Won over by Wien (Vienna)

With links to websites!

Yes, like the title goes, I am completely won over by Wien. (“Move over London!” I am willing to say!”)

I reached Vienna – i.e. Wien around 8 pm from Ljubljana on 16th September 2022. It had been a comfortable, lovely drive enjoying the scenic beauty. I was trying to absorb as much as I could of this beauty. The lush greenery as far as your eyes wander, bright flowers peeping at places, the fences, the cows grazing, houses, a Church popping in between… Picturesque. One word. Perfect fit. Picturesque.

I got down at my stop from where I had to walk towards Naschmarkt (Night Market). The hostel I had booked for my stay – Wombats City Hostel- was situated nearby. And the moment I crossed the road after getting down at the bus station, I felt SAFE. Yes, that is the vibe that I got. And I hope you get too. It was dark, the quiet was descending, there were very few people on the road, some walking their pets, some just moving out to pubs, maybe. Most of the stores were shut. And I was in this city, alone, for the first time, not knowing anybody, not knowing the language and yet, I felt SAFE. Looking around, the trams bringing smile to my face, I decide to take one the next day.

Taking the chilled, fresh breeze on my face, I walked towards the Wombats City Hostel. It is the best hostel that I have been so far. Everything is sensor based. The mixed room is S P A C I O U S. The beds comfortable, the lockers secure, the bathrooms clean and nice! It even had a slant window that could be opened. Perfect. My childhood dream of the roof of my room which alas, could never be satisfied in the apartments in Mumbai. I was going to live that for the next 2-3 days! The food is great. The kitchen where I could make my own tea! It has staple food stocked in case you run out of food that you bought and you can use it for free. There is rice, pasta, milk, cheeze and also some veggies. And maybe something more..and what they serve at the breakfast is endless cups of coffee, tea, milk and hot chocolate. The breakfast is filling and has lots of options for regular which includes meat, vegetarian and also vegan. I cannot forget the apricot jam! I believe I have tasted the best apricot jam in Vienna!

Common Kitchen

Common Kitchen

Common Kitchen

The dorm room view

Since I had only two days at Vienna, I decided to make the most of it. My friend Günter who stays near Vienna had promised to take me on Vienna tour which he did, ensuring that I not just get to see touristry things but also speak and read Deutsch! Teaching me to get the pronounciations right! Well, almost.

So, we had a walk around the city of Wien, visiting the Universities, entering a lecture, a laboratory, then the Historic city centre! Yeah, it is one of the UNESCO Heritage sites. The Hofberg Palace, the National Museum, the National Library and walking through the Parliament while discussing politics and I realized that we know so little of the politicals leaders of such a wonderful country-Austria. We walked around the impressive Belverde, the butterfly park, the parks and the fort ramparts around..walk and walk. The most wonderful part of being here is you can walk anywhere, like most European cities. Yes, you just walk around. Nothing is too far. Just maybe half an hour walk maximum. You walk and walk. Have a drink, grab a coffee, sit at some park and again back to walking. And if you wish to not walk, believe me, you don’t have to wait for more than a minute. There is a bus, a tram, the local train and the subway. Seamless travel. You hop on and hop off! (And that makes a Mumbaikar happy. Yeah, we are modelled on European cities, I realized once again. )

We grabbed a quick bite and a drink for lunch- the Austrian specialities. (There is a separate blog on that. DO read that one!) And then off we went to Schoenbrunn Palace, yet another Heritage Site in Vienna. A beautiful palace. It is quite closeby from the station. Be careful of the timings though. There is also a train that will take you around the palace, the gardens around are beautiful but you MUST spend time INSIDE. Donot skip this. It is granduer of a different level with Baroque architecture. This was the place where Maria Theresa -a queen in her own right- resided with the Emperor Franz Joseph -Franz Ferdinand II and others of the royal family. Marvel at the architecture as you walk inside the palace. Do check out the discounts and extras that you get with your Vienna Card used for city transport.

This is another thing I loved about Vienna. The way they make any tourist, traveller very comfortable in travel. There is this one city card (A Mobile App) that you use to take tickets- train, subway, tram practically anything and it also has lots of discounts especially on museums, tourist attractions, hotels and even airport transfer. Just seamless!

People in Vienna and mostly all over Europe have an excellent work life balance. So, it was an early dinner at one of the city’s restaurant that serves the best of Kaiserschmarrn (Head to the other blog, after this one for the special Austrian food). I must say, the Austrians do have a sweet tooth and a hefty appetite for what I got was way too much for me. And yes, my body was still acclimatizing, I guess. Ofcourse, we did ask to parcel the left overs for me to carry, lest I felt hungry at night.

And then, I attended the Opera! Beethoven-Strauss Concert. A very Vienna thing to do! Don’t miss. It is worth every bit, even if you, like me are not a fan of Opera Music. But the way, Vienna has done it is awesome mix of historical places and Opera. It just transports you to a different world! Must attend. And there are multiple ones across the city. You will get people selling you tickets all over the city. Be sure you choose a good seat and enjoy the evening, the Wien way! And believe me, language does not become a barrier. Applaud the performers with all your heart, they do put up a fantastic show. It is indeed difficult to sing Opera, is what I realised all through. They don’t allow you to click photos and take videos, so you are in the moment. And yes, returning late night is usually not a problem except that you might have very few places that serve you late night.

That was a very satisfying end of day 1 as I snuggled up into the comfy bed at 6 degrees C temperature. The kind of climate I love. Vienna, rather, this part of Europe is very windy that makes the chill cut through the layers of your clothes. For people from India, your thermals are not going to work here. You will need a jacket. Better take a jacket that we usually wear in the snowy region of Kashmir or better still purchase one more once you reach here. My day 2 was also full of exploration!

Day 2- I knew I had to visit two places at Vienna. Sigmund Freud Museum and the Haus der Musik- House of Music- an experiential Museum. Both the places are must visit for different reasons. The Freud Museum (infact both these places) are not too huge but the curation is super. Again, the facilities are great. You need to keep away all your belongings in the locker, carry the key and your phone to take photos. That’s all. As you go from one room to the other, the audio guide tells you about intricacies of the place, you marvel at the way the original wall paper is still conserved for us to see, the way you can experience the tools used by Freud and later by his daughter and the stories. It was kind of surreal when I sat in one of the chairs in his balconies where he used to spend time contemplating. Yes, it is friendly for differently abled people, there is no limit on the photographs and the time you want to spend. Do it at your pace. Then grab a coffee at the cafe downstairs where you took the ticket, that also serves as a souvenir shop, collect a few of them, though they are a bit on the expensive side. But you definitely need to have a souvenir from here.

The Haus der Musik– is an experiential music museum beyond imagination! You can compose music here using AI and computer generated algorithms. It starts to catch your imagination right since the first step inside as the steps play musical notes. So, most of us are caught prancing up and down the staircase a number of times in order to compose music. Then you have the marvelous display composition where you compose music with the help of probability based notes. This museum doesn’t let your fancy wane even a bit. It has different sounds to be experienced. A finest piece of how a museum can be! You can create music notes based on your name- yes, the alphabets of your name are translated into musical notes and is played in three different ways. Yes, I did record and send it to my friends saying “Mozart is playing my/your name”. It is very neat and unique. You won’t get it anywhere else! Yeah, you can also take the print and a copy of your composition at a fee. And the most amazing thing, you can become a conductor of the orchestra and it adapts live as per your hand movements! AMAZING! I didn’t even realise that the second day was almost over in these experiences and I yet had to visit St. Stephens and other Churches, Other places of tourist attraction and buy souvenirs! Also, the visit to Secession Building for Art!

Do visit the city centre, you will find many of them selling souvenirs. Search for something unique that is trending. I jumped at purchasing a bag with Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss’, which was trending. Also, don’t forget to have hot chocolate with whipped cream and other varieties at Vienna. Buy chocolates if you are not going to visit other countries known for its chocolate.

Fill up your lungs with the crisp air, try to preserve as much as your eyes can of Vienna and say a teary eyed “Danke”, to the Wonderful Wien! Industrious, Inclusive, Experimentative, Safe, Culturally Rich, Comfortable, and all the adjectives that I can think of. I have literally lost my heart to this city.

If anyone asks me to name the best livable city in the world, I would say “Wien. the Wonderful Wien.”

Till we meet again!

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