Wien, Austria

Vienna is a beautiful urban metropolis with grand reminders of the large historical empire the Austrians once had. Every monument appears disproportionally large compared to the real estate occupied by the Austrian nation on a map. Gold gilded statues and Latin inscriptions on monuments, palaces and archways remind me that "to the victor goes the spoils". Our Austrian friend, Sebastian, was kind enough to give me an impromptu survey of the city including the parliament, city hall, the president's chambers, Vienna University and the congressional library. I managed to summit St. Steven's cathedral, all 300+ winding steps and I now have my very own graffitti on the 78th step as you count from the bottom, going upward. Vienna is renowned for its musical heritage, although we did not have time to take in a symphony, I frequently heard classical compositions by Beethoven and Mozart, especially while riding along in trams throughout the city (heated seats on public transport is amazing by the way!)