Neuschwanstein Castle was nice, but the fairytale charm of Rothenburg was the highlight of Germany for me! And, as well as the beauty of the town, it was filled with more than a couple of interesting museums – more on that later. For more posts like this, check out my Photo Duo tag. For more on the region, click through to read entries relating to Germany and Europe.
You’d be forgiven for thinking these pictures were taken in the summer, because it was a surprisingly sunny winter day when I explored the old town in Rhodes. I can’t wait to share more pictures and stories about Rhodes with you!
Check out my Photo Duo tag for more posts like this, or my Greece or Europe tags for more on the region.
The Acropolis in Athens was one of my favourites of the iconic places I visited in Europe. And while the Parthenon was stunning, what I really loved about the place was the incredible view of Athens it provided: sprawling, historical, imperfect at times but real. I pinched myself when I made it to the top and saw this for the first time! I also tried to spot where I was staying, Plaka Hotel – but no such luck. I’m still looking for it…
Moosach is a district of Munich, Germany. It’s a charming little area that I got to know quite well, as I stayed in Harry’s Home Hotel (which is great, and I recommend! You can catch the train just outside; it’s only fifteen minutes away from the city). The district is a small-scale version of what I expected most of Germany to be: a lot of cute and colourful buildings, modern architecture mixed with old architecture, bakeries and beer halls. The wintry weather meant it was gloomy most of the time, but the sunrises were always beautiful – and for that reason, I thought I’d share a few pictures.
If a cupcake with vanilla frosting transformed into a real-life city, Austrian capital Vienna would be that city.
At least, it would from an aesthetic perspective. Somehow, everything seems to complement each-other: the old palaces blend in with the townhouses, which are complemented by the coffeehouses; the cafés look perfect amongst the various parks and gardens, which are framed by understated ultra-modern buildings, and so on and so forth.
My favourite cities have never been perfect-looking by conventional standards (think Bangkok or Los Angeles), so I wasn’t too sure how I’d feel about Vienna. But as it turns out, I fell head over heels.
Here are five reasons why…
1. MuseumsQuartier
Unsurprisingly, this 60,000 square-metre area of the city is packed with museums. There is a reason why people flock to Vienna for arts and culture. Not only is there a lot of it (and I mean a lot), but it’s so well-organised that what might take a week of sightseeing in another European city can be done in just a few days here. Head straight to Leopold Museum for some Klimt goodness, or the mumok if you like modern art that gets a little weird.
2. Trams
Vienna’s colourful, old-fashioned trams were easy to use, reliable and a dream to take photographs of. Trams in general are probably my favourite way to see a new city: not as rushed as trains, easier to understand than bus routes, and they almost always cover the main tourist destinations a city has to offer.
3. Coffee houses
One of the most surprising things about Europe – at least in my experience – was how difficult it was to find a good cup of coffee without paying an arm or a leg for it. Coming from Australia, where we really are spoilt for choice, Viennese coffeehouse culture was both relatable and enviable. While I didn’t try the famous Sachertorte (I know right?), I enjoyed many an almond croissant and ein cappuccino.
4. Palaces
There’s no two ways about it, Vienna’s palaces are impressive. And they all seem to be home to even more museums and art galleries! Take the Hofburg Imperial Palace: it is home to an extensive Silver Collection, the Imperial Apartments, and the Sisi Collection. On top of that, you can check out a (mind-blowingly extensive) collection of court arms and armour at the Kunsthistorisches Museum nearby. My favourite, though, has to be the Belvedere. But I’m biased: it is home to Klimt’s The Kiss and The Sunflower, and Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps (which was on the cover of one of my textbooks for a course earlier that year, so it was surreal seeing it IRL.)
5. Vietnamese food
The reason behind this being on the list is similar to the reason I had coffeehouses on the list. Only, the situation with Vietnamese food was much more dire: did it exist in Europe at all?!, I often asked myself. And I looked for it, too: if you search ‘Vietnamese Restaurants in Rome’, only five restaurants in the entire city come up on TripAdvisor (and even then, one of those restaurants has ‘Hong Kong’ in the name and the other has ‘Bali’, so I’m not sure how much Vietnamese food they do). Vienna, on the other hand? There were a handful of Vietnamese places, and it was good. It was really, really good. In freezing weather, there’s nothing I love more than a steaming hot bowl of pho, and this city delivered.
Nicole, in blog form 