Vienna - Day 2

The day began with breakfast at a cafe. The traditional Viennese breakfast is a pastry or bread and coffee. I do wish I could speak German, as it felt very awkward ordering from someone who didn't speak English. After breakfast we headed down to the Shonbrünn palace, the summer residence of the Hapsburgs. The palace itself is quite large and ornate, and the interior is no exception. Unfortunately some of the rooms were too fussy, and ended being tacky. Perhaps the tackiest room was one desiged to look like it was made from porcelain. After finishing at the palace, we went through a maze and up to the Gloriette, a structure in the gardens that offers great views of the city. While on our way out of the palace we stopped for a snack. In Vienna there are these stalls that sell sausages on the street. I had a delicious bratwurst with mustard.

We then headed up to Grinzing, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Vienna that is famous for its Heurigan - taverns. Located in hills, Grinzing is also home to a number of vineyards. Unfortunately I did not realize that the Heurigan opened only in the mid-afternoon. We had to wait an hour for one to open. The wait was worth it though, and the meal was had was excellent. The same could not be said of the white wine though, which tasted watered down. By this time it was quite late and so we headed back to the hostel to get a quick rest and use the internet. For dinner we went to a restaurnt called 'Stomach,' which was recommended in the Lonely Planet quide. It was quite expensive, but as I was ordering something I rarely ate - wild boar, I felt the cost was justified. It was quite good overall, tasting like a gamey pork loin. I ordered a desert as well, the Austrian equivalent of fruit knedlicky, which was interesting.