Vienna, Austria

 

I arrived in Vienna around 8pm that Friday. I really wasn’t planning on exploring the nightlife since I was so exhausted from partying the night before in Braga, and sightseeing in Zurich, only taking random naps throughout the day. I just wanted to go to bed. However, this was my only night there; I was getting on the Twin-City Liner cruise to Bratislava on Saturday afternoon. To party or not to party?

I took the S-Bahn train from Wien-Swechat Airport to Wien Mitte station, where I hopped on the U3 to Westbahnhof. Wombats Hostel – The Lounge – was located a block from Wbf station. The ride cost €3.50, and I was there in about half an hour. There were lots of young people at the hostel, in fact much younger than the guests in Lisbon. These kids were like, eighteen, maybe nineteen. I felt old for a second, which influenced my decision of just going to bed early like an old man. So I went upstairs, took a hot shower and went to a Turkish restaurant down the street to grab something to eat. Pizza, in a Turkish restaurant, in Austria? You’d be surprised. I found more Turkish restaurants than typical Viennese places in this city. Dirt cheap pizza, it didn’t taste that great but it filled me up. It was bedtime for me, or so I thought.

Back at The Lounge, I ran into a group of Turkish girls in their mid-20s. That’s when I first learned that Turkish people do enjoy partying (which was later confirmed in Ceske Budejovice). Suddenly, the old man didn’t feel so old anymore, and the fact that the hostel had a full-liquor underground bar definitely helped me make that tough decision: to party! – for a little bit. The girls and I headed down to the bar and started out with a few rounds of cold Stiegl’s on tap. They told me Vienna receives a lot of Turkish tourists (and immigrants), which explains why you can find a real kebab on every block. Fair enough. As much as I enjoyed their company, and as refreshing as those Stiegl’s were, my body was screaming “Please stop!” I politely said goodbye to them and excused myself. It was at least 24 hours past bedtime.

 

I felt great the next morning. I actually slept for eight hours for the first time in two weeks. The free breakfast buffet offered by The Lounge couldn’t have been better; fresh fruit, croissants, eggs, muffins and different varieties of warm bread, accompanied by liver spread, jam and butter. It was gorging time! After recharging, I grabbed a map from the receptionist and checked out. Some hostels store your luggage for free, and luckily this one did. The Twin-City Liner cruise was leaving for Bratislava at 4pm, so I circled on the map a few attractions and headed out. Everything I wanted to see was somewhat walking distance from the hostel. First stop: the Ottakringer Brewery.

The closest I had come to visiting a brewery was in Milwaukee, but I wasn’t able to join the tour because I was five minutes late. I was curious to see how beer was made in Austria, and possibly try some fresh local brew. I walked for about forty minutes, cutting through at an outdoor market (apparently they’re pretty common in Vienna). To my surprise, the brewery was closed on Saturdays. To this day, I still haven’t taken a brewery tour. At least their gift shop was open, so I decided to check that out. They sold souvenirs and ice cold bottled beer. I generally don’t buy souvenirs, and even if I wanted to buy anything, there were no employees around. As I was about to leave, I heard a voice coming from the back, so I stopped, turned around and saw a beautiful woman walking towards me speaking German.

Since the brewery was closed, I assumed the reason why she was in the back was that her shifts don't get very busy, which she later confirmed. I looked at her and said, “I’m sorry, I don’t understand German”, and received the most unexpected reply: “I am actually glad to hear that. I don’t get to practice my English very often here. My name is Olga.”, she said, giving me the firmest handshake I’d ever received from a girl that pretty. I didn’t want to buy any souvenirs, but I thought, “well, 97 cents for a 20oz Austrian beer, why not?” And Olga wanted to practice her English. I bought the first Dunkles, and joined her at a table out back, where she already had a beer herself (what a sweet job). We chatted for about two hours, and she bought me a few more Dunkels. One beer turned into eight between the two of us. She told me about the Viennese culture and nightlife and invited me out to a local pub that night. Since I was leaving in a few hours, I had to respectfully decline her invitation. Tight schedules can ruin some of the fun, but I had an enjoyable time at the brewery; certainly not what I had in mind, but definitely interesting.

 

I only had three hours before departure, so I stumbled to the tram stop and headed to Old Town to check out the architecture, and hopefully find a decent schnitzel somewhere. I made sure to visit Saint Stephen’s Cathedral and Hofburg Palace. Vienna Rathaus is also magnificent. Old Town Vienna was overall very charming, and all the historical buildings somehow brought me memories of “Amadeus”, one of my favorite movies of all time. It felt great being there, and I really hope to go back soon.

I left Old Town and started walking towards The Lounge, hoping to find a good local restaurant on the way. Pulkautaler Weinhaus (Felberstraße 2, 1150 Wien, Austria) was just the right place. My wienerschitzel and a beer (another one?) cost me about €14, which seems to be average for “not-so-economically-hurt” Europe. I was truly delighted with my meal. One hour left, time to run.

I literally ran to The Lounge to grab my backpack. From Westbahnhof, I hopped on the U2 towards Schwedenplatz. My general impression of Vienna was that it is indeed a beautiful city with lots of welcoming and friendly people. Next time I’m there, I will make sure to explore the local scene as suggested by Olga. I got to Schwedenplatz there just in time for boarding the Twin-City Liner cruise down the Danube River to Bratislava, my next stop.