Vienna, Austria.

Traveling from Bratislava to Vienna (we’ve heard) is a flat, easy, half-day bike ride, but we took the train. Many available bus, metro, and train stops make Vienna super accessible, but because train travel is included in our Eurail passes, we stuck to the train routes within the city as well.

Due to its noted reputation as a city of music and culture, home to a long list of famous composers including Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Schubert, and Haydn, we had to take in a classical music concert to get a fuller experience of Vienna. Concert length, location, and cost were most important to us, so we opted for a 60-minute performance at

St. Anne’s Church. Featuring one piece each by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, the music was melodic and full. General admission seating in non-tiered church pews made sitting even just a few rows back difficult to see, but the church interior was ornate and kept our attention. Mostly.

Hofburg Palace is a spectacle, and really more a series of buildings and attractions than a single palace. We opted to tour the Sisi Museum where young Elisabeth, starting at age 16, lived unhappily as Empress after marrying her first cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph. Helluva story.

Viennese delights, including the famous sachertorte

Entering Sisi Museum, former home of Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth

Concert at St. Anne's Church

Ready to leave the library

South tower steps at St. Stephen's Cathedral

Austrian National Library