We took a very reasonably priced shuttle van that provided door to door service from Cesky Krumlov to Vienna, Austria.  From the moment we entered Austria to the moment we left, we all were unexpectedly impressed beyond belief by how pristine, well kept, clean, and efficient Vienna was.  Our hotel, Hotel Beethoven, was gorgeous and somewhat opulent, considering the meager price we paid. Though it might sound criminal, we weren’t feeling all too eager to sight-see.  Traveling from city to city within 24 hour time frames can really take it out of you, thus resulting in a weakened desire to sightsee and an increased desire to wine and dine.  My step mom, Jackie, went down to our concierge to ask about tourist information and found out about a film festival.  We all were slightly skeptical, but this event actually ended up being a highlight of the past week!Overall, Vienna is a highly impressive city.  The sidewalks nearly glitter it’s so clean, and the people are quite easy on the eyes as well.

  
Highlights and moments:

-Making up our own captions at the Music Film Festival. After a pleasant walk past the palatial Parliament Building, we arrived at the bustling  City Hall Square. Stands of food vendors of every flavor, culture, and fragrance lined the square and gorgeous people stood holding tapas sized portions of various delicacies and beverages, laughing and celebrating the summer and the arts.  There was a two leveled open air bar that was situated to the right of the large screen that adorned the front of the awe-inspiring City Hall.  We found a table on the upper level, which boasted the perfect view of the screen and orchestra.  Alex and I went down into the sea of people below to hunt out the best looking grub, which was quite a challenge due to the inundation of choice, but we eventually set our sights on both an aromatic seafood stand and a wiener-filled authentic Austrian food stand.  We then indulged in a few too many glasses of wine, while chowing down on fresh seafood and wieners and inventing our own lines to the German film projected on the big screen.  After devouring our dinner, we all were craving something sweet and the ever-present scent of melting chocolate coming from the creperie below didn’t help matters.  We caved and bought 3 different chocolate and fruit filled crepes, which I am still dreaming about to this day.  If you ever make it to Vienna, Austria during July, be sure to visit the Music Film Festival, it’s well worth it!

Jackie, with a case of the giggles after many rounds of drinks and gooey chocolatey crepes

Alex and I stopped at a bar on our way back to the hotel, and had to document these healthy pours!