Wien

The above picture is of a cake. That's just how fancy Wien can be. In case you were wondering, it's pronounced veen. It took me like three days to remember whether it was veen or vine, so I try not to call it Vienna anymore or I'll get confused again. Wien is an amazing place. Lots of history here. My guide book describes it as a head without a body, and I think that sums it up pretty well. I've gone to over half a dozen museums with these huge expansive collections (like having something like 400 of the 700 known minerals) that show just how huge and powerful the Austrian empire and the Holy Roman Empire before it really were. I think maybe the most impressive thing so far was seeing the 10th century crown of the Holy Roman Emperors. Really amazing. That and the unicorn horn in the next room.

Today, I took a little hike through the hills northwest of Wien. Really pretty woods and vineyards. I took a bus all the way to the top, ate my picnic lunch, then hiked most all the way down. I ended up in the neighborhood of Nussberg and at Beethoven's house. Those are the kinds of things you don't just happen upon wandering around St. Jo. I've realized that I like museums, but I love nature more, so I'm going to keep looking for places like this in the cities I visit.

As I've been getting used to traveling alone, visiting these huge museums and seeing these incredible sights, I realized a positive and negative to touring alone. First the negative, I miss not having anyone to talk to all day. I find myself talking to myself just to use my mouth sometimes. The positive, no one notices when I fart.