May 31 – June 1, 2022

Okay, now we have to air some grievances. Firstly, let us say that we had no issue with the artsy quirky charms of Vienna mixed with stunning historic architecture. We had no problem with the efficient public transportation or fun free events available to all. But… we have major beef with the Viennese people. Something happened to them since the Sound of Music was filmed; perhaps 1.9 million of them woke up one day with a collective twist in their panties and a crick in their neck. But as Americans used to having the privilege of linguistic superiority and people fawning over us while abroad, it just didn’t sit right with us that we would not immediately become everyone’s favorite tourists in Vienna.

In short, people were a little rude to us in Vienna. Couldn’t tell you why, but the vibes were what they were. Nonetheless, we had a good time.

Our train ride from Prague was lovely. Spacious cars on the OBB railway; Sam got a table with some other youths and Jordan got a little window seat with a nice companion who didn’t try to talk to her. Unfortunately, she did subscribe to a no-shoes train philosophy. It was on this leg of the journey that Jordan was able to secure an apartment in Boston on Facebook marketplace, so when we rolled into Wien HBF station that evening, we were in great spirits.

A common theme from earlier travels resurfaced: stairs. Specifically, the five flights up to our Airbnb. But as dusk fell and we cooled off, Sam went on a little exploratory mission through the streets of Vienna, and Jordan met up with her friend, Charlotte. Charlotte graduated with her the week previously, but is moving full-time to Vienna, and invited Jordan to a really neat rap/hip hop concert at Volksgarden in the heart of Vienna.

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The next day, we stashed our luggage near the train station and had a nice breakfast of Dutch breads and coffee at a street cafe. In all likelihood, their national affiliation explains why these baristas were the nicest people to us in Vienna. Some really exciting marketing on a passing truck caught our eye. Consider us #influenced.

At this point, Tour Guide Jordan mode really kicked into high gear, and, determined to milk this city for cultural opportunities, Jordan dragged Sam in along a somewhat inefficient spontaneous route to the subway, St. Stephen’s cathedral (Stephansdom), and best of all, the Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek).

We could have wandered around in the library for days, but this main gallery was the most interesting part, with lots of preserved text from monasteries and churches from the Middle Ages. You can see samples of the Wencelas Bible with the hand gilding and some other similar bibles.

In the heat of the day, it was time for our favorite tradition: aesthetic Starbucks. From the window, we had great views of the Spanish Riding School, an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses.

We still had books to read from the Notting Hill book shop though – where better to read them than on the grassy meadows of Stadtpark, the city’s largest central park besides Volksgarden?

Turn around was intentionally quick in Vienna, but it was a decent pit stop before our final stop, Budapest. Another great train ride awaited us, this time with a luxurious table all to ourselves. As we slid across the border from Austria to Hungary, it was like an invisible weight of judgement slipped off our shoulders. Stay tuned for the last installment 🙂