vienna - ich bin ein wiener... oder was?!
April 19, 2007
hermes mansion in lainzer park.
my closest filipino friend - ariel moved from düsseldorf, germany to vienna, austria for his studies and he kept pestering me to visit him, though he only moved last march. (laughs) oh well, i said yes, i need break too from work and all. in such short notice, i couldnt find to get a cheap train driving to vienna, and only one mitfahrzentrale (hitchhiking), but he's got his whole family with him and he drives to bucharesti and a stop in vienna, so im sure the car is crammed with big bulky suitcases and honestly i dont trust the guy. so no choice for me but to book a flight, and i planned a weeklong trip to vienna and a day trip to bratislava, slovakia which is only 50+ kms. from vienna.
vienna is along the widest point of the danube river but it was cut in-between by the man-made donau insel - a nature park and also a protection from flooding.
it is a grown city - like many other germanic speaking cities and countrues - the altstadt in the middle, the innenstadt circling the altstadt and the modern buildings around the innenstadt, perfectly planned.
day 1 thursday
- i landed in vienna at about 7:30 in the morning, i sent an sms to ariel, telling him that i arrived - i dont want this kind of situation that after arriving in the first moment - i will meet the person and leave - i need time to relax, so i went to a cafe and ordered assam tee with citrone while waiting for ariel. the first thing i noticed is that the people are speaking alien german to me, i mean it is high german but with an accent - the famous - vienna dialect. no offense to austrians and viennese - i love your country so much - but for me the accent is quite funny :D.then ariel arrived and we took the airport sbahn, but it would not go directly to the city, because he lives only 4 stations from the airport. so i unpacked, and we went went to the grocery to buy some foods to cook, after that we went to the old and inner city and walk around st. stephens cathedral - it is a huge gothic architecture - but i find the cathedral in cologne, germany much more majestic and beautiful. around the cathedral were performing artists and big fair and lots and lots of tourists, and of course the famous fiaker or horse carriages waiting to take you back in time with that tour and the most impressive is the massive hapsburgian architectures from the time of empress elizabeth or in viennese simply sisi. after that, we toured around the museums quartier, but i need to go to the toilette, then ariel and me went inside a small toilette in the area, unfortunately its a pay toilette, but no one was guarding outside so ariel and me went, then got out, but as soon as we headed towards the door, an old woman shouted and saying that we should pay for using the toilette.
hahaha first day and i got reprimanded, talk about old, she had a radar with her, coz she didnt heard the plink in the coin box :D (laughs), then me and ariel went to the university because he had to pick some books in the library and ate at the cafeteria - the funny thing inside the university is an old elevator, wherein it is so small that only two people can fit inside and it is rolling non stop and no door (laughs). after that we decided again to stroll the old city and eat ice cream. i am so beaten that day, and i took a long bath after, after that i decided to stroll the city in the area of the westhbf, so i can fmailiarize myself even withouth using the transportation system (i love walking around)
the british bookstore at mariahilfe strasse
day 2 friday
- we decided to visit schönbrunn castle, west of the city center, the subway system in vienna is really huge (for my standard) but it is so easy to navigate (unlike in düsseldorf, that they put every lines together - streettrains, subways and buses altogether in a plan like a bowl of soup) we had to make 2 train stops to reach the castle.it was massive (sorry i am always using this word) and huge (didnt went inside) with an impressive and intricate fountain and the f-u-c-k-i-n-g rococo (?) or baroque (?) structured gazebo on top. hahaha, it was really extreme for my taste - too much. but what interest me was the labyrinth of the castle. we paid 3.50 euros to get inside - we thought it was big but it was small, it doenst matter it's my first time to see and inside a labyrinth. then we went back to the inner city and took a look at vienna's famous shopping district - mariahilfe strasse. we ate at kfc (because ariel really is a big kfc fan hahaha ) after that, ariel wanted me to help him to buy a sunglass, so we went inside a shop, and after narrowing it down it came between prada or gucci - i told him gucci because its a noble brand, but it was too tight for his face :D hahaha and a whopping 200 euros, so prada was it.
a reminder of old viennathen after walking along, i was suprised to see a british bookstore at the end of the street, so i took a look and rummage through the sales section and found an interesting book about a tibetan custom - stick out your tongue by ma jian. (still havent read it yet) - it was a long day for the both of us, but it was really fun! in the evening we decided to try the nightlife in vienna, but i guess we were at the wrong club, coz most of the people were balkans and ossies, and it looked like a drug dealing club - but no matter, i know im not going back there again. hahahah.
the schönbrunn fountain
day 3 saturday
- i need to wake up early, because i am going to meet jan, he's german and from frankfurt, and he has only time at 12:00 noon, so i met him at west hbf and we went to his flat, listened to music and smoked and talked about interesting things and i really enjoyed it.i was at home at 4:00 pm and was really hungry, ariel took me to a chinese resto with buffet. all you can eat for 5 euros. wow, there was this sweet and sour crunchy pork that i really love! i told ariel that after i need a sleep because in the evening we will meet some filipinos who moved to vienna and have a drink or two. we were inside mai kai club at about 10:30 in the evening, the guys came at about 11:00 pm, but ariel and me didnt really like it there so after 15 mins. we left. hahahahahahaha and we need to sleep early because the next day we plan to go to bratislava in slovakia, we were such in a hurry then, because the last trip of the transportation system in vienna ends at 12:15 am. there's a night train but were too far from the service.
hehehe
day 4 sunday
- in bratislava - i'll make a separate blog for this - but after being in bratislava, i met attila from norway and had wine and relaxed the whole evening - eventhough my feet was already hurting from walking! hahaha
day 5 monday
- ariel was at the uni, so i cooked a spanish soup called sopas and went to the filipino store and bought siopao and century eggs, stuffed my mouth till i was bloated hahaha, i miss these foods so much.i was just on the flat the whole day, watched some tagalog films, cleaned the dishes and emptied the trash, and catched some little sleep - i need it. i need to relax.
the majestic schönbrunn fountain of the kaiserin elizabeth
day 6 tuesday
- i met gregor, also a student in the uni, and he toured me around lainzer park in vienna, where you can see animals running in the wild and the last of its kind - the european bison - where it's making a big comeback after nearing extinction. it was nice there, refreshing from the noise and lots of green and at the middle of the park is hermes villa, where in the front sits a beautiful fountain and statue of hermes himself, after that we took trains going to the donau insel and see the skyline of vienna in the donaustadt district.it was a different vienna for me, modern architectures and skyscrapers. on the other side of the donau insel is the 1/4 of the danube, we sat there and and relaxed - ate ice cream and i smoked, this part of the danube is much more slower and with some beaches on the side so people can swim and have a picnick. it was also a long day and i have to pack my things because ill be flying back to düsseldorf the next day.
hermes mansion at lainzer park
day 7 wednesday
- well - i packed all my things but i still i went to the filipino store, bought some foods and stuffed my mouth again. hahaha :D. i was riding the subway with a smile on my face. i never thought that i could have more fun in vienna than i expected, being with ariel and sharing jokes and humour and speaking tagalog again.it was nice being with him and his small and cozy flat. i had a wonderful time. and of course, he took some pictures of me. hahahahaha.
around st. stephens cathedral
as my plane flied over vienna, i hold and cherished all the memories that i had in this wonderful city! although i live in düsseldorf, germany - ich bin ein wiener :D
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hermes mansion in lainzer park.
the british bookstore at mariahi...
a reminder of old vienna
the schönbrunn fountain
hehehe
the majestic schönbrunn fountai...
hermes mansion at lainzer park
around st. stephens cathedral
vienna is the most snobbish city...
inside the subway
the subway schedules
between the harmony stones insid...
entrance to the labyrinth
schönbrunn castle
mai kai club in vienna - at my r...
i forgot his name but he was nice.
i am so small! hu hu hu :(
in lainzer park in vienna with a...
a small brook inside the park. (...
looks like a beaver dam, but i d...
the 1/3 of the danube and the mi...
im in the donau insel and the d...
the labyrinth below me.
viennese subway
vienna international airport is located outside of the outskirts of vienna. so if bought tickets to the center of the city, remember that it costs 3 euros and NEVER forget to validate it at the validating machines - there is an sbahn line connecting from the city center and also a fast train, but that is a bit more expensive.
the airport is very much organized, as resident permit holders, and coming from the schengen members - you dont have to check out at the counter - you go out immediately and the train station is waiting for you. baggages are also fast, waiting time is until 10 minutes and its already there.
the confusing parts is that if you want to find your airline - but its not a major and also the ticket automat if you want to pay - just be ready to have euro coins just in case, sometimes the paper money doenst work. but all in all - i love vienna international airport - no nonsense but friendly attitudes by the employees and they meant business :D
the airport is very much organized, as resident permit holders, and coming from the schengen members - you dont have to check out at the counter - you go out immediately and the train station is waiting for you. baggages are also fast, waiting time is until 10 minutes and its already there.
the confusing parts is that if you want to find your airline - but its not a major and also the ticket automat if you want to pay - just be ready to have euro coins just in case, sometimes the paper money doenst work. but all in all - i love vienna international airport - no nonsense but friendly attitudes by the employees and they meant business :D
