Europe: VIENNA

VIENNA
Austria

HI! I'm here again. I'm back in New Jersey (as you know). Actually,  I am at the Jersey Shore for a week with my family. It's a nice time. It's time for me to sit down for an hour and write my entry about my trip to Austria, the trip that, like London, has affected me in the most wonderful ways. I embarked on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual journey that was originally thought to be 19 days long, but hasn't left my side since. It's hid itself in suitcase and made it's way back to Jersey. My journey rests in my back pocket and goes with me everywhere. My journey is about to tell you its life story.

Hi. Okay, let's start from the beginning. I started out in London as you know, with my two sisters and my mum. We were there Monday until Friday, when we took a plane to Vienna, Austria. We took a cab ride to the hotel, which was in the first district (nicest, most expensive. Not trying to be a snob) We checked in later that night around midnight and then went to bed. I woke up at around 9 am to meet my Au pair from when I was younger. It was very exciting and great to see her again. Hi Andrea, if you're reading! She showed us around the city, took us on the tram and showed us everything! It was great. Unlike London, the weather was beautiful. Very warm and sunny. Throughout the next two days, she took us to the main shopping street, government buildings, parks, museums (my favorite- the Schonbrunn!), great restaurants and cafe shops. I'm sure I had 100 cups of tea, coffee and cake within those two days. Mhmm. It was great! With the German language being spoken and my sister's and mom having zero understanding of German, it was a little funny. My sister always tried to pronounce the street names-LOL. It was such a fail. Okay, enough about that. I want to talk about the culture, the people, the fashion, the food, the language, the smells, the architecture and everything that makes Vienna, well, a great city.

I'll cover each of these lightly, considering I was only there for two days. The food was good. Simply put. The weiner schnitzel from a small, local, very Austrian restaurants. It was the first time I had schnitzel. Ich esse sehr gerne Schnitzel! It was delicious. We went to a great breakfast joint that I couldn't tell you the name of. The portions were big. I had, hmm, an omelet. Sorry! but I doubt you really care what I had. Continuing, the food was just great. Lots of meats, breads and cheeses. We went to small cafes where I got tea and a piece of cake- es war sehr gut!

Okay. I must say, if I wasn't learning to speak German, I would hate it. I have to say that it is an ugly language. It just, isn't pretty sounding. No offense to those who speak German. I know I have daily readers from Germany and Austria. Sorry guys. But even people I met in Austria said that they don't like their language and that if they could speak any language as their mother tongue, it would be English, French or Spanish. Luckily, I wasn't in Germany, where the language is much rougher (so I've been told). I was in Austria, where many different dialects are spoken from region to region. My Au pair, who lives in Vienna but grew up in the north, said that Vienesse dialect is the most disliked dialect. What I am really saying is that the language was nicer to listen to because of the dialects.

I wasn't in Vienna long enough to tell you what the people were like, but I'm sure the people throughout Austria are similar. The people in Austria are nice. Granted I was only with nice people and like everywhere in the world, there are good and bad people. But, when we asked random Austrians for directions late one night in Graz (I'll cover Graz later), they happily told us and even engaged in conversation. When I was with my sisters and mom and we were looking for a way to get back to the hotel, we would just ask the people walking on the street to help us, and they did. Oh, everyone speaks English, by the way. Well, in Vienna at least. Like that would ever happen in New York. The Austrian people seem very approachable, friendly and helpful.

The fashion wasn't really anything. I don't know how to say it. The street fashion was just, normal. I didn't see any high fashion or super trendy outfits. However, everyone seemed to look nice. Of course there were Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton, but compared to New York and London, it wasn't as trendy, which is perfectly okay. Oh, sorry. I forgot to mention that there was this main street filled with all luxury designers. Burberry, Gucci, Montblanc, Armani, Rolex, Louis Vuitton, etc. And yes, Tellin' All readers, you know that I would have my camera with me at all times, and that I wouldn't miss taking pictures of the stores. Smile, Versace!

I was a bit upset that I didn't get to visit the famous graveyard in Vienna, where many famous musicians are buried. My trip would have been amazing if I saw a show at the world famous Vienna Opera House. Oh! Well, I can say that one night with my sister, we heard the sound of Opera and followed it. It lead us to a very cool and very hip, hmm, market? It was right outside a huge building (possibly Government). There were about 30 bars and small, outdoor restaurants set up with an Opera shown on a huge screen. It was beautiful. The screen was humongous and there were so many people. The age ranged from teens all the way to grandparents, but all were there to have a fun time. And the great part? Every night from June until September, the market would be set up and a new film, Opera or performance would occur. How awesome. Really. I was very happy that we went.

The smells weren't very distinct. However, the air was much more fresh and clear than in New York. Actually, the air was noticeably fresher in all of Austria, which was great.
The word for London is definitely grey. The word for New York is ambition (thank you Eat Pray Love!). The word for Vienna would be... hmm. Enjoyment? Beauty? Personal happiness? I can't really tell you. Andrea, or any Austrian or anyone who has been in Vienna longer than I have, please tell me what you think the word for Vienna is.

The architecture. Oh my gosh. I should have known that the buildings, the roads and especially the churches would be so beautiful. I mean, I'm in Europe, everything is beautiful. The buildings were not as small as you would think. You can't compare them to New York because nothing is like New York, but everything was much bigger than I expected. Compared to London, Vienna is much more open. Of course there are small, cobble stoned streets, but generally speaking, everything is much more spread out. The streets are wide, the buildings are big and the sidewalks are big enough for many people.

Vienna was beautiful. It is the music capital of Europe. I will never forget the city, and especially how I was in the same room where Mozart performed for one of the Hapsburg royalty. The room was at the Schonbrunn Castle. Granted I was on a tour, but it was still incredible. Wow. I will never forget it. Vienna is a great city. The weather is much better then London, the culture is much more different and exciting, the food is 100x better and the people just seem.. cooler and nicer. Although they don't dress as well, they're much more real, approachable and friendly. