Saying goodbye to my former German host family who I had stayed with for the week previous wasn't like dejavu from two years earlier. This time there were no tears. This time I left with a smile on my face, knowing that I would be back, and the only way to look was forward. Vienna was awaiting.
After sitting on the most cramped, full bus (thank god I'm not claustrophobic) for twelve hours, I awoke from my few hours of sleep to hills covered in a thick, white coverage of snow. Everyone in the bus had their eyes closed, or were staring forward, but I was glued to the window, literally like a little child on Christmas morning.
The first glimpse of the city was far from beautiful. Posters, advertisements and graffiti covered the buildings of what seemed to be a neighborhood of warehouses, but I didn't care, I was in Vienna; a new experience is always in someway a good experience.
The bus parked at the station, and the driver, who spoke neither German nor English, helped me put on my 60 pound, 3.5 foot backpack on, and with my other backpack attached to my chest like a baby, I, looking like a pack mule, was off to find my way to the hostel.
I definitely got a fair amount of stares, but without too much confusion, and with the help of a few kind random stranger, I found my way to the hostel.
Naschmarkt, where the hostel is located, is somewhere where you will find me often. When I first got there early in the morning, it looked like a deserted, long gone flea market. But put some venders in there, fresh fruit, the smelliest and most delicious cheese in the world, and you have yourself a thriving, place-to-be market.
The one thing that I have noticed about the Viennese, is that they really don't communicate to eachother. By that, I mean for example, in the market, they wander around, bumping into each other silently. There's no excuse me, pardon me, just wordless encounters of running into each other. Never in my life have I had so many awkward, silent encounters of facing someone, both of us trying to go the opposite direction, and not knowing whether to go the right or left. It probably is because we are in the city, but I feel like there is a much more productive way of getting around people; use your words!
Since I flew to Vienna all the way from Beijing and arrived in the city late at night, my first impression of Vienna was not the pretty buildings or the snow like you what you’ve seen, but the modern airport. But in the next day after I took the taxi from the hotel at airport to the inner city, I was amazed because of the beautifulness of the buildings on the streets. Every one of them looks different.
ReplyDeleteI really envy you because you lived in a hostel nearby the Naschmarkt! I spend the second night in Vienna at a hostel nearby Iki, but nothing special was around there. I really want to go to the Naschmarkt and buy some fresh fruits and vegetables. I am also interested in buying some cheap second-hand stuff at the Flohmarkt! That’s a must-do before I leave Vienna… We only have two more months left. I hope you have a great time in Vienna and I know you will~
Fan