Vienna is always up there alongside Zurich in the lists of the worlds most liveable cities and I was worried that I would find it equally horrifying. Fortunately as I left the Danube and cycled along the Danube Canal into Vienna there was lots of actually rather good graffiti, a promising sign that the soullessness of Zurich was not going to be repeated.
I was staying with my German friend Anja. We met more than four years ago while Anja was on a bike trip in the south of England with her friend Linn. They were staying at the campsite where I was living at the time and we got talking and I actually accompanied them on their trip. This turned out to be quite a monumental decision because it was whilst riding with Anja and Linn that I had the idea to cycle around the world, I still remember the exact moment even, and the rest is history. Then as if to affirm her position as leading inspiration for my wandering lifestyle, the next time we met, in Germany later that year, Anja introduced me to what are now my favourite book and one of my favourite movies. Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' and the film 'Into the Wild' both involve inspiring tales of carefree travel and cemented my resolve to abandon a normal existence and seek something else. This blog therefore, owes a good deal of gratitude to Anja, without whom I might now be wearing a suit and sipping a Starbucks.
While I was there we built a new bed for Anja. Because she lives in a very small room, the bed was built up in the air. The guys on the right are doing the actual building. Anja is on the left and is just pretending to do some building work. Which is pretty obvious because why would she be sawing that beam? And she is holding the saw the wrong way around.
I ended up spending a few days in Vienna more than I planned because I was waiting to have something delivered and it took longer than it should. That was okay because Vienna isn't such a bad city as it turns out. Yeah it is expensive and has plenty of rich people which isn't that surprising for the capital of classical music and opera. But its also got a warm atmosphere and something like an edge to it provided by occasional graffiti, some quirky stores, and a large Turkish population. On the downside there are really far too many cars - the streets are mostly one-way because they are lined with parked cars on both sides and there is only space for one car to pass through. Cycling through the city was actually a horrible experience and there don't seem to be many cyclists (although that might have something to do with the time of year), something I didn't expect from Austria. The public transport system seems to be quite good, which does nothing to explain the large number of private vehicles.
On the positive side of things Vienna is a pretty city with some great architecture. Here are some of the best bits:
The Votive Church. Not sure how much it costs to have that advertisement there, but I hope its enough to cover the cost of the restoration work
These creepy headless mannequins really freaked us out (the outfit in the middle, by the way, is only 175 euros and is an absolute bargain if you have a headless daughter that you want to look like your grandma)
There were many Christmas Markets throughout the city, like this one in Museum's Quarter. Everything was even more overpriced here (Three euros for a postcard, come on, seriously?!) but that's the magic of the season I suppose
As is so often the case, Vienna was made special by the people that I met while I was there. It was not really a surprise to me that Anja had amassed some pretty cool friends in the city. A full run down of them all would take too long, but one of my favourite nights was when Anja, myself and a Swedish man named Anders went to a party at an apartment above the restaurant where Anja works. The apartment was interesting because it mixes students and former homeless people together, the latter of which work in the restaurant in a scheme designed to help them. So the gathering had some interesting characters and although I didn't find out anyone's name I can describe them quite accurately as 'old drunk guy number one', 'old drunk guy number two', 'cute blonde girl', 'young vegetarian boy', and so on. 'Old drunk guy number one' was really funny and he was quite adamant that I should have a drink. It was my first real test of my new found teetotality but I stood firm and resisted the temptation. 'Old drunk guy number one' was really nice and as the chef in the restaurant he was quite happy to go and cook Anja and 'young vegetarian boy' a veggie option when the meaty baguettes on the table weren't immediately snapped up. 'Cute blonde girl' had just moved into an apartment with 'Old drunk guy number one' and it was surely a match made in heaven.
Vienna looks even better by night. One of the trees even has lights which look like falling snow
Cycling out of Vienna was even more stressful than cycling in. It is really one of the worst cities for cycling that I can remember. Sure, there are plenty of bike lanes, but they are just painted white lines and they are crammed in on narrow roads, sandwiched between parked cars and tramlines. I dislike bike lanes that are painted on roads because they sometimes give idiot drivers the false impression that they can pass as close as they like. In Vienna, the idiot drivers just drive in the bike lanes.
Once out of the city the Danube cycle path goes through a long period of emptyness and I was cycling for hours without seeing anyone. As I got close to the Slovakian border, dark clouds filled the sky and it looked for sure like it was going to rain. I had got almost the whole way across the country without a drop, shattering my previous belief that it always rains in Austria. And now, in the final few moments, it was going to ruin it all. But then, as before, it started to snow. Alright Austria, you're awesome!
AUSTRIA SUMMARY:
Best bits: The people were fantastic, getting away from it all by the Danube, the snow.
Worst bits: Vienna traffic
Top tip: The Danube Cycle Path deserves its reputation as one of the most popular bicycle routes in the world. Why not try it in winter and avoid the crowds?
5/12 - 51km
6/12 88km (21km in Austria)
Today's ride: 139 km (86 miles) Total: 10,168 km (6,314 miles)
