Prater

This week, Ryan Carlson and I went and explored the Leopoldstadt District, the 2nd district of Vienna.  We took the U-Bahn to the Praterstern station, where the U1 and U2 link.  First, we visited the Prater amusement park, which has tons of rides, games, and beer gardens.  And in the middle of all that, you can find the Praterdome, one of Vienna's largest night clubs.  It will definitely be fun to come back here when the weather is nicer, so we can go on all  the water rides.  We rode the Riesenrad, the giant ferris wheel which is a historical icon of Vienna, built in the early 1900's and then re-constructed after World War II.  It cost 9 Euro to ride, but worth every cent! The view from the top was incredible, definitely a worthwhile panoramic perspective of the city.  Then we walked around the Prater park, which is the largest park in Vienna.  There's a nice pathway that goes through the middle of the park, which is about 5 kilometers long.  Lots of people were out enjoying the fresh air, and we could easily tell this place will be much more enjoyable when the trees are alive- perfect place for a spring picnic!  We had lunch at a nice cafe in the park with an big outdoor patio- the sun was shining, we could watch all the people running by, and we ordered some beers and french fries.  We really enjoyed our relaxing day out at Prater, and it'll be a really fun place to come back to, especially once the weather warms up!