As many of you know, I left my group of friends in Salzburg and traveled to Vienna alone. We had no class on Monday and I don't have classes on Tuesdays anyways, so I had one more day than everyone else. Vienna was on my "absolutely-must-see-while-abroad" list, and this was the best opportunity I thought I'd have to go, so I set out solo!
Hopped on the train Saturday afternoon, reading through my guidebook for the almost three hour ride. Arrived in Vienna, found my hostel with little problems, and checked in. The hostel was immaculately clean and modern and new and HUGE. Well the bad thing about huge hostels, is that it's hard to meet people... and since this one was so big, there were a lot of families and school groups staying there as well. I found it actually ironic that in every hostel I've ever stayed at, I've always met people to hang out with, and now, the first time I'm traveling alone, is the first time I don't meet anyone in the hostel! Got a 4-person room, showered and freshened up, and then decided just to walk around the area where my hostel was and try to find some food. It was Saturday evening of Easter weekend so all the stores had already closed...and I honestly couldn't decide what I wanted to eat. I walked and walked and walked, and ended up walking in a giant circle until I just decided on an Italian place...but it wasn't until I sat down that I realized it was just an Eiscafe. Whatever. I ordered a big Strawberry cup ice cream dish and that was my dinner. Made my way back to the hostel and went down to the bar in the basement-- this bar was honestly the coolest bar I've ever seen in a hostel, and of course I had no one to share it with. There were a few people there but they were all wrapped up in their own conversations so I went back to my room to figure out what I was going to do the next day, and then went down to the bar a little later.
It had gotten a little more crowded and as I walked in, I heard some Americans talking and just decided to go for it and ask to sit with then. It was two girls and one boy who are studying in Greece this semester, and they were introducing themselves, and the girl I sat next to says "yeah, I'm studying in Greece, but I go to Boston College." And I was like GET OUT. I GOT TO BOSTON COLLEGE! I had never seen her before, but she rooms with all the girls that were on my floor freshman year and we're actually going to have a class together next year. So that was crazy! It really just goes to show what a small world it is. So we talked all about BC and how crazy it is that we're going to be seniors next year and about housing and classes and what not. I was pretty tired though, so I headed back up the room and was in bed by midnight.
I was still just feeling very lonely and starting to regret my decision to spend three nights in Vienna by myself. I had just met some people but they were all leaving the next morning. I really do believe that part of traveling is sharing your experiences with someone else. Like, Turkey would not have been nearly as great if I Becca hadn't been with me to laugh about all the ridiculous stuff that happened. And then you always have those memories to look back on with the people you traveled with. I can be independent if necessary, but in general I'm a social being and just like being around people. I was optimistic for the next day though...
Easter Sunday--Easter in a Catholic country! For those that don't know, Austria is VERY Catholic. Woke up super early to take the metro to Stephansplatz so I could get a seat for Easter Mass at Stephansdom--the main cathedral in Vienna. Since I got there so early, the square was practically deserted, so that was pretty cool.
I was wayyy too early for mass (the 9am was just starting, and I wanted to go to the 10:15) so I walked around a bit and found another church--St. Peters Kirche which was BEAUTIFUL on the inside. The priests were walking around moving chairs and such preparing for Easter Mass and one of them and I exchanged a "Frohe Ostern!" Besides the priests, I was the only one in that church so that was pretty neat.
Walked around some more, it was still really early, so I sat at a little cafe right in front of Stephansdom and had a croissant and some famous Viennese "brauner"--their type of coffee, it's a brown color because they mix so much creme in it. Finished that and made my way into the cathedral, 9am mass was still going on, but I noticed that people kept going in and sitting, so I figured I would just follow suit. Squeezed my way into a pew towards the front. I ended up being behind a giant column but I could still see okay and at least I had a seat! So I was surrounded by lots of Austrians, but in general, the church was full of Italians--I ran into SO MANY Italians in Vienna in general! But I'd say a good third of the people at the mass weren't even Catholic, they just wanted to witness the service.
10:15, service starts, we all stand up, and everyone is snapping photos and getting really excited and I had no clue as to why...until I see a giant gold hat! Turns out, mass was being led by the Cardinal Archbishop! I don't remember his name, because mom took my program and didn't give it back when she came to visit...and she says you can't be a Cardinal AND an Archbishop...but the program said "Erzbischop Kardinal" so that's what he was. He said his welcome remarks in German, English, and Italian. There was a beautiful choir and orchestra that performed all of one of Schubert's masses--the last one he wrote before he died. The entire service lasted TWO HOURS but it was absolutely beautiful. The choir sounded so amazing. I didn't really understand the homily, but just the experience of the whole thing was amazing!
