VIENNA

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Austria wasn't originally on my itinerary, but when I stayed with Ruben in BELGIUM, I met a friend of his from Austria who stirred my interest in the country thus my decision to visit. So I said auf wiedersehen (good-bye) to Germany and headed east to Vienna, home to classicial music, the delectable wienerschnitzel, adorned architecture, and crazy drivers.

MY CS HOSTTarek was his name. He picked me up at the train station accompanied by Laura, a CSer from Munich he was also hosting. I was pleasantly surprised to be picked up by car as it had been three weeks since I last set foot in one during my stay in Paris. Initially I was excited to once again have the "get-in and go" convenience of a car versus my more involved routine of buying a metro ticket, figuring out which direction to go, what stop to get off at, etc. But only after a few minutes into the car ride the extra time and effort of public transportation seemed like roses compared to Tarek's driving. Behind the wheel he was a bit aggressive for my tastes making erratic lane changes, sharp turns, and abrupt stops - not ideal for my proneness to motion sickness. Tarek was at least courteous to admit riding in the car with him was like being at an amusement park and excused his driving by advising me that everyone in Vienna drives like they're in the Indy 500. That wasn't the least bit comforting but I did respect his honesty.

I soon learned that Tarek has been living the good life for the past year jet setting around the world before he eventually transitions from recent college graduate to real world working professional. In between his travels he plays host to couchsurfers acting as an "unofficial" Vienna tour guide. He truly lived up to that title dedicating his time to showing me the must see sights of Vienna during my entire stay.

SIGHTSEEING At first glance Vienna was just another big European city to me. I was looking for that uniqueness that defined Vienna as Vienna. It didn't take long for me to notice a common theme of the city in my never ending surroundings of embellished statues, fountains, and buildings screaming a once-upon-a-time presence of supreme grandeur, power, and wealth.
* Hofburg Imperial Palace. Once residence to Holy Roman Emperors, and most notably the former home of the royal Hapsburgs family. Enormous to say the least with 8 wings, 19 courtyards and 2,600 rooms.
* Schoennbrunn Palace. As if the Hofburg Palace wasn't big enough, just 4 miles away Hofburg the Hapsburgs built the 1441 room Shounbrunn Palace as their imperial summer residence. To be there is like being in a fairy-tale. The palatial grounds includes sculpted gardens, decorative fountains and statues, walking trails with arching trees overhead, a zoo, complimented by the monumental Gloriette uphill overlooking the Palace gardens. Unfortunately during my visit the flowers of the Palace gardens were pulled and the many fountains on the grounds shut off as is standard during cold season. I can only imagine how much more splendid the Palace is during the Spring and Summer months.
* Prater. A place for entertainment with a Coney Island feel with its large roller coaster and arcade games, but also place for relaxation with a large park and a scenic walking path lined with horse chestnut trees and horse carriages riding by.
* Stephansdom (St. Stephan's Cathedral). A European city is never complete without a main cathedral.
* Hundertwasser House. An apartment housing complex of modern architectural style by Austrian painter, sculptor, and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. A visit here was an unexpected but pleasant break from Europes's Old World style. His work was nothing I'd ever seen before and as best described by Lonely Planet is an architectural style "that would make Willy Wonka proud."
* Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetary). I decided to change up my sightseeing routine by convincing Tarek to visit Vienna's largest cemetery where classical composers like Beethoven, Brahams, Strauss, and many others notable figures are buried. There is also a memorial dedicated to Mozart, but he is actually buried in St. Marx Cemetary. Though the cemetary was away from the city center, it was not short of Vienna's grandeur with large decorative tombstones and mausoleums.

CS FUNWhen I first joined Couchsurfing, one of the first CSers I met was Valentin, originally from Austria, but living in LA at that time. I ran into Valentin once again at an end of the summer CS bonfire in LA where he mentioned he would soon be returning to Austria. Just before my arrival in Austria I looked him up happy to find out he was now living in Vienna attending University - so we made plans to meet up for dinner on my last night night in town.

Tarek joined Valentin and I for dinner at restaurant in Stephansplazt. In trying to decide what to eat Tarek and Valentin insisted I try a wienerschnitzel - a local Vienna cuisine. I was not the least bit enthused as I wasn't in the mood to have a hot dog for dinner as I assumed that's what it was - that is after all what you get when you go to Wienerschnitzel's in the US. Boy was I wrong. Turns out its a veal cutlet dipped in bread crumbs, deep fried, and typically served with potato salad - reminiscent of country fried steak but with a fancy twist. I wonder if the Viennese are aware of America's misrepresentation of their dish? Anyway, each bite was worth every calorie.

After dinner - Tarek, Valentin and I met up with a few more CSers for some fun at Apropos, a new bar in the city. We were invited by Bonnie, a CSer who contacted me on the CS website when she noticed I was in Vienna visiting and was nice enough to invite me out on the town. Bonnie is originally from Canada who just recently moved to Vienna, works as an au pair, and is currently taking German lessons to help her settle into her new environment. I was envious. We bonded that night being fellow North Americans adjusting to the European way of life, especially in our our new-found discovery of the meaning of "WC." I also met Bonnie's friend Kathrin, also a CSer who shared with me she was originally from Graz, Austria, the same area where Arnold Schwarzenegger is from. Kathrin must've had a complex about this as she made it a point immediately after our introduction that her accent does NOT sound like the Governator. I respected her sensitivity to such so I didn't dwell on the topic during our time at the bar. However, by then end of the night and three glasses of wine later during our car ride home I pleaded with her to say "California" and "I'll be back." After much hesitation she finally gave into my need to humor myself, but to my disappointment she didn't sound like him after all. 😞

MORE THAN I BARGAINED FORTarek was great CS host not short of a great life experiences that sparked my intrigue. During my time spent getting to know him I learned that Tarek actually grew up in Saudi Arabia during most of his childhood, including the time of the Gulf War back in 1990-1991. I was really interested to know what life was like for him actually living there as I grew up hearing Gulf War stories from my dad who was also there at the time but behind military lines deployed by the US Marines (ooh-rah). Too young at the time to realize the seriousness of the war, Tarek described that time as "fun"recalling US troops interacting with the town locals giving them tours of the naval ships and military humvee's and paying visit to their school to keep them informed of what was going on with the war. Interestingly, he described a typical school day having to carry a gas mask, practicing gas drills, and watching the school of almost 500 students dwindle down to less than 100 as many families fled. The more I listened the more I wished pops was there sitting with me to exchange their war stories.

MORE PICTURES, click here ----> VIENNA PICS

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AUSTRIA TID BITS
Driving. For a city that has some crazy drivers, ironically, there are pretty high standards for driving in Vienna.

• Honking your horn is prohibited except for emergency purposes, otherwise you get a ticket.
  
• All cars must be serviced and pass inspection each year in order for the car to be driven on the streets
  
• In order for kids to share the roads on their bikes, they have to attend bicycle school to get licensed.

Coffee

• Its a culture. Cafe's are not a just a place for a caffeine kick - its a place the Viennese frequent to socialize, transact business, or just to relax and unwind.
  
• Coffee is typically served with a glass of water, which Tarek informed me is served to offset the diruetic effects of caffeine. How considerate.

City layout. Vienna is divided into 23 districts with the 1st district representing the City center. The higher the district, the further away from the center.

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Photos

Central Cafe
with Tarek & Laura

Coffee + Water
= Better Hydrated

Comments

[Csquared]

I hope this isn't the last
I want at least one more blog entry summarizing this trip of yours. Miss ya a ton LL.