The only thing I knew about Austria before this trip was that my mom had visited in 1983, and my dad in 1981. Naturally, they had plenty of advice on where to go and what to see—most of which I (lovingly) dismissed as outdated. Sorry, Mom.

But sometimes the universe hands you a golden ticket. About three weeks before takeoff, I agreed to house-sit for a co-worker. While getting the house tour—complete with details on dog food and garage locks—I met two girls my age over dinner. Turns out, they were from Vienna and were road-tripping along the California coast. What are the chances?

We hit it off instantly—roaming San Francisco together, grabbing lunch by the water in Marin County—and before they flew home, they extended an invitation: “If you’re ever in Vienna, come stay with us.” The stars aligned, and I did exactly that.

A Warm Welcome in Vienna

Since we now had local friends to stay with, and wanted to soak up as much time together as possible, we spent six nights in Vienna—our longest stop of the trip. We arrived on a Monday after a grueling seven-hour bus ride. Melanie, my Viennese friend, was at work, but her roommate welcomed us in and even cooked pasta for dinner. That’s European hospitality at its finest. We found a rose garden to eat our lunch in and wandered around what we later found out to be Museumplatz, a joining of a modern art museums, with a large courtyard equipped with ice cream and funky chairs, perfect for our afternoon nap.

Traveling with your personal trainer has it's advantages, none more than the guilt you feel for not hitting the gym in the morning. While walking through the main street near our apartment, we stumbled upon a gym and told them we had just moved there and wanted to test it out. Free two day pass, and we are the happiest humans! After about two hours of catch up workouts, we found a grocery store, bought some cheese and wine and a baguette the size of my whole leg and headed home for a relaxing movie night.

Market Magic and Schönbrunn Palace Dreams

Day 4 and were ready for action! The girls were off work, and we have a full day of sight seeing ahead! We began the day with a metro ride to Naschmarkt, a.k.a heaven. With over 120 market stands and restaurants, it reminded me a bit of the farmers markets in Paris but even more delicious. Rows upon rows of merchants selling all my favorite things, from olives, to cheese, to ice cream. I even got a house-warming tapestry for my girlfriend Alicia, knowing I would see her in Madrid a few weeks later. After a delicious brunch all together, we walked to Schönbrunn Palace or Schloss Schönbrunn in German where we spent the majority of the day walking the grounds. The palace is the former imperial summer residence, boasting a mere 1,441 rooms. Casual. Naturally, it's one of the most important architectural, cultural and historical monuments in the country. Sculpted gardens, named the Great Parterre, separate Schönbrunn Palace from the Gloriette, a large structure atop a 60-metre high hill, which Maria Theresa decided should be designed to glorify Habsburg power and the Just War. Today it houses a café and an observation deck, and panoramic views of the city. We walked around the palace, took some prom-posed photos on the stairs and talked to all the horses. We even climbed the zig-zag path up the 60-metre hill, pass the zoo and tiergarden, and fountain, all the way to the Gloriette an took some selfies with the rest of the tourists. : ) On the back end of the grounds, are some secret pathways lined with forests to cut the heat, and gorgeous fountains. We could have stayed there forever. But alas, the nightclub awaits!

Vienna by Night: From Stephansplatz to Ramba Zamba

Before we headed home we made a quick pit-stop to see Vienna's treasured Wien Stephanplatz, and shared a light meal - more sausages! After a long day of sight-seeing we were ready to unwind with out friends. We had a small get-together and played some German drinking games, and sang American rap songs. Made memories of a life-time, and headed out to Ramba Zamba! If there is one thing that crosses language barriers and country lines, it's having some drinks and hitting the dance floor.
We woke up on Sabine's couch the next morning, quite mangled and far from home. We laughed about the fun times, told stories and recaps from the night before and with make-up streaming headed to what can only be considered a metro-of-shame, back to Melanie's apartment.

Sculptures, Saxophones, and Spontaneity

The following day was slower-paced and magical in its own way. We toured Mirabell Palace, posed (questionably) on lion sculptures, and strolled through tree-covered tunnels that felt like something out of a storybook. A street performer played Somewhere Over the Rainbow on the saxophone, and it struck a chord deep in my chest. Sometimes it’s those small, quiet moments that linger longest.

A Day Trip to Salzburg

For our final day, we did something bold. We road-tripped to Salzburg—completely unplanned—to cheer on Melanie in her 10K race. Freedom is the best part of backpacking: the freedom to have no plans, and the freedom to change them on a whim.

We arrived just in time to catch the end of the race, then spent the day wandering this unexpected gem of a city. Fun fact: The Sound of Music was filmed in Salzburg! We crossed a love lock bridge, sampled basil ice cream, and soaked in the charm of a place that hadn’t even been on our itinerary.