Taking a Break in Austria

I'm back in London last month from my heartwarming holiday in my hometown(my beloved Philippines!❤️)--nothing truly beats spending Christmas and new year with the family. I got to eat the pinoy foods as much as I can, went to the gym and many other activities which made me felt homesick when I returned to the UK 😢 We, overseas workers have that phase and there's no way out but to motivate thyself! Nevertheless, I will definitely go to Manila within this year again. And also, I spent the new year in Japan.


Our hotel is literally located in front of the Hachiko statue.

Additionally, we went to Tokyo Disneysea which I'm supposed to blog but I wasn't able to cover everything!One day is not enough for a Tokyo Disney resort--the queues for the rides are endless even with a fast pass and there's a lot of attractions. I had a good short time though and once again,I hope to be back.^^
Apart from my dramatic prologue,I went solo-travelling in Austria during my 3-days off from work.The weather and environment in London that week was stormy and sad, it triggered me much so I pushed through with my spontaneous plan. It was nerve-wrecking since this will be my first time to travel solo in EU but boy, I was so proud to conquer it. Vienna is simply amazing ❤️
This entry will cover my whole itinerary and some solo travel tips that I did in Austria. 😉

FLIGHTI had a 2-hr flight via Easyjet going to Vienna Int'l Airport which wasn't a smooth ride because of the storm in London. I was seated at the aisle and I hated it.The air turbulence seemed to be felt more on the middle of the plane rather than the window seat 😐 Always remember when flying through Easyjet: the handbag is considered as a cabin bag.


HOTELI stayed at Hotel Atlanta located beside Wien University and this is their single room (£75 for 3 nights).It looks so antique that they still use keys to double-lock the doors.

Whereas the minibar is filled with more alcohol than bottled water! 😆 I tried their breakfast buffet(£8) once which has a few variety of food such as bread, cereal, egg but don't miss eating the sausage and mint tea 👍🏻

ITINERARY I had a whole day tour to Salzburg by Viator.The drive took 3 hours from Vienna and our tour guide has been very informative throughout the trip. He talked about the history on each town that we passed by as there were several old-fashioned castles that we saw. And as we ascended, we also saw some frozen areas along the way.

I'm so stunned to see snowwww!❤️ A freezing -3°C.

I thought we were gonna experience that whole lot on top of the mountain but no, it was all sunny and dry when we reached St. Giles.

The view of Lake Mondsee (Moon Lake).It's one of the many lakes in Salzkammergut where the real-life "The Sound of Music" took place. *Trivia: St. Michael's Basilica is located in the town of Mondsee where the Von Trapp couple got married.
Yet, would you think that the original story was all romance and melody? According to our tour guide, the true Von Trapp story was less romantic and more drama since it happened during the war :( Though, most of the scenes took place in this region and this brings nostalgia when you've watched the movie (I've only seen the musical so far and I enjoyed it!).

See the mountain's perfect reflection on the icy lake.

As what Maria Von Trapp sang,"The hills are aliiiive..."❤️

The small village St. Giles/Sankt Gilgen is known to be the hometown of Mozart's mother.I don't know why the town's very quiet and unlively yet it's beautiful.


Some shops are still keeping the Christmas spirit as well aside from selling winter gear and music boxes.

Then after that,we head on to Salzburg---a UNESCO world heritage site nicknamed as "The Rome of the North"



The first landmark that you might see here would be the Mirabell Gardens which is also one of the significant scenes in "The Sound of Music".This huge labyrinth has very fine statues of mythical Gods and nearby this site is Mozart University.Do use my search engine above for more TSOM tours across Austria ;)


Old town Salzburg is filled with baroque architecture of shops and churches.I loved it ❤️ It reminds me of my first impression in London wherein the structures are classically-built on the outside with a modern look on the inside. But this place really made me feel like being in the 1700's.Haha!

Besides souvenir shops and fashion, they still do have more Christmas trinket stores here.


yummy aglio olio and garlic pizza sticks from Spaghetti & Co.


There weren't really many visitors at that time since this is not the peak season in this country. They said that it's best to go here during spring or summer time though I suggest to go on winter if you don't like it crowded ^^ And, see that pyramid-dome behind me? It's supposed to be a fountain but they shut it every winter so yeahp,ganyan nalang sila muna.Moreover, there are many other attractions in this village from Salzburg castle (with additional entrance fee) to museums and catholic churches.


And of course, Salzburg is the real "Mozart Town". That yellow building is his birthplace which became a museum of his works while he has his monument near it. Everywhere, even in Vienna, patronize this famous musician like he is the Jose Rizal of the Philippines.Classical music is still the shizz here and it's awesome ^^

Not only that, Mozart has his own chocolate brand which is very sweet to taste in my opinion.I bought 8pcs for €6 just to give it a try. Then I also dined in to one of his cafes;btw, always ask for english menus if they have one! It can be hard placing an order in restos with their hard-to-pronounce words.

Like in this case, I didn't know what cake I ordered but fortunately, it tasted good. The only thing I missed was that I didn't let them put whipped cream on it since they say in Austria that chocolate cake should always come with cream on top. Oh well!


I used the city's metro train to go to central Vienna or Wien as what they often call their capital.I wanted to try the tram but like I've said earlier, the names of their places can be confusing and most of the signs are in German.Though as usual, I used Citymapper as my GPS :)


Lastly before I left for my flight, I managed to join a 2-hr walking tour around the city centre of Vienna hosted by Good Vienna Tours
It is generally,FREE but it would be generous to give them a tip after the tour.They honestly deserve it. The tour begins in Albertinaplatz in front of the Wien Opera House.
 You can also go for a Hop-on,Hop-off bus tour especially if you are staying within Vienna city centre.
I'm not familiar with Austrian history but what I've realized was most of their past is related to World Wars, Hitler and just like other European culture, there's a royal family that rules the nation; In here was an empress named Maria Theresa.

There are many museums and palaces around Vienna but they all have an entrance fee. I didn't got to visit anymore 'cause of the lack of time yet what they recommend is to go to Schönbrunn Palace.

The oldest cafe in Vienna; Viennise coffee is a must-try and so as their mint teas!

While this is their famous wiener schnitzel,pan-fried breaded veal cutlet and it's very delicious even without ketchup but just a tinge of lemon ❤️

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Aside from Mozart and TSOM, Vienna is also popular with Swarovski and Red Bull.They have a nice city centre as well and I got to say, shopping is not that expensive here ;) Never leave a country without buying anything!

And this is their Opera House that caters shows everyday.I hope to watch one there someday ^^

So that's how my 3 days off went!Bitin yet worth it and I'll surely come back to tour Halstatt next time.Vienna is truly #fortheWIEN! ❤️ This has been my highlight of January despite of the world's disastrous events.I'm also worried with what's happening lately but lets hope for better days this February, shall we?
'til then!