienna

Vienna

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We dedicated our last day in Vienna to walking around without any plans. We went to the city park. You could feel and see autumn on every step and we simply enjoyed this beauty surrounding us without words or any thoughts on what's to come, problems etc. There, there was just Vienna and us.

Walking, having a cake and a coffee, having lunch, walking again...time flies by so fast we didn't even notice the night had already fallen. We arrived to the Hundertwasser house. Unfortunately due to the lack of light the exterior couldn't be seen well so we couldn't take a good photo of it either. It's not a museum so you can't look around inside but it's nice to see it from the outside. Since this time we missed the opportunity to see it we went in a small souvenir-coffeshop and the kind lady in there showed us cca. an hour long movie about the architect Hundertwasser.

Looking back on my experience I'm kind of glad that my "just passing through" visits to Vienna made me want to come here, stay longer and start exploring the city. I'm now convinced that Vienna is a destination that will capture you with her beauty, rich culture, knowledge and will make you come back for more. To that I have to add wonderful and kind residents which is something I wasn't expecting in such amount. Every person we stopped in the street for information was very kind with honest intentions to help you which made this whole experience even better. If I could I would even move here.

Till the next time we see each other, goodbye Vienna!

Gutenberg monument

Church of St. Charles Borromeo

St. Peter's Church

City Park

Johann Strauss monument in the City Park

Stefansdom-Vienna

Stefansdom is situated in the very center of Vienna. It is the most significant symbol of Vienna and gives the impression like the whole city revolves around it. We went for a visit to this cathedral the first thing in the morning and ofc we had to climb up one of the towers. It took us 343 steps to get to top and it's quite a challenge. Getting to the top is always a chore but you'll be rewarded with the magnificent view on the whole city. This is also applied to Vienna. Stefansdom is a gothic cathedral, one of the most beautiful in the world. It reminds me of the one in Prague and Milan, however I don't like to make any comparisons since each has its own beauty and history.

The oldest sections of its facade, the Heidentuerme and Riesentor, are of Romanic origin. They date back to 1260. during the reign of King Ottokar II of Bohemia. But it was left to a members of the Habsburg royal family to complete the construction of the cathedral. 
A lot of members of the Habsburg family rest beneath it. Today Stefansdom is also a beautiful concert hall where you can enjoy classical music including the one written by the austrian genius composer Mozart.

Crest on the Cathedral's roof

View from  the Cathedral's Tower

Viennese pastries

Pastries, a doll and a horse made of marzipan

Vienna is a city of art, and to compliment that Viennese pastries also come in a form of true art. The most famous Viennese cake is Sacher Torte, but all the others I tried were just as tasty, yummy. A mouth full of rich taste, what more can you ask. What else can I tell you? Let's just say that If I'd lived in Vienna, I'd have weighed 300 kilograms.

Schönbrunn Palace Vienna

To be in Vienna and not visit the Schönbrunn is the same as you were not there. It’s true that this castle resembles many other European palaces of the period, but the unique spirit of the old Vienna is woven into it and you just have to experience it. The castle and its surroundings breathes with so much beauty and order it's a sin to miss an opportunity to see this beautiful complex. Everything is graceful, calm and gentle, even the squirrels, accustomed to visitors and tourists, don’t run away from you, they literally eat from your hand. I envy the Viennese for having a such nice place.

Besides groups of tourists visiting the palace I’ve noticed that also a lot of locals were hanging out there with their friends and families. No wonder because it's just a vast space where you're not endangered and annoyed by traffic or noise characteristic for modern urban area. There is also belvedere at the Gloriette of Maria Terezia and a café as well as the ZOO which brings a lot of joy not only to the kids but to the adults as well. Finally you can visit the labyrinth simple harmless fun for every age. Walking through labyrinth is a lot of laugh, especially when you face a dead end and feel like a complete fool. Fun! Well there is nothing new I could say about Schönbrunn . Entire world had already heard of it but still here are a few facts just for the information or a reminder.

The Schönbrunn Palace is place where famous Empress Maria Terezia lived with her 16 children and her husband Emperor Francis I. The palace has its origins in 1559, when Emperor Maximilian II who was looking for a hunting lodge purchased a mansion in the outskirts of the city.Schönbrunn Palace is Vienna’s Versailles and it was used as the summer residence o the Habsburgs from the 18th century to 1918. The golden yellow palace is set within magnificent gardens, landscaped in the baroque style with wonderful views. Gloriette is a triumphal arch that stands on the top of the hill behind the palace and affords a stunning view over the ground and the city beyond. The palace and gardens are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The world’s oldest ZOO established 1752 can be found in the park. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1918. a newly established Austrian government turned palace into a museum.

Fall in Schonbrunn

Gloriette

Labyrinth for children

The Austrian National Library

The Austrian National Library was once the Royal Library of the Habsburgs, one of most powerful families in Europe. It is a baroque building and one of the largest and most beautiful historical libraries in Europe. Nowadays 200.000 books printed between 1501-1850 are stored in this hall - oval center of the hall. The Austrian National Library owns more than 8 millions books and objects. The library consists of State Hall, Map Collection and Globe Museum, the Papyrus Collection, the Esperanto Museum, old and precious prints and a Music section.

It's a fascinating building, with the content that will never be study in detail. But simply walking through the tunnel of books makes me feel like some kind of a great scholar.

Vienna The City Of Art & Beauty

Maria Terezia Platz

Vienna, the capital of Austria as well as the largest city with a population of about 1.6 million inhabitants. It is also the cultural capital of Austria, and I dare to say, cultural capital of the world, at least when it comes to music.

You have the opportunity to attend a concert or some other kind of musical event almost at each step. It is really hard to choose among them all indeed. I am a music enthusiast, and regularly attend all the musical events in my city, but here I felt as a musical ignoramus.

Last year, when I stopped in Vienna for few hours on my way to Prague and decided to change the "just stopping by on my way to some other place" attitude towards Vienna. This IS a city of history, culture, music, waltzes, mmm cakes, a city of tremendous value, and should have more of my attention and respect. So the decision of staying in Vienna for few days and getting to know it a bit was made.

Vienna is a city full of valuables that can't be seen the in one visit. Our goal, for this visit, was to enjoy long walks through the city and to see let's call it, the most essential sightings.

We arrived quite early, settled in our hotel in Mariahilferstrasse and immediately went for a walk. Our choice of hotel was perfect, the majority of the most important sites were available to us on foot. At the end of the street, there are the Museum Quarter, Maria Terezia Platz and Hofburg Castle.

Choosing what to see now and what to leave for the next visit was quite a difficult task.


The Austrian National Library was among the first attractions I chose to visit.

To be continued....

Hotel Pension Continental Vienna

Entrance to the Hotel

Hotel Pension Continental is located in Mariahilferstrasse a famous shopping area in the center of Vienna. During the day many people do their shopping at the malls, have coffee with their friends or grab a quick bite. But after the stores close everything becomes quiet so you can be sure you'll have a peaceful goodnight sleep at this hotel. The subway is just a few meters away from the hotel and you can reach some of the most famous places in Vienna on foot.
The friendly staff is always available and you can always contact them if you have any issues. The Vienna card is also available for purchase at the reception. 
You'll also get very neat, spacious and clean rooms with a bathroom (and even a kitchen!!!) ... everything you need. Breakfast solid.
My experience with this hotel was very positive and I would recommend it to all my friends wish to visit Vienna, and when I decide to go back to this beautiful city, I'll book a room here again.

Living room

Bedroom

Bedroom

Bathroom

Kitchen

View from the room