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Vienna – The cultural center of Europe
Vienna is considered by many to be one of the centers, if not the center, of Western culture.
#vienna #austria #travel #motivation #adventure
Before the debut of a certain virus, the name of which will not be mentioned, I had my last proper wintertime excursion. (I can actually build a whole series of posts, commencing with the same clause.) In early 2020, before the certain virus was available in Europe, I used a weekend to go and meet the marvelous city of Vienna, for the first time. And I went back the second time around, last weekend. In fact, this wasn’t even my first time to travel to Austria just before my birthday – last year, I went to a one-day voyage to Graz (again the second time around), just seven days before the festivity.
With the terrible, rainy weather in Graz, one would assume I’d learn from my mistakes and be a year wiser, not only longer-lived. However, the mishap with the weather in Graz was a one-time occurrence, and I knew it. Going to Vienna this time around was pure jackpot, with around 25°C / 77°F. Summertime in autumn? Sign me up!
You may wonder why Vienna is one of my favorite European cities (not counting the Iberian Peninsula, of course, and excluding Sarajevo). Wherever I turned to look around, I had only one notion – civilization! The streets are civilized. The food is civilized. The people are civilized. Everything is orderly, in line with all around it, and most of all – full of culture. Now I see my word “civilization” is completely wrong in this context, I’m actually talking about the culture itself. Culture, wherever you look, as far as eyes can see! All of the architecture, life and activity is teeming with it, and no one can escape the spirit of culture, in this wonderful and unique city.
I have to mention, though, the first time I went for a visit, I was focusing on a walking tour around the city center, eating the famous Sachertorte, and admiring the wonders of the Schönbrun Castle. To make matters stranger, it started to snow as I was walking through the court garden. All of the sculptures, alike leafless vines, were bedecked by the white coat of snow. All in all, I got to see a wonder, but for the most part missed the city. This time, although I had only about eight hours to spend here, I decided to bask in the beauty that the one and only Vienna has to offer.
My itinerary for the day was quite simple, as it included a number of sites, as well as commute time in between. First off, my sightseeing commenced from the city center and a square called Schwedenplatz. Not a particularly specific site, but most certainly a good starting point, as it is connected to different parts of town with the subway (U-bahn) and street transportation such as trams (Strassenbahn). After a whole night of riding to Vienna, I had to stop for breakfast, before keeping up with my planned itinerary. On the way, I saw many shops – normally not places where I like to enter. However, a simple newspaper store stole my attention, and the child inside of me had to prevail and treat itself with a Disney comic. The adult in me was also rewarded, as the comic book is in German, and now I can get to utilize it! (And I must admit, it’s good reading!)
Several squares and plateaus later, ornated with buildings in the most evergreen architectural styles, I headed out to my first U-bahn stop. But before that, just take a look at what the ceiling of a fast-food restaurant looks like. Now you will become aware of what I meant by civilization/culture.
Rochusviertel was my first stop. There is nothing in particular about this area, other than the Hundertwasserhaus. Not really sure how I figured out this place looks like a great site and should be visited, but at least I don’t shy away from admitting my mistakes. I WAS WRONG! This place is offers nothing special and does not need to be visited. Please do not follow my example by going there, you will only waste time and feel indifferent. Unless you locate a gift shop, in which to buy the famous local coffee and other souvenirs, just simply to make your wasted time worthwhile. Another great thing about this quarter is that it’s an amazing location for a photoshoot. Just no need for the above mentioned building.
Next up, a few Strassenbahn and the U-bahn stations later, I was located at the Mexikoplatz. Yes, this square is named after one of three most famous North-American countries. For those of you who want to discover what Mexico has to do with Austria, you’ll easily be able to locate a statue with the inscription. For those of you who will not bother to chase historical monuments, the square was named Mexicoplatz in 1956 to honor the support that Mexico gave Austria in 1938, as the only country worldwide to do so, protesting against Austrian annexation by Germany. Another interesting monument that can be found here is the cathedral named Franz-von-Assisi-Kirche. I can say nothing else but JUST LOOK AT IT!
