Vienna to Munich Via Night Train

On Thursday it was time to leave beautiful Vienna. We had a few final hours to explore the city before taking a night train to Munich. 

We saw an emu while on the way to explore the Schönbrunn Palace grounds. We also briefly saw a giraffe before it retreated into its barn and was seen no more. 

A beautiful walk to a structure in the backyard of the palace

Quite the stone carving 

Another view of the palace. Brandon had wanted to explore this area for the fountains, but none of them were running at the time. 

Enjoy the greenery and spring day

Brandon blends right in with the gnomes

A mural we saw while exploring some parks near Vienna Central Station 

We found another one of our favorite swings in the park 

View of the Belvedere Palace grounds. Yes, the object in the center is a snowman. 

Brandon's selfie with the snowman. The plaque next to it read #snowmanvienna. 

Fountains are popular ornaments for palace grounds

The backside of the Belvedere Palace

Front of the Belvedere Palace with its beautifully groomed, flowering yard

Ornate gate to the palace 

We meandered our way to Vienna Central Station and killed a few hours hanging out and playing Hanabi before our 11:25 pm train to Munich. The time passed quickly, and we went to the platform to board our train. Unfortunately, we had an adrenaline surge when the conductor initially refused to let us board the train. Why? Because we had not printed our tickets. We had them clearly visible on our phone with a QR code displayed, but apparently that was not enough or at least did not follow protocol. It was absolutely ridiculous. Thankfully, he eventually relented, and we boarded the train. 

We had booked space in a couchette, which is essential a small room with six berths. It was more money than a regular seat, but less than a private bed. Since we were saving money on accommodation by taking a night train, we figured a couchette would be worth it for sleep. Overall, I'd say it was, though Brandon ended up getting a much better night of sleep than me. 

Me looking a bit sleepy after our night train ride

You can kind of see the bunk system. There were three bunks stacked on each wall. Brandon and I had the top bunks on each side, which we ended up liking. 

We arrived in Munich at 6:10 am on Friday morning, found our Airbnb easily, and took a nap before meeting up with my brother, parents, and mom's cousin. Success.