Weekend Trip - Vienna in 12 hours & 14 photos

Last weekend my friend Jill came from the U.S. over her Spring Break to visit and see as much as possible in a week. We went to Vienna, Munich, and Salzburg. Since I hadn't taken any trip after arriving in Graz two months ago, it was good to get out and be a tourist. I feel like we didn't see nearly enough of Vienna, so I am going to have to get back there sometime. Enjoy the photos, and click on them for larger versions!
Here's a picture to set the street scene in Vienna. That building in the background is the Hofburg, a huge network of connected buildings with several museums inside.
A tribute to Mozart. Check out the treble clef on the ground in front. Did you know that 2006 is the year of Mozart in Austria? It has been 250 years since he was born, and this is cause for lots of celebration.
Here's a shot of the Danube. Not blue at all, but the grafitti is cool. This shot is the prettiest one I could find. It was difficult to make the river look good in a picture.
Stephansdom (Stephan's Cathedral), on the left, is in the center of Vienna, which is mostly a pedestrian area. Even during this cold weekend there were lots of people out walking and street performers busking for their change.
We climbed, I mean took an elevator, to the top of the spire on Stephansdom. The view was great, but it was so cold we didn't want to spend much time up there. Here's the obligatory landscape shot.
It was a loooong way down...
Surveillance cameras and Jesus were watching over the gift shop in Stephansdom.
Here's me and Johann Strauss looking dandy (him, not me).
This billboard made me laugh. It was intended to be completely serious, but looked so tongue in cheek. Great Schnitzel! Great Company! And check out those rosy-cheeked employees of the month!
These are the gardens at Belvedere Palace. We walked through them minutes before closing, and had to run through. Notice how on the statue to the left, the breast is dirty from constantly being groped. How immature....
More of the gardens at Belvedere Palace. Thanks Jilly for reminding me of the name!
Me pretending a pinch the butt of a billboard. How immature!
Even after a long day of walking, Jill still looks cheerful. There appears to be a strain in that smile, though.
A view from the hostel window. The hostel was great, roomy and clean with friendly and courteous staff. If you're traveling to Vienna, check out HappyHostel. I'm not getting paid (much) to say that, either.