This is our second night in Vienna and it's cloudy but not raining. Just 5 min after we got back to Lucy last night there was a horrible thunder and lightning storm which I consider very scary. Mom is crazy because she thinks it's cozy?

Leaving Graz we made a short stop at these places, but we didn't bother going inside because we had plenty of lunch stuff in Lucy. We have to make many short stops because Mom gets sleepy fast when we're driving on Autobahn

This is an apartment complex by the train station, and Mom said that SpongeBob lives there?

Early Friday morning we took the subway into the Centrum of Vienna, and according to Mom, all you need to say about this city is WOW and WOW. The streets are clean and the buildings and and and .....

We got off the subway at Stephansplatz and since it was 8am we had to start with a Vienna breakfast. A macchiato and a croissant. They called it a French kiss?

St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. 

This breathtaking Gothic cathedral is one of Europe's loveliest. It boasts an eclectic mish-mash of architectural and decorative styles that reflect many renovations over hundreds of years. Most recently, the interiors were modified during the Baroque period.

Construction began during the 12th century, and the flamboyant high-gothic style is readily apparent in the Cathedral's four towers, one of which houses an impressive 13 bells. The enormous Pummerin bell is the second-largest chimed church bell in Europe and is situated in the North Tower. Remarkable views over the entire city can be appreciated from the towers, especially the South, but again no dogs are allowed, which is a rule in every single church, and I would like to know what God has against dogs?

The glory of St. Stephen's Cathedral is its ornately patterned, richly colored roof, 111 meters (364 ft) long, and covered by 230,000 glazed tiles. Above the choir on the south side of the building, the tiles form a mosaic of the double-headed eagle that is symbolic of the empire ruled from Vienna by the Habsburg dynasty.

The city’s history dates back to 500 BC when the Celts settled down on the Danube River. Since then, a lot has changed and nowadays, Vienna is the beautiful capital of Austria and also the first capital city through which the Danube flows. It has lots of rich architectural ensembles, including Baroque castles, gardens, and monuments. All these were defined by its famous and intellectual residents, such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Freud

The first thing Mom wanted to see was the Hundertwasser and that was a pretty long walk, but it was still cool, and not a lot of people yet so it was ok. We got there and it was closed for renovation .....what a disappointment

But a few more blocks was the Hundertwasserhaus which is an apartment house, completed in 1985, after the idea and concept of Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. This is where we should live said Mom until she noticed the mob of tourists in the courtyard.

There we had the best gelato we ever tasted (actually it was my first)

I rested in the small cafe/bookstore for a bit

We saw this banner and this gorgeous monument on our walk there.

Beautiful colorful buildings everywhere 

We walked back to the city center by the Danube River and there was lots and lots of colorful graffiti on the walls on both sides

We walked a lot and when we felt tired we grabbed one of these "taxis". Mom asked the man to stop at a market to buy water, and that worried me a lot so I started to cry. She said she and everyone else heard me in the store and I know everyone felt very sorry for me, but MOm said I should know she always come back

There are so many amazing buildings, fountains, and statues here and no way we could remember them all so here are a few pictures of what we saw

The Parliament building is where the two houses conduct their sessions. It was built to house the two chambers of the Imperial Council. Since its construction, the Parliament Building has been the seat of these two houses and their successors. Quite impressive we thought

After all this walking we had to get something to eat and of course, we had to order a beer and a wiener schnitzel 

The potato salad was delicious said Mom I preferred the schnitzel. 

All the waiters fell in love with me and got the best meat from the kitchen and people walking by stopped and took pictures of me. I'm like a famous movie star says Mom, maybe we should start charging like the street musicians.

In Sweden, there's the tradition of "fika" (coffee and cake) and they have a similar tradition here which is taken very seriously. We found the most famous one named Cafe Central and it dates back to 1873, making it one of the oldest coffee houses in Vienna, and it is housed in a listed historical building. There was a line out the door so we only snuck in to take a few pictures, and here sat this stonefaced man................wonder how long he has been waiting

The cafe is located in the Palais Ferstel building. It was originally built for the Austrian National Bank and stock exchange in 1860 and from 1878 served as the head office of the Austro-Hungarin Bank. 

the Hofburg Palace is a stunning testament to the former Imperial power that once led much of Europe from the Austrian capital and it reminded us a lot of the Versailles outside Paris that we visited last year

The vast complex—extending over 2.5 million square feet to comprise 18 wings, 19 courtyards, and 2,600 rooms—offers a glimpse into both the history and present-day Vienna. It has evolved from a medieval fortified castle into an imperial palace and is now one of the seats of democratic government, making it one of Europe's oldest and most enduring places of power.

The rose garden looked amazing with gorgeous green grass to chase a ball on, but again No dogs allowed

In conclusion, we could spend weeks here if we should see everything but I think it's time to find a place with a much slower pace for a few days. Big cities are exhausting for both of us so now the plan is to follow the Danube to a much smaller place.

Mom says we have to come back here one day....................ok whatever she says but I want to go back to Plitvice Park

We could do that too Mom says.

It's now 9 am time to pack up and continue on 

Wet kisses all Henry

PS. I heard that people we don't know are following us, and it would be so nice to get a hello sometime so we can get to know you.

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