One week in Vienna

Last Wednesday I moved into my Viennese apartment. It's located in the fifth district, which for those of you who aren't familiar, Vienna is divided into twenty-three districts. Most of the tourist destinations are in the first district. Some districts are tiny, such as the fifth district, which is only about 0.78 sq mi. Others are quite large. The twenty-second district is about 40 sq mi.

What I love about Vienna is that it has very efficient public transportation. A month pass is around fifty euros and gives you complete access to all trains, subways, trams, and buses in Vienna. And they're all very efficient, and easy to use. The public transportation here makes it so easy to get around and see as much of the city as possible.

It's a bit warmer here than it is back in my hometown. However, it has still been rather cold, and the sun has only come out twice so far. And on Saturday it snowed for apparently the first time this year. The photo above was taken on that day, and that is St. Stephen's Cathedral in the photo. The cathedral is one of the most famous buildings in Vienna and is located right in the middle of the city. I haven't been in it yet, but I plan to soon.

If you ever decide to come to Vienna, there a couple of eating requirements. When you're in Vienna, you've got to try Wienerschnitzel. Considering the fact that Wienerschnitzel is from Vienna, you probably will have very little difficulty finding a good schnitzel restaurant. Fun fact: Wiener means Viennese in German. Apple strudel is another iconic Austrian dish that can be found at any café. That reminds me, one of the things you'll end up doing often in Vienna is checking out the abundance of cafés. They all have a very nice atmosphere, and you can spend so much time at them, so bring a book or something to work on. Or if you're like me, you can write a blog at one. Something to remember is that at most places in Vienna you can simply seat yourself. Some places will have a sign saying that you must wait, and if you're unlucky, there will be nothing indicating that you can't seat yourself when you were actually supposed to wait for someone. One last thing that I would highly recommend, especially if you've never tried it outside of the US, is to try the Fanta. It tastes more like a real orange, and I personally think it's better.