Vienna Vacation

Me with the ducks in Stadtpark, Vienna, Austria

So after two weeks of basically introducing myself to each of my groups and doing some minor practice for their oral exams at the end of the year, I had ten days off. Yay France! This was for the "Toussaints" vacation--literally "all saint's"--but I guess we would call it "fall break" in the USA. I made plans about three weeks prior to go to Vienna to see a long-lost friend (Ridge) and to meet my sister's/my friend Dina.

The vacation was upset by my being ill and a few other bumps in the road, but I can honestly say that Vienna is one of the cleanest, most beautiful cities I've ever had the privilege of visiting. There is no dog crap strewn about the streets (hey, I'm looking at you, France). I didn't see much trash (and you, SF, NYC, and Chicago), and the people were friendly as a whole. Dina and I received help more than once from friendly strangers on the S-Bahn or the U-Bahn who were listening to us discuss our confusion.

Also, being from Minnesota, it was great to be somewhere that had the crispness of the transition from autumn into winter in the air. I could almost smell the snow and loved the fact that I needed to wear gloves and even purchase a hat! With the cold weather comes comfort food. I ate so much hearty soup (goulash, pumpkin soup), stewed red meat, and potatoes that it was border-line ridiculous. After my return to France, I ate raw vegetables for two days just to make myself feel better.

Another thing that Vienna has over Nice (and France in general) is that it is so affordable! For the first few days, Dina and I had purchased some items at the supermarket so we could make sandwiches and grab things to go. Four or five packages of meat, a giant loaf of bread, cheese, some vegetables, and 2 kg of apples cost us 10 euros. So good. In addition to the affordability of food is the affordability of beer with FLAVOR. I don't remember if I've discussed this yet on the blog, but here in France the beer is pretty flavorless and then they add grenadine, lemonade, and/or peach syrup to it to make it sweet and fruity. It's just not my scene. Thankfully for me, my friend Ridge knew of a bar in Vienna (it's called 1516) that brews their own IPAs and a hopped oatmeal stout. Pints in Nice cost upwards of 7-8 euros, but in Vienna an "expensive" pint was half that. Cheap beer with flavor. I was saved for a few days!

Here is a breakdown of the things I saw in Vienna:
The Naschtmarkt and the Flohmarkt--great outdoor markets to buy food stuffs, jewelry, furniture, and collectables. (see photo down and to the left of all of the different kinds of vinegar)
The Leopold--really great collection of art especially Klimt and Schiele
Stadtpark--Great place to go during the day. They have a pond filled with ducks and swans and it's a beautiful place to stroll around!
The Opera--Beautiful building and it's central to everything
Cafe Sacher--->overrated, over priced, and you can find Sacher torte everywhere--not just there.
Cafe Hawelka--my favorite cafe that we visited. The inside is warm and cozy and it's not overpriced
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra--can't go wrong with 5euro standing seat tickets to hear some lovely music
AVOID THE DUDES SELLING MUSIC TICKETS EVERYWHERE!
Stephansplatz--great shopping and, for the most part, seemed to be a pedestrian only zone.
National Day (October 26)--this is a holiday in Austria and the way that we saw it celebrated was sort of an exposition of the military in Maria-Theresien-Platz. It was a strange mix of food vendors, military expos, various sports teams, and eighties pop music. But it was a happy accident to stumble upon it! Creepy man in camouflage----->
The U-Bahn--Vienna's version of a subway. It is intuitive and well marked. Very easy and affordable to use (a 1-week pass was 15 euros)

Here are some reflections I made on the people of Vienna vs. the people of Nice:
Viennese people are much more aware of how their actions affect other people. For instance, when people are on an escalator, those who want to stand stay to the right so as to make room for those who need to hurry. That sort of thing does not happen in Nice. People walk in your way, stand in your way, and will bump into you on the street as if it is your responsibility to avoid certain collision. As mentioned before, we received unsolicited help more than once during our lost wanderings around the city. I have literally had people in Nice ignore me on the street as I am asking them for help. Lastly, I had to re-learn how to not be on guard all the time at night. During the whole week I only had one man be inappropriate to me on the street which would only happen in Nice if all of the men mysteriously disappeared. During my first night, I was trying to navigate Vienna with a girl that I met on the subway and some men were walking down the street. They stopped and asked us if we needed help. Initially I didn't respond out of habit, but then finally I said "No, thank you" and they, miraculously, just walked away! No following, no prodding, no bothering...just "Ok! Have a good night!". What a nice change.

I suppose the only real downside of Vienna is that folks can still smoke in bars. Blech.

Anyway, that was my Vienna adventure in a nutshell and for the most part. I left out some of the hairier details, of course. It was a great time in a great city with great people. I hope to see it again some day!

Bisous

Ann

Awesome sign in the bar at my hostel aimed at lessening the amount of drunkards who collide with the window, thinking it's an open space.
Way to be considerate, guys! :-)