Vienna - Christmas, Castles and Cold - Part 1

Apologies for the delay in posting....a little thing got in the way - a flight to Houston!  Best overseas flight I've had...huge fan of economy plus on United.  Other than the food and the smaller seat, it felt like first class.  I could get used to that.  Here's the recap of Vienna:

1.  I booked a flight a few months ago on Austrian Airlines, mostly due to the price, but added benefit, they are in the Star Alliance with United.  So miles were the name of the game for this one.  I really liked the airline...they were kind enough to check my bag even though I arrived at the airport only 35 minutes before take off.  There were issues with the tram in Den Haag...I got stuck on it for 30 minutes, missing the Schiphol train and I had to wait for the next one.  Pretty glad I was on Austrian and not Easy Jet.  Easy Jet wouldn't have waited.

2.  Flight was uneventful.  Vienna's airport is really nice.  They must have just upgraded recently because it feels very futuristic.  It was really easy to navigate for my bag.  I then grabbed the express train to downtown Vienna.  16 minutes on the train, worth every penny.  It was futuristic looking as well...all done up in black and neon green, with semi green lighting.  Strange looking, but really clean and a nice reprieve from the madness at the airport.

3.  After getting to the train station, using my map I got at the map store in the Hague, I found that my hotel was only a KM away, so I made the walk with my bag.  I stayed at the Hotel Am Parkring, just inside the loop of the old town.  I got a single room, which was upgraded to 2 twins.  It was perfect - clean and larger than I expected.  The best part was the view:

The last one isn't the view, but that's what is to the right of the hotel when you walk out.  Just great!  Price was right and the view...oh the view.

4.  I pretty much just went to bed that night on Friday.  Long week at work, plus a 2 hour flight equals an early night.  That being said, I found out that Vienna is super safe after dark and I would have had no issues being out late.  I have to say, Vienna was very high on my list of places to see.  It was so high and I was so excited about it that I honestly thought it wouldn't even come close to living up to the dreams.  I will say that not only did it live up, but it surpassed.  I love Vienna.  I could see spending a full week there just enjoying the ambience.  I need more vacation!

Saturday to come....