A couple days after Christmas, my friend Hana flew in all the way from California for a couple weeks of European adventuring. The first few days were pretty low-key, as she was jetlagged and I was recovering from a bike accident that had removed a good portion of my face (which has thankfully grown back). Neither of us had had much time to plan anything before she arrived, so towards the beginning of her visit we sat down with our laptops and did a little research into places we could easily and affordably get to and spend a few days wandering around. We decided on Vienna, a place I'd never been and she'd visited briefly a few years ago, bought some tickets, found and airbnb and boom, done. So einfach kann es sein.
After a few days of exploring Hamburg and surroundings, and a New Year's Eve spent eating tacos, wearing brightly colored mustaches and watching the neighborhood fireworks display from a friend's balcony, Hana went off to revisit her old stomping grounds in Prague while I entertained some other wonderful guests from the States whom I had not seen in many a year. A couple days later I flew to Vienna and found our apartment with a Hana already cozy inside. It was a true bachelor pad, complete with giant sofa, screen and projector, which we used to watch movies every night after the day's adventures.
We were staying in the Margareten district -- it seemed appropriate -- which meant we had a 20-30 minute walk into the city every day down streets and over squares and past storefronts all with my name on them. The little jolt of recognition I felt each time I saw it took some getting used to, but I did after a couple days. Luckily it was a lovely neighborhood and a very enjoyable stroll, quaint and authentic, picturesque.
Each day started with a general direction to walk in and ended wherever we ended up. I'd gotten a travel guide out of the library in Hamburg to read up on the different neighborhoods and "must-see" areas, though we avoided the very touristy realms almost entirely. Friends familiar with the city had given us tips for places to eat and what to see, non-touristy Kaffeehäuser with great cake, cozy bars, nice walks, and often we planned our days around these favorite places of our friends -- with great success.
Our first day started with falafel and incredible bread at the Naschmarkt, then we wandered over to the gardens at Belvedere, watched waterfowl aplay in the Stadtpark and lunched in a friend's favorite café, where the headline of a newspaper being read at the next table over caught my attention: "Granaten in die Cheeseburger-Welt" (Grenades in the Cheeseburger World) above a less than flattering picture of a former White House strategist. Being offline for the whole trip, that was the only reference I had to political happenings in the first week of January, and that was enough for me.
In the late afternoon we went for a walk along the highly grafittied canal, neon colors glowing as the light faded. It was dark by the time we reached the Prater, its famous ferris wheel lit up purple against a hot pink sunset.
From there we turned our steps back towards the city and spent some time in a cozy bar & bookstore that had been recommended to us (and which I would recommend further: "phil", Gumpendorfer Str.) before dinner nearby (this too: "ra'mien" across the street) and heading back to our bachelor pad to take advantage of the home cinema and sleeping.
The next morning was a sunny one, and we were soon back to wandering. This time we took a peek at the Altstadt, though we didn't last long with the other tourists teeming around us, a hilariously long line protruding from the Café Central. It was beautiful, to be sure, but in the end the only picture I took there that I really like is the one below of banana street art. And a propos street art -- Vienna, baby, the camera loves you.
After passing the ice skating rink in front of the Rathaus and getting some lunch and chai in the Neubau district (tasty hipster bistro: Ulrich), Hana went off to find a café to sit in and I went wandering aimlessly around Josefstadt and the old university, Alsergrund and Leopoldstadt. Sat for a while by the Votivkirche. Nothing was open and the streets were quiet as the last of the daylight disappeared. It was cold but not too cold, and I let my feet do the talking.
This might be my favorite picture of the trip:
A few hours later I found myself in front of a vegan bistro (Harvest, Karmeliterplatz) that I remembered reading about in my guidebook, so took a table in the corner and ordered myself something delicious and a dark Malzbier. While warming up, I quietly watched the two women next to me. They were both incredibly old and incredibly well put together, and seemed like they'd been transported there from another era, completely out of place and yet timeless. I loved listening to the Wiener lilt in their language as they spoke. After a while, a daughter-figure helped them put on their fur coats and they teetered out into the night.
We still had all of the next day to explore before flying home that evening, so packed up our things and went for a walk along the Gumpendorfer Straße to the MuseumsQuartier, where I visited the Austrian expressionists at the Leopold Museum. Klimt, Schiele, Hodler -- names I'd first encountered at an exhibit in Paris on a class trip back in high school that had taken my breath away. Now, I spent several more hours seeing the world through their eyes, their colors, their dreams, and left feeling full, enriched, exhausted. Totally worth it.
After that, Hana and I rejoined forces and spent the last of the afternoon celebrating the great Viennese tradition of chillin' wit cake before catching a train to the airport and flying back to Hamburg. As everyone says, Vienna is beautiful, truly. Grand, indeed. I liked the tall buildings with their high ceilings and long windows, though they did make you feel like the streets were closing in on you after a while. I liked the Kaffeehaus culture, where it's more than acceptable to hang out in a café for hours, reading the paper or whatever. I missed trees and green spaces. I'd like to go back, hear some music next time. The most magical part about Vienna, however, and the part that I treasure most, was being there with my friend.