For this tour of Vienna, I had to skip going to Donauturm (and (un)fortunately it was closed that day), and went straight to Prater. The park is not far from Mexicoplatz. In fact, around the city center, anything is pretty near if you take the U-bahn. I don’t think I used it for more than four stations in a row, between any given two stops. Prater is, of course, the heart of the Vienna, if you ask most tourists. It’s worldwide famous for the wheel called Riesenrad, but it contains a whole amusement park. Remember to buy the Riesenrad tickets in advance, if you wish to skip waiting the ticket line. However, you’ll still be pending to get in. But it will be worth your wait! Despite the fact that the wheel is not a super fun ride, but rather an opportunity to look at the city from a height, it will provide a mass of picturesque scenes to jump into, and bring you a feeling of being on top of the world. Although it will take at least 45 minutes of your life, I still recommend it. Other attractions inside the Prater include various rides, as well as a planetarium. However, be sure to book any tickets ahead of time, in order to be prepared for the timing of certain exhibitions, as well as not waste time waiting in extra lines.
The last thing I got to see in the Prater is the Rollercoasterrestaurant. You can find out what it is by splitting this German word into its building blocks – roller, coaster, restaurant. It is a restaurant in which the food is served by robots. And it’s the host of some of the most amazing sights I got to see in Vienna this time around. The food is quite good and, in some ways, unique. You will love how soups and drinks are served in capped bottles, in order not to spill any liquid running down a coaster. Also, all the meals will be capped, as well, in order to keep the ingredients inside the plates, for the same reason. Not many words are necessary to describe this exhibition, but the atmosphere itself will give you a spectacular feeling of living in the futurism today.
Not much time remained for me after this visit, so I ran for my favorite thing anywhere in Western Europe – a döner. The given eight hours were more than successful, and now anyone can utilize this itinerary, and hopefully even make it better themselves! The only change I would make is opting for Donauturm, rather than Hundertwasserhaus. Hopefully for you, the Danube Tower will be open during your visit. One more thing I didn’t get to do this time was pay a visit to the neighboring capital of Bratislava (Slovakia). As I’m definitely planning a longer stay in Vienna the third time around, at least one week, Bratislava will be on my weekend itinerary – and I hope you will be waiting to hear more about it. Until next time, think about what brings you the sense of culture – or even better, decide to visit this splendid city. And do let me know how it went by!
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[…] Remember my last trip to Vienna – and what’s that got to do with this post? How are these two connected? How much history do these cities share? Why are Bratislava and Vienna so close to each other? Is Bratislava a good one-day excursion when visiting Vienna? Is Bratislava expensive? What can one do in Bratislava? I invite you to read on, to have these questions answered. […]
[…] Remember my last trip to Vienna – and what’s that got to do with this post? How are these two connected? How much history do these cities share? Why are Bratislava and Vienna so close to each other? Is Bratislava a good one-day excursion when visiting Vienna? Is Bratislava expensive? What can one do in Bratislava? I invite you to read on, to have these questions answered. […]
[…] Remember my last trip to Vienna – and what’s that got to do with this post? How are these two connected? How much history do these cities share? Why are Bratislava and Vienna so close to each other? Is Bratislava a good one-day excursion when visiting Vienna? Is Bratislava expensive? What can one do in Bratislava? I invite you to read on, to have these questions answered. […]
[…] Remember my last trip to Vienna – and what’s that got to do with this post? How are these two connected? How much history do these cities share? Why are Bratislava and Vienna so close to each other? Is Bratislava a good one-day excursion when visiting Vienna? Is Bratislava expensive? What can one do in Bratislava? I invite you to read on, to have these questions answered. […]
[…] Remember my last trip to Vienna – and what’s that got to do with this post? How are these two connected? How much history do these cities share? Why are Bratislava and Vienna so close to each other? Is Bratislava a good one-day excursion when visiting Vienna? Is Bratislava expensive? What can one do in Bratislava? I invite you to read on, to have these questions answered. […]
[…] Vienna to me (just like Washington D.C.) is a dream come true. That is another amazing trait of Vienna – even if the weather does not serve you well, you can always hide out in a museum, and enjoy […]
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