Vibrant Vienna

In German language, Vienna is "Wien", The capital of Austria, regarded as the city of music as well as the city of dreams. Vienna reminds me of two famous personalities Sigmund Freud – the psycho analyst and the Nazi leader Hitler. Reaching Philip’s (my host) place around midnight was bit embarrassing as he lives with his girlfriend. A German couple both are the students of the University of Vienna. I had an instant connection with Philip. He showed me around his apartment, gave me Wi-Fi password and had kept everything ready for me. I dwelled into the cozy couch and fell asleep in no time.

My bed in Philip's house

After an informative breakfast with Philip and Consti, Philip took me out for a walking tour in Vienna. The weather was cool and sunny, more than the streets, the parks and gardens gave me the feel of Vienna. The parliament and palaces were quite unique in their architecture. The cathedral and adjacent streets and the market were a feast for my camera. Out of all the places he took me around, one thing which attracted me the most was the Library in University of Vienna. I am greatly thankful to Philip for the wonderful time we spent in the University campus. I really wished if I could study there in that campus for a couple of years.

 

St Stephen's Cathedral

Graffiti

It’s time for some refreshments….how about a chilled beer by the banks of River Danube? Nothing can beat it if it is a Czech beer!!!. The side-long glances of graffiti are marvelous pieces of art and in European cities the bridges and the side walls of rivers are the usual canvas for this art form. The flowing river, dearth of tourists, the infrequent boats, the fitness enthusiasts, and the graffiti colors oooh…. the perfect combo to cling the beer bottles.

Library, University of Vienna

University of Vienna Campus

Walking back is tough; over a couple of beers it is tougher. We got back home by noon as Philip had to work on an assignment. The homemade student meal (Pasta) tasted so yummy and nostalgic. " If you are not tired you can take my bike and go around the city” the words literally became a dessert for my meal. I would say that was the silver moment of my whole Europe trip; I will be mentioning the golden moment later in my writing. Some wishes come true sooner than we expect and this bike trip was one such thing. While in Budapest I really wished if I could ride a bicycle in any of the cities and here I am in Vienna living a dream. 

The best way to explore any European city is with a bike. The streets are bike friendly and you just need the directions which my host helped partly and rest I followed the google maps. One can even rent out a bike in most of the cities at a reasonable rate (€10-15). I rode to Belvedere Palace first and later to explore the Danube Islands. The trip to Vienna is incomplete without visiting this island, the views are quite stunning and a dip in Danube from here is so refreshing. Everyone have their own space in this island; some were basking in the sun, some fishing, some swimming, some running and cycling and some even feeding the swans.

Belvedere Palace

Philip's Pasta

While feeding the swans in Danube River I felt I should have spent a day more in Vienna. Part of the credit for this feeling goes to Philip my host and his hospitality. The chilled local beer right out from Philip’s refrigerator cooled me down after a long bike ride. After these moments of accomplishments it was time for me to say bye to Vienna. My bus to Prague leaves from a station which is little bit far from the city. There is a direct metro line towards the station; Philip came all the way to the station to see me off. The excitement about the next city ‘Prague’ helped me to forgo the sadness I felt in leaving Vienna.

Danube Islands

Danube Island

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Prague....!!!Here I am coming....