At the conclusion of the service, the choir performed "Hallelujah" from Handel's Messiah. I was sitting there listening as people started filing in for 12:30 mass, and I took in front of me, and see Erin! Erin is another German student at BC, so I've had lots of German classes with her, but I don't know her very well and we weren't even Facebook friends--I knew she was studying in Vienna but I didn't know how to contact her really...but as I said, sitting in front of me for the next mass--there she is! Again, SMALL FREAKIN' WORLD! A city of over 1 million people, and I randomly run into her! So I said hi and we exchanged numbers and such and then I left the church and decided to walk around some more. It was the most GORGEOUS DAY! I feel like Easter Sunday is always a gorgeous day though, wherever you are.
Armed with my map, guidebook, and street-smarts (they've fortunately been improving since I've been abroad I'll have all you doubters know!) I set out to see the sights. Vienna has a plethora of museums and such but being a poor college student, I just wanted to see things and not really see exhibits. The Vienna underground system is so simple to use so that made it very easy. I hit up a bunch of the main areas, walked in the Jesuit Church, walked over to Karlsplatz and went in the Karlskirche-- church count on Easter: 4.
Erin texted me later and said that she and her friends were grabbing lunch near the church so I hurried back there but got there too late to order :( (I was SOOOO HUNGRY). Sat with them for a bit and they told me about their program and such, we walked by the Opera House, and then they all parted ways to go back to their houses and such. Erin wanted to go home and change but she said she was hanging out with some friends later and she'd text me when she was going. So I set out again to view more of the city--but right as I turned the corner I came across the famous Sacher Cafe, home of the famous Sacher Torte! This was on my list of things to do in Vienna, so of course I had to go in, especially dressed all nice for Easter Sunday! So I waited in line and shyly told the hostess that I was just one person, got seated at a table...and was alone.
This was probably the hardest part of being alone in Vienna, was sitting at Cafe Sacher alone. It's not such a big deal at other cafes because people do that all the time in Europe, but this is like a huge tourist place, so all the tourists come here with their families. And especially on Easter Sunday, when everyone is with their families anyways. I could tell people were giving me strange looks, like, what is this 21 year old girl doing just sitting by herself? But I pulled through. I honestly think that eating at a restaurant like that by yourself is something everyone should learn to do. And unlike in America, I couldn't start texting the world and pretend I was waiting for someone. It's so bad at BC, even if you're in the elevator alone with someone, both parties will whip out their phones "checking their text messages." Yeah right, you have a text message! So this was just me, myself, and I enjoying a lovely Easter Sunday meal.
As I said, I was STARVING since I had only had that one croissant in the morning, so I ordered a nice soup, and then of course ordered the famous Sacher brauner and the famous Sacher Torte.
The cake was very good, not DELICIOUS, but very good. It had a very distinct flavor to it so I can understand why it's such a big deal. Left the cafe and walked and walked and walked some more. Armed with my Lonely Planet Guidebook, I just walked all around the entire city. The architecture in Vienna is incredible. Literally everywhere you turn, there is something else amazing to see! I will say that this part of my trip, I was thankful to be alone. Traveling solo has its pros and cons, but a definite pro is that I could do everything according to my own agenda. I didn't have any plan, I was just walking around. And I didn't have to worry about anyone else being hungry or tired, I could just keep trekking as long as I wanted. I saw tons of stuff though, all the main sights in the downtown area, and just enjoyed the gorgeous weather.
A bit later Erin texted me and told me where to meet her, so I hopped on a train and met her at the outskirts of the city. We met up with an Austrian friend of hers that she had met a couple months ago at a club, and we then met all of his Austrian friends. They were all hanging out outside, but it got really cold and windy with storm threats lingering by the time we got there, so we ended up all going back to the apartment of one of the friends. Kasimir (Erin's friend) and Sebastian went out to go find some alcohol (I still don't know how they found somewhere that was open on Easter Sunday at 8pm in Austria...!) and we all just sat in their living room teaching them American drinking games and listening to music and just having a fun time! All around a great time! I am just SO THANKFUL that I ran into Erin because if I hadn't, my evening and night would've just been me sitting at the hostel feeling sad that I was alone on Easter. Managed to get back to my hostel by midnight, showered, met a new roommate--a guy from Brazil, but I honestly don't remember our conversation because I was a little out of it when I got back-- and then hit the sack!
Woke up Monday morning a bitttt hungover, and if I had just been back home in Heidelberg, I could've just slept in without feeling guilty, but this was my last full day in Vienna and I had sights to see! So I made my way out the door, and headed down to Schoenbrunn Palace. The tour of the palace was fine, but honestly (and I'm going t sound SO SNOOTY when I say this)--if you've seen one palace, you've seen them all. It was interesting to learn about the history of the family though--it's the palace where Marie Antoinette grew up. What was really cool though was the gardens around the palace--they spanned for acres and acres, and if you climbed all the way up, you got a beautiful view of the palace with the city of Vienna surrounding it.
Was just walking around enjoying myself, came across a little Easter Market on the grounds and bought a giant pizza pretzel thing, and then got a call from my friend Joe! Joe graduated from BC last year and is doing his Fulbright in Vienna this year, and I had forgotten he was there until Sunday night so I had written on his wall saying we should meet up. So we made plans to meet for dinner at 7pm. Walked and walked and walked some more...it was a little colder today and I was wearing shorts (seems to be a recurring theme...wearing shorts on the wrong days...)
Back to downtown, climbed the tower of Stephansdom--the viewing platform was very cramped, so not one of the best I've climbed, but still offered some nice views.
After that, bought some postcards, and hopped on the train again to the other side of the city to giant ferris wheel which was surrounded by a little amusement park/fair. Then went over to the island that's in the middle of the Danube River just to sit on a bench on the grass and write my cards. Well, right as I got there it turned pretty cold and grey, and then this family of four sat on the bench with me and they were all arguing--it was kind of annoying but at the same time kind of funny, and really funny to listen to what they were saying. They had the strangest accents, it was like someone speaking German with a Russian and Italian accent. And the woman was saying she was so tired and then the older man was like "well you're only 50! I'm 70!" and then they went into a long discussion about taking care of your hands and cutting your fingernails. Crazy Europeans ;)
Got another text from Erin about meeting up later, so I ran back to the hostel and got some warmer clothes and met up with her--we went to the other part of that island in the Danube where there's beach volleyball and more fields and such and hung out with the same guys from last night. Luckily the sun had come back out so we just laid there soaking it in--I was still exhausted. Then we all headed over to this giant mall called Millennium City because a bar inside had a happy hour special, Mondays from 5-7, ONE EURO COCKTAILS! NO JOKE! ONE EURO! So we got there around 6:30 and I chugged down two--a Mai Tai and a Sex on the Beach. ONE EURO! YOU CAN'T FIND THAT ANYWHERE!
Before I knew it, it was time to go meet Joe, so I said bye to Erin and all her friends and thanked her again for making my time in Vienna not suck, and met up with Joe a few train stops down the line. We went out to a more local restaurant--cheap prices and lots of food and lots of beer. I haven't been in contact with him for almost a year so it was nice to see how he's doing. He told me all about his Fulbright, which is actually over next month! And I told him about being abroad and such and caught him up on BC news. It was so funny that it ended up being such a BC weekend. I met that girl in the hostel, Stephanie, who's at BC, then I hung out with Erin who goes to BC, and then Joe who just graduated from BC! It was so nice to hang out with all these BC people though, because all we did was just talk about how great BC is. I may have already said this in another post, but being abroad has just made me realize how much I truly love that school and everything about it...except maybe finals week ugh. But it's just such a special place, and luckily I had Katherine and Jinah in my program so I can still use my BC jargon with them and they'll understand it. It's just such a special place once you're there, and it's so hard to explain the experience to people unless you go there. I try to explain BC to Dan a lot and he just doesn't get it. So, for this one weekend, I was able to talk BC with a bunch of BC people scattered across the city--we're everywhere!
After dinner, we headed back downtown to a traditional Viennese coffee house--one of the reasons I loved Vienna (and Austria) so much. It's more European--like the European that people imagine when they think of Europe. Germany is kind of in the middle of Europe and America, which is why I have problems with it sometime-- but Austria seems to be much more European, and I LOVED my time in the country. After the coffeehouse, we went searching for a club, but Joe couldn't find it, so we went to a shisha bar instead. Stayed there til closing (which isn't that late on a Monday...) but the trains weren't running anymore, so we walked ALL THE WAY ACROSS the city--a 40 minute walk. Joe explained how Vienna is an extremely safe city, and I totally see that, because we didn't run into one person on our walk back.
Said goodbye to Joe and thanked him for the tour and the company, then it was bedtime! Up early, checked out, stuffed my face with breakfast in the hostel, and hopped on my train back to Germany. I was going to stop in Passau, a German city on the border, and explore it a bit before I went back to HD, but the train I was on went right to Frankfurt and I was so tired from the weekend, that I just stayed on the train until Frankfurt and caught the next one home to Heidelberg. Overall, 8 hours of train travel on Tuesday--but that's still better than plane travel!
And that was my time in Vienna! I hated it the first night and was dreading the fact that I would be alone, but I found connections and had a lovely time! I was able to do all my own stuff and tour at my own quick pace during the day, and then have company to hang out with in the evenings and night. I'm not rushing to go travel anywhere alone again, but at least I know it's something I can do. As I said though, I absolutely loved Austria, and if I do end up applying for a Fulbright (the emails have begun about submitting our countries ughhh) then I think I would pick Austria over Germany. I read in my book as well about bungee jumping off the 197-meter high Europabrueke in Innsbruck, a small town in the Alps. The bridge I jumped off of in New Zealand was 40-meters...this is almost 5 TIMES AS HIGH! But I've still got a lot of time left abroad, and now I am FINALLY caught up with my blogging! Sorry I completely neglected to post pictures in the whole second half of the post, but it's already long enough!
No comments:
Post a Comment