Photo Diary of Europe: Welcome to Wien!

Driving across the countryside

Graffiti is everywhere you turn.

An old church located amongst housing.

The Wienfluss aka Vienna River.

Stephansdom in Stephansplatz Square.

Stephansplatz Square.

The Upper Belvedere.

The Upper Belvedere is where majority of Klimt's works are located.

The gardens constructed by Dominique Girard, who was trained in the Gardens of Versailles.

Carlone Hall in the Upper Belvedere.

Like most old art, you are only able to capture a photo in your memory!

Ceiling Painting in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere.

In front of the Palace Gardens.

Time to ride the U!

View from the Wiener Riesenrad.

Welcome to the Prater!

One of the oldest ferris wheels  in the world!  Lets ride!

View of Wien from the top of the ride!

Stunning Stephansdom.

 Tank: Riot Society...Jacket: F21...Jeans: Fire...Hat: David & Young...Sneakers: Ash...Hobo: R. Minkoff...& Sunnies: Gucci.

             Back on the road again, our next stop was south of the Czech Republic to the country of Austria.  As soon as we crossed the border, you could see a difference in landscape.  Driving across the country with miles & miles of vineyards on either side of our VW, up & down the mountainous countryside we continued.  All signs now in German, we reached our destination: the gorgeous capital Vienna!  (Referred to as Wien by the Viennese.)  We were able to see a lot of places in a short amount of time by using their public underground transportation- the Vienna Metro.  Fast & cheap, it got us to many different points of the city in a jiff.
         We ventured to Stehansplatz Square in the center of Wien where tourists & locals cross paths on a daily basis.  Here is located Stephansdom, characterized by its tiled roof, its one of the oldest cathedrals in the world.  Our next stop was the Belvedere.  Now used as a museum, the Belvedere is a complex of two Baroque palaces, an Orangery & stables.  I love seeing castles, palaces & museums, but we ventured here for one specific purpose.  That was to see the Gustav Klimt collection.  Holding my bachelor's in art history, Klimt was one of my favorite subjects of study.  And one of my favorite pieces?  The Kiss.  Seeing this in person was magnificent!  Its larger than life size didn't seem to do my 18x24 reprint hanging in my living room much justice.  Ha.
        Our last stop before leaving Wien was the Prater.  The Prater is a large public park, containing rides & attractions, located in Wien's second district-Leopoldstadt.  Its most well known attraction is the Wiener Riesenrad, the giant ferris wheel built in 1897.  The ride is one of the oldest ferris wheels in the world & gives you a fantastic view of the city of Wien!
       
  ***Don't forget to follow all of my fun in Europe on instagram! #bankerandjujueuroroadtrip2013