Last Year in Photos | Vienna
There is no European capital (outside of Croatia) that I’ve visited more than Vienna. It’s a city I keep coming back to and can’t seem to part ways with. Whenever someone in the US asks me about traveling to Europe and where to start, I always make sure to suggest Vienna. Why? Well, for many reasons. For example, if you appreciate a good coffee, you will most certainly indulge in the centuries long Viennese coffee house culture and slow paced lifestyle. Yes, there is Starbucks there but, with all the legit coffee houses around, it’s almost an abomination to walk around with a venti in your hand. (In my opinion, don’t come for me). Then, famous pastries and history of cake making that vastly influenced Croatian baking as we were a part of their monarchy for centuries, up until 100 years ago. Which brings us to the fact that the City is deeply rooted in (Habsburg) history. Something I, considering my background, immensely enjoy.
Did you know Vienna has one of the oldest amusement parks in the world? Prater opened to public in 1766. by the enlightened absolutist Emperor Josef II. Of course, the rides and structures have been added on ever since. I married into a family that appreciates amusement parks so it was only natural to bring my husband and sister in law to this one. I think they liked it.
We stayed at Hotel Babula am Augarten. Quite a lovely place with an amazing food. However, I wouldn’t recommend it if you can’t handle summer humidity in the city as there was no AC, just portable fans. I would assume because of the laws to preserve the original historic look of the buildings (which, in essence, I agree with)? We would gladly come back and stay during the more cooler seasons.
During my numerous comings and goings to Vienna, I had always wanted to visit their Natural History Museum at Maria-Theresien-Platz, but never happened. This time around, I was determined to visit the Museum, even if it ended up being the only place we saw during our two-day trip.
Believe me, it was fantastic and absolutely worth the visit. It’s one of the biggest collections I’ve ever seen in my life and the beauty of the museum building itself makes it that much more extraordinary. I felt like I was in mid 19th century, looking at displays and wondering about the land before time. Also, I got to see the Venus of Willendorf! That lady had been staring at me from textbooks since elementary school. Felt like a full circle moment.
The rest of our time there we spent mostly walking around the old centre, taking pictures and eating. However, it was the hottest and most humid day I had experienced in a long time so we cut the afternoon short and returned to the hotel to just exist amidst the heatwave, staring at the ceiling. Still, I’m happy to write: Until next time, Vienna! Preferably in autumn or spring. God bless!
All photos were taken with a FujiFilm X-T3 + Fujinon 23mm 1.4
