Day Twenty One: Vienna

Today feels like it’s been a million days all squished into one, but it’s been wonderful. It’s another one where I don’t know how to share all of the photos I took. The only semi-bad/semi-funny thing that happened was when I slipped in the shower at my Airbnb and pulled out part of the wall…oops. I’m okay, I just felt bad for my host!

I started the day with breakfast at Ulrich, a very nice cafe with great coffee and food. I’m making the most of these breakfasts while traveling since I don’t really get them in Spain.

The first thing on my list was to check out Schonbrunn Palace, specifically the gardens. Several of my friends told me they were incredible and they were not lying. I walked the gardens for hours—not an exaggeration. Every time I turned a corner there was something new I had to check out!

Walking through the palace gardens woke up the kid in me. I felt like the younger Hayley who made up a story everywhere she went. I was always imagining different worlds and placing myself in them, and that’s exactly what I wanted to do seeing the fancy statues, fountains, and structures that used to be a real and normal part of some people’s lives a long time ago. Maybe it’s the part of me that’s read too many old books and seen too many old movies, but seeing all of that in a palace garden was enchanting.

There was one section that actually almost made me cry, and I can’t even explain why. It was a fountain surrounded by statues, and it was one of the most magnificent things I’ve ever seen. It just struck me that that was a real thing people had in their lives. I don’t know how to explain it. I was in awe.

After hours in the gardens I finally found my way out and to a hotdog stand. The same friends who recommended the gardens also recommended street hotdogs, and once again, they did not disappoint. Then I got ice cream because I’m an addict and then checked out St. Stephen’s Cathedral. It was gorgeous and I was really hoping to see it, so I’m glad I got to. I also got to stop by the Opera House again on my way to look at Cafe Mozart.

By the end of all this, I was wondering what I could do to keep seeing things but stop being on my feet so much, so I spontaneously bought a ticket to a performance of music by Mozart and Strauss that featured opera singers and ballet dancers in Schonbrunn Palace. What could be more fitting for my last night in Vienna? I can’t believe how artistic this place is. It’s all but a dream.