Make Time: Vienna - Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

For our last full day in Vienna we had to see the Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn. We got up and I was gonna run real quick to the mall to grab the chord for my camera, so that I can download pics, as well as a lens cap for my camera (which I also lost, of course). Got the chord but the lens cap ended up being the wrong size. I was also trying to get a ticket to Budapest because there is an office at the mall as well, but of course this process took much longer than I had hoped. So I got to Stasha's hotel much later than she had hoped, so she was antsy and we hurried out and grabbed a quick coffee before taking the subway system to the Palace. We got there around noon, and on advice from my friend Matt (who is amazingly in Vienna on work as well), we did the audio tour. Walking up to the Palace it's hard not to imagine this place hundreds of years ago, with carriages and the first cars driving around. So much magnificence - it reminded me of places I've seen in St Petersburg, Russia. The history of Franz Joseph 1 of Austria, who lived in the Palace and ruled the country for over 60 years, was fascinating. He apparently worked 16 hours a day and wouldn't finish until he was absolutely exhausted. He was every bit focused on being a servant of the state. Very cool to hear. His family had unimaginable drama, as with any dynasty, but nothing too crazy (jealous mom, unadoring wife, brother killed by Italian anarchists, etc). The really cool fact that we learned on the tour was that Amadeus Mozart played his first concert at the age of 6 for Franz Joseph. Insane. 6 years old? Wow. I know 6 year olds and they are NOT doing symphonies. Granted the more I learned about Mozart the more he has shown himself to be a very tragic character, but wow he was definitely a prodigy. It's interesting then, that he ended up broke and drunk, because many young celebrities also fall into these issues nowadays. I really think Mozart was the first rock star - even before rock stars were real. After doing the tour me and Stasha walked behind the palace into the garden area. Wow. Unending rows of trees, all forming canopies. I can't imagine being able to walk out of my home and into this garden area. Actually, I saw a ton of people running in the park, which made me think it would be rad to live in that area - if not just to take advantage of these amazing grounds. Stasha was tired so she headed back to the city to chill and I kept walking around the grounds and just relaxing and enjoying the park. I'm a huge park-person, which I know sounds weird, but I just really enjoy hanging out in parks and enjoying the sights, sounds, and people around me. It's a very peaceful place for my soul, and so it was nice to have some time to myself to enjoy the beauty. Good pics below :) After chilling in the park I decided to go try to figure out my train to Budapest, which I still hadn't bought, so I went to a train station about 15 minutes outside of town where they sell the eurorail pass, only to find out that buying individual trains is much cheaper than the eurorail. Awesome. So I end up buying a one way to Budapest for Tuesday around 2pm, which I could have bought at the mall right near where I'm staying. About an hour and a half later I finally get back to Stasha, who is now chilling back at the same place we first ate when we got to Vienna. Yes, it's Italian and I got there and ordered some Rose and then relaxed for a bit, before heading back to Stasha's hotel room for a nap. Got up around 6:30pm to meet up with my friend Isabella and my college buddy Matt on the rooftop of the adjacent hotel, which has the most amazing views of the city. Some fun pics below. We hung there for a bit and had drinks before going back to….wait for it…Fratellis!!! Yes, the stars of Goonies got us so excited the first time that we went back to enjoy our same dishes again. Stasha is so funny. When she eats something she likes she will eat it almost all the time she's on vacation. I can understand her plight though - the food in her compound in Saudi Arabia is just not that good, so when she finds something good she really sticks to it. I'm not much different, having eaten PB&J's almost exclusively until I was about 12 years old. No joke. Anyway, I'm digressing. So we finish dinner and have a drink at this bar which is one of the oldest in Vienna - called American Bar. Yes, not that great of a name, but apparently Freud used to hang out there. VERY small place, and they made a mean white russian for my night cap. After this drink we all four went to this killer penthouse bar which is located directly across from St Stephens Cathedral, so we had a few drinks there and were able to appreciate the amazing beauty of the church from eye level. So crazy to think it was made in the 12th century. After a few drinks we all went our own ways, but wow what a great night.

It's been very special for me to start my European journey with my sister, who I love dearly, and good friends like Isabella and Matt. I can't thank Isabella enough for letting me stay at her apt, which was incredibly classy and vintage Vienna. Not to mention Matt, who I knew and partied with in college, but who was also my first roommate out of college (in SF). Some cray funny stories from my days living with Matt - which were funny to tell to the group. It's just a very soothing feeling knowing that you are with loved ones when you embark on a journey of the soul. It reminds me of what I need to focus on and where I come from. I'm more than excited about this new part of my year.