Auf Wiedersehn to Austria
Today, I walked to the train station, looked at the train times, and decided to go to Vienna. One thing I really like about travelling solo is that I don't have to make plans ahead of time. I can decide on the spot. I love it!
I thought the train was going to be 2.5 hrs to Vienna, I thought I'd have lunch, stroll around some, and come back (I woke up late). The train actually took more like 3.5 or 3.25 hrs. The trains here are soooooo smooth, it's like being cradled like a baby and hushed to sleep. It is so peaceful. And Germans and Austrians, I've noticed, are very quiet. I got to Vienna by 3pm or so. On the way there, I did some great iPod listening and napping. On the way back, I made great headway in the book I'm reading (On Beauty, by Zadie Smith).
I walked into a nearby restaurant that advertised menus in other languages, including English. Picture a dive bar, people smoking and drinking beer in a place about as big as the Starbucks at San Pedro and Santa Clara streets in San Jose. (If you don't know it, just imagine about 300 sq ft). An old lady gives me a menu, she has thick coke bottle glasses and does not speak English. I order a fried fish dish, I am tired of meat and the smell of it.
Now I have learned the European way of eating, which means everyone takes their time. A long time. Normally, on this trip, it's been really neat, as a change of pace. Today, I had an hour or so in Vienna, I wanted to eat and go. No one there seemed to speak English. A couple came in and sat nearby, they spoke Russian--and I only know that because they asked for the "Russe" menu.
I eat my food, which is surprisingly good. The potatoes are sliced as if they were au gratin, but instead they are cooked in a light butter lemon sauce, very tasty. I finish, which for me means that there is still food left on the plates. The old lady shuffles by (she's a slow walker), takes my food, says something like "finito?" and I say yes. She proceeds to give someone else their check, talks to some of the guys in the bar, gets a couple people their drinks, and sits down to eat some soup. Sweet lady, but I miss the American style of waitering. I get up and give her 15€, which is more than enough for the meal. I saw Danke Schun, and leave. I now have about 30 minutes, and I'm mildly pissed off. Next time, I'm learning some of the goddamned language, I hate not being able to talk to people.
I walked up to the next block, and realized I just wanted to go back to the train station. I could tell that Vienna is much bigger than Salzburg, and like most big cities, the heart of it is probably far from the train station--which meant that it was out of my reach.
But train stations here are amazing, they are so much fun to people watch. I saw a couple men in lederhosen, they must have been on their way to working the Oktoberfest or something similar, they were hot. I never, ever, ever thought I would think that a man wearing lederhosen was hot, but..they are.
In Salzburg, there are tons of bicycles. Everyone rides a bike. It's like Burning Man, but without the dust, the nudity, and the weird costumes.
I rode in the 2nd class train on the way to vienna, and rode in the 1st class train on the way back. People commute a long way to work in Vienna, looks like some of them may stay the week in Vienna. There was one businessman who rode the whole way, which I hope is not a daily commute for the guy.
I got back into town about 8:30. I just was not in the mood to sit alone in a restaurant, and I considered dining on the peanuts and crackers I have in my hotel room. I settled on a piece of pizza and a half liter of Steigl, the local beer. Someone told me that german beer doesn't give you as bad as hangovers. I don't know yet about that. Oktoberfest is tomorrow.
I leave Salzburg tomorrow morning. I am hoping to get into a tour of Neuschwannstein, and then just focusing on shopping and drinking afterwards.
I love how time expands while on vacation. An hour of doing whatever I want to do seems so much longer than an hour spent at home. Here, I am not worrying about what I have to do next, all my overflowing to do lists, all the things I'm not doing, etc. With all of that out of my head, time frees up and stretches out like taffy.
Ever seen the movie, Wings of Desire--the original German one? Walking through crowds of people speaking German feels that way, a bit.
Austrians are like Germans, with a little bit of French style added on.
One of the really cool things I am learning is that I can handle what comes. I can navigate the train stations, I can get myself from place to place. It may not be graceful or comfortable at times, but I can do it. And practicing that belief that I can handle anything is the real essential joy of travelling. That, and the people watching.
People smoke more in Germany and Austria than in France, especially in the internet cafes.
Auf Wiedersehn, Austria! I will see you again sometime.
--kimberly
I thought the train was going to be 2.5 hrs to Vienna, I thought I'd have lunch, stroll around some, and come back (I woke up late). The train actually took more like 3.5 or 3.25 hrs. The trains here are soooooo smooth, it's like being cradled like a baby and hushed to sleep. It is so peaceful. And Germans and Austrians, I've noticed, are very quiet. I got to Vienna by 3pm or so. On the way there, I did some great iPod listening and napping. On the way back, I made great headway in the book I'm reading (On Beauty, by Zadie Smith).
I walked into a nearby restaurant that advertised menus in other languages, including English. Picture a dive bar, people smoking and drinking beer in a place about as big as the Starbucks at San Pedro and Santa Clara streets in San Jose. (If you don't know it, just imagine about 300 sq ft). An old lady gives me a menu, she has thick coke bottle glasses and does not speak English. I order a fried fish dish, I am tired of meat and the smell of it.
Now I have learned the European way of eating, which means everyone takes their time. A long time. Normally, on this trip, it's been really neat, as a change of pace. Today, I had an hour or so in Vienna, I wanted to eat and go. No one there seemed to speak English. A couple came in and sat nearby, they spoke Russian--and I only know that because they asked for the "Russe" menu.
I eat my food, which is surprisingly good. The potatoes are sliced as if they were au gratin, but instead they are cooked in a light butter lemon sauce, very tasty. I finish, which for me means that there is still food left on the plates. The old lady shuffles by (she's a slow walker), takes my food, says something like "finito?" and I say yes. She proceeds to give someone else their check, talks to some of the guys in the bar, gets a couple people their drinks, and sits down to eat some soup. Sweet lady, but I miss the American style of waitering. I get up and give her 15€, which is more than enough for the meal. I saw Danke Schun, and leave. I now have about 30 minutes, and I'm mildly pissed off. Next time, I'm learning some of the goddamned language, I hate not being able to talk to people.
I walked up to the next block, and realized I just wanted to go back to the train station. I could tell that Vienna is much bigger than Salzburg, and like most big cities, the heart of it is probably far from the train station--which meant that it was out of my reach.
But train stations here are amazing, they are so much fun to people watch. I saw a couple men in lederhosen, they must have been on their way to working the Oktoberfest or something similar, they were hot. I never, ever, ever thought I would think that a man wearing lederhosen was hot, but..they are.
In Salzburg, there are tons of bicycles. Everyone rides a bike. It's like Burning Man, but without the dust, the nudity, and the weird costumes.
I rode in the 2nd class train on the way to vienna, and rode in the 1st class train on the way back. People commute a long way to work in Vienna, looks like some of them may stay the week in Vienna. There was one businessman who rode the whole way, which I hope is not a daily commute for the guy.
I got back into town about 8:30. I just was not in the mood to sit alone in a restaurant, and I considered dining on the peanuts and crackers I have in my hotel room. I settled on a piece of pizza and a half liter of Steigl, the local beer. Someone told me that german beer doesn't give you as bad as hangovers. I don't know yet about that. Oktoberfest is tomorrow.
I leave Salzburg tomorrow morning. I am hoping to get into a tour of Neuschwannstein, and then just focusing on shopping and drinking afterwards.
I love how time expands while on vacation. An hour of doing whatever I want to do seems so much longer than an hour spent at home. Here, I am not worrying about what I have to do next, all my overflowing to do lists, all the things I'm not doing, etc. With all of that out of my head, time frees up and stretches out like taffy.
Ever seen the movie, Wings of Desire--the original German one? Walking through crowds of people speaking German feels that way, a bit.
Austrians are like Germans, with a little bit of French style added on.
One of the really cool things I am learning is that I can handle what comes. I can navigate the train stations, I can get myself from place to place. It may not be graceful or comfortable at times, but I can do it. And practicing that belief that I can handle anything is the real essential joy of travelling. That, and the people watching.
People smoke more in Germany and Austria than in France, especially in the internet cafes.
Auf Wiedersehn, Austria! I will see you again sometime.
--kimberly
posted by Kimba | 11:52 AM
1 Comments:
Du kannst mit ein mann sprechen, und sie kann "Finden die Wiener" spielen.
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