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Vienna is the first stop of a two-week, six-city blitz around southeastern Europe.  I arrived midday after a 14 hour journey from Chicago with a layover in Dublin.

The scantily filled Airbus disembarked at the Vienna Airport and I breezed through customs in two minutes, not a single question asked of me.  A short walk later, and I found the train to the city.  The City Airport Train (CAT), which I had planned to ride for 12 euros, was delayed so I jumped on the OBB train for 4.20 euros, a bargain considering it only took an additional 3 minutes due to a few stops along the way. 

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From here, I had a pleasant 10 minute walk to my place. But first, I stepped out of the station and onto the crowded street, trying to orient myself, seeking any clues to help me figure out where the hell I am. Eventually, though, I made it to the Airbnb on the third floor of this building below, entering a courtyard through the opening in the middle under the P.

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My next task was to stay awake for another 10 hours to orient my body to the 7 hour time difference. I whiled away the next several hours wandering the streets of Vienna. A short walk from my Airbnb to the Rochugasse Metro station took me through an interesting area. Then I tackled the U Bahn subway system starting at Rochugasse Metro station.

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I walked from the Stadtpark Metro station and eventually made it to the Schwedenplatz station. This was such a beautiful, dynamic neighborhood, and I passed through many different areas. I would return the next day, unbeknownst to me, while participating in a walking tour.

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The next morning, I visited the Central Train station to orient myself and buy a ticket for the following day. Then I took the metro to Prater Hauptallee, a huge park where, one month earlier, Eliud Kipchoge had run a marathon in less than two hours. As an avid runner, I was fascinated by this place, a perfectly straight and flat roadway through a beautiful park. As it turned out, there was a half marathon event occurring the day I arrived which is why the cones are out.

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Within Prater, there is an amusement park that includes the Wiener Reisenrad, a giant ferris wheel. Instead of seats, the wheel has cabins that hold up to twelve people each and very slowly rotates riders around the circle.

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I caught the Metro back to the city center and enjoyed an affogato, an Italian dessert that is basically gelato drowning in espresso, at Castelletto on the edge of the Schwedenplatz plaza. Then I made my way one block to the east to join the walking tour. Our host, Hannes, took a group of us on a three-hour tour from our meeting place, past St Stephen’s Cathedral, through some fashionable streets and to the palatial government buildings of Heldenplatz.

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The iconic St Stephan Church is a massive structure that fills a plaza. In many ways it resembles many cathedrals around Europe with the exception of the remarkable roof that is especially visible from the back side. The entire tour, sparsely represented with the photos below, was very interesting because of Hannes’ charming stories and deep knowledge about the city.

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The next day, I caught a train to Prague, and after 10 nights in 5 other cities, returned to Vienna to catch my flight home. When I returned I stayed at the quirky and comfortable Zeitgeist Hotel near the Central Train Station. During my last evening, I visited the Freud Museum which was interesting but also very limited because it was temporarily in a very small space due to renovation. I also stumbled upon the first performances of a weekend Irish festival.

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