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Vienna truly stole my heart. Maybe it was stunning Hofburg and Schonbrunn palaces, or  the amazing food (strudel anyone?) that made me fall in love with this beautiful city. The cobblestone streets, stunning architecture, and having free water fountains all through out the city did not hurt either.

Another reason that Vienna was one of my favorite cities to date is because of the fact that I  got to meet the President, Heinz Fisher! It was around midday and my Austrian friend Luisa and I were just innocently walking the streets and making our way to Grebenstrasse (the main street in Vienna with all the yummy food places and shops) when all of a sudden a man in a black suit came up to us and asked us to please wait. Actually, I had no idea what he said because he spoke it in German so thank goodness I was with my fluent german friend or else I would have been terrified because lets be honest – nothing good happens when a giant suited man comes up to talk to you. Anyway so as we were standing there a black Mercedes pulled up to a building in front of us and out comes to President! To me, he just looked like a normal person, but when my Austrian friend started screaming (literally) I figured he must have been someone important. No thanks to the screaming, he noticed us and, much to my dismay, proceeded to walk right over and say hi to us. He was so sweet and welcoming – this was definitely one of the ultimate right place at the right time experiences.

Other highlights of the trip included seeing the prestigous Spanish Riding School perform in the heart of the city, wandering through the gardens of Hofburg, and taking an amazing tour via Fiaker (horse and carriage).

If you are planning a trip to Europe Vienna is a MUST see. I know I will be back.