It was only appropriate for me to title this post 'Vienna The Beautiful', because it really is. The city is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Before I left for Vienna, all mein freundes told me that I was "just going to die when I get to Vienna, because it really is like heaven." Its nicknamed 'the city of dreams', because the great professor Sigmund Freud lived there. It was also home to Ludwig van Beethoven.
Day 6 - Monday, December 26th:
Magda and I arrived in Vienna around 1 in the afternoon and got a call from her friend saying we couldn't go to the flat until 6. There was also a British couple staying here who had both sets of keys and were out for the day, so we walked around Vienna for a bit and went to a castle to get a leg up on our sightseeing. We ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant, which I was really excited about. Unfortunately, Rome doesn't have much variety when it comes to their food options. Its pretty much all Italian, which is great, but sometimes I crave Chinese, Mexican, Greek, etc. and then this becomes a problem. But no - not in Vienna! In fact, I haven't had Chinese food since I lived in Canada.
At 6 we finally went to the flat. The first thing you see when you walk into the house is literally the shower, which is propped up onto a wooden box crate that makes you feel like you're stepping into a space shuttle when you have a shower. Then there's a little stove, a sink, and shelves stocked with food. Then theres the bedroom that Christopher and Sarah (the British couple) slept in. And the last room was full of interesting paintings, large windows, dog eared books, and red plush couches. This is where Magda and I slept, and also where Christopher and Sarah did their work. In case you think I forgot about the bathroom, I didn't. There isn't one, so if mother nature calls, we had to shuffle on down the hall to the shared bathroom with the neighbors.
Chris is a filmmaker who we actually saw earlier on the street earlier that day. "The funny thing is," he told us, "I was on the phone with Sarah at the same time she told me that there would be two more guests in the flat. And here you are." Its funny how life works sometimes.
Sarah made us tea and Chris told us stories about Prague, a city in which he shares a "complicated" relationship with. He showed me a copy of his book. We spent the night listening to The Beatles, drinking tea, and sharing stories while Sarah baked an English pie. So far I can tell that Vienna is well structured with tall white buildings, impressive Gothic churches, and lot's of castle. Its exactly what I imagined.
I remember the first thing I said when I stepped off the train to Vienna was, "It smells like Toronto here." What? Was I still drunk from the night before, or was it my unconscious mind saying things that you only think about in a sleepy state of mind? Even I confused myself by saying this. Or maybe it was accurate by the amount of fruit stands, fake Italian pizzerias, and Chinese restaurants.
Day 7 - Tuesday, December 27th:
Magda and I were able to walk to the city centre from out flat. This was great because we got some excersize, and were able to stop and take pictures. Plus, I'm trying to spend as little as I can, and a bus ticket one way costs a whole 1.80. We saw all of Vienna's beautiful sites and went inside the oldest university which still had a Christmas tree standing proudly in the entrance. We went to the Museum of Natural History which was actually very interesting. We were surprised because it was free admission for those 19 and younger.
Day 8 - Wednesday, December 28th:
When we got home that night, I read an article about the graffiti problem in Vienna. I thought this was hilarious, because I haven't seen any graffiti at all. Chris also laughed and said that on his way to Vienna, his friend was driving him and Sarah around while explaining the different sections of the city to them. They drove through the 'bad' part of the city, which Chris described as a semi-poor neighborhood with a shop selling organic cookies.
Day 9 - Thursday, December 29th:
Today we went downtown and ventured into St. Stephan's Cathedral. We went to Karlzplatz, the old train station, and went inside the Belvedere castle and museum. We were obviously hungry after and decided to have our lunch at this festive Greek restaurant that looked small from the outside, but was huge on the inside. I ate warm pita bread and a delicious salad with blood red tomatoes, ripe black olives, and crisp onions served on a fresh bed of romaine lettuce. It also had saganaki in it, which is fried feta cheese and tastes like it was crafted by the Greek Gods themselves.
Later on, we found the bookstore Shakespeare & Co. where Christopher's book was sold. I was dying to visit it because I wanted him to sign it before we had to go back to Salzburg.
The book is called Travels Through Absence - Letters From The European City. It's my most prized possession from my whole Christmas trip.
The salesperson excitedly told me that I should come back on January 19th, because the author was going to do a book reading that night. I smiled at her and told her that I'll be living back in Rome at that time, and that it was ok, because I could have the live thing that night. She asked me how, and I told her that I was currently sharing a flat with Mr. Thomson and his wife/fiancée/girlfriend (I didn't know what they were, to be honest). She got so excited that she stamped my copy with an official Shakespeare & Co. stamp, gave me a bookmark, and told me to please tell Mr. Thomson that she is looking forward to his book reading. I promised I would, and off I went. When we arrived back at the flat, Magda and I told him everything and he thought the whole scenario was great. Sarah is currently in the process on writing a book about honey bees and doing research for it, while Chris taps away on his iMac for his soon to be newest masterpiece.
Day 10 - Friday, December 30th:
We took the train back from Vienna, which was a lot more enjoyable than the first. Which isn't saying much, considering my hangover from Lust House. Anyway, today we are back in Salzburg, where I was able to take a long hot shower, pack my bag for Prague, and get a good sleep for our 5 hour car ride to The Golden City.
If anyone is interesting in ordering Christopher Thomson's novel 'Travels Through Absence: Letters From The European City', please click on the link provided by amazon.
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