Vienna, Austria

We had a total of three and a half days in Austria and we decided to spend our second day in Schönbrunn Palace. This was my fourth visit to Vienna and Schönbrunn is one of the places I just can't miss, I absolutely love its grounds and the combination of hiking and sightseeing that they offer.

Although this was my fourth visit, there were certain places I still hadn't visited - the Palm House, the Desert House and the Zoo. The Vienna Zoo is huge and the visit to these three places, situated next to each other, took us about five hours, a good part of our Vienna day - we had other plans for the evening :)

The Palm House consists of three green houses and is total worth visiting. The atmosphere is very serene and relaxing, with bird songs and other recorded forest sounds, which transport you in the type of forest each green house represents.

If we didn't have a full day ahead of us, I could spend there hours, watching the giant palms and blooming trees and listening to the bird songs.

The rhododendrons, camellia trees, jasmines were in full bloom and were simply spectacular. The air was thick with intoxicating aromas, we couldn't stop smelling the flowers, filling to the brim our nostrils with the sweet air of the houses.

The queens of the Desert House were the giant tortoises 

The Schönbrunn zoo is definitely a place to visit at least once in a lifetime. The animals are extremely well cared for, the place is huge, with enough space for each animal, the visitor access to the animals is well thought of, simultaneously safe, but close up enough, that one feels engaged with the animals and their activities. And as is to be expected - there's huge heaps of information, provided one is willing to read it :) 

There is a round trail throughout the zoo, so that a visitor can see all the animals, following the trail and return to the starting point, without repeating his steps. The maps and signs are everywhere and it is very easy to follow the route.

There are also plenty of rest places and bars and cafes for drinks and snacks, as the whole trip does take time and effort.

I haven't been to many zoos around the world, art galleries are more my thing, but this zoo might have changed my mind :) It was very interesting and entertaining and I am very happy we decided to spend our day in Vienna there.

After the visit to the zoo, we went a little around the park, climbing to the Gloriette and then back to the palace.

We definitely worked well that day for our delicious and nourishing Korean meal in the evening :)

On our last half a day in Vienna, before our flight to Sofia, we decided to visit the Donauinsel - an island on the Danube river, right in the heart of the city, which is turned into a huge park. the island is long - some 25 km, but narrow, probably 500 m max in width.

The river is live - we saw swans, ducks, seagulls and many other water birds.

As everything in Vienna, the park is made with a lot of thought for the comfort and well-being of the citizens and guests of the city. One of the sleeves of the river is designated for swimming, with platforms and lifebuoys at every several meters. The lanes are for running and cycling and we saw plenty of people - young and old, exercising under the mild March sun.

There's even a beach on the river and Gaby tells me, that it is a very popular and beloved place, once the temperatures rise.

We had a nice long walk, had some quick lunch and headed directly to the airport. Good-bye, Vienna, we'll come back soon :)