I think “Vienna” by Billy Joel is my new favorite song. I spent this past weekend in Vienna, Austria with four of my Copenhagen roommates, and three other girls from DIS. We all stayed in a massive airbnb together, and it was probably one of my favorite weekend trips I’ve had thus far.
Day 1: I knew I was making the right choice by not scheduling any Friday classes, because it allowed me to go to Austria a day early. Alex and I arrived Friday morning, checked into the airbnb, and immediately started exploring. We started with lunch overlooking the canal, where we both ordered avocado toast and some kind of fruity spritz drinks. It was about 70 degrees and sunny–the weather literally could not have been more perfect.
After lunch Alex and I started our walking tour of the city where we just wandered in the direction of the prettiest buildings. We stumbled upon the Cathedral, Opera house, and eventually found ourselves eating gelato and sunbathing outside of a palace. I’m usually somewhat nervous about getting lost in a new city, but in a place as pretty as Vienna there is no such thing as a wrong turn.
Later that night, the rest of our friends made it to the airbnb and we headed to dinner. We went to what we thought was just an average sushi restaurant, but ended up being an all you can eat dinner experience. We were big group of 8 girls at a late dinner, so not much sushi went to waste.
Day 2: The day started with brunch at a cute Austrian restaurant called Le Pic. I’m pretty sure everyone got some kind of bread/croissant, and of course coffee because there is just no better European combination.
Next up was the Belvedere Palace Museum. I am not always the most enthusiastic about museums, but this one got my attention as soon as I saw a painting I used to study in high school. Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” was displayed in the back room, as well as many of his other famous works. I’ve decided I’m going to classify myself as a true fan of fine art after recognizing a few pieces in that museum.
After the museum, we walked over to Sacher Cafe to get their famous chocolate torte. I shared a piece with Alli and despite finishing the whole thing, we couldn’t decide if we were big fans of the apricot filling or not.
The day continued with more walking around, pit stops at famous monuments, sunbathing in parks, and a rooftop bar. The bar was located directly across from the Cathedral and had the most amazing views of the whole city. We of course took plenty of pictures, and then headed down the street for dinner.
Dinner was at a traditional Austrian restaurant called Lugeck. I had heard so much about schnitzel, that I honestly thought it would be wrong to leave Vienna without trying some. Luckily, Alli was brave enough to split the schnitzel with me for dinner, and we both decided it was actually really good. Although the name weiner schnitzel doesn’t sound the most appetizing, I would definitely recommend trying it for yourself if you are ever in Vienna.
Day 3: The last day was rainy and a little cold, so sunbathing wasn’t really an option anymore. We decided to spend the day at the Albertina art museum (since I’m such an art lover now). I was able to see some Claude Monet and Andy Warhol pieces which was exciting because I also studied them in my extensive high school art classes.
Soon enough it was time to grab our bags and head to the airport. It was especially sad leaving Vienna because this was my last weekend trip while studying at DIS. Now don’t get me wrong, I have plenty of trips planned for the summer, but something about arriving back in Copenhagen with my roommates for the last time was somewhat sentimental. Despite a little nostalgia, I’ll forever be so grateful to have had roomies that I not only enjoy living with, but also traveling the world with.
Allison Abroad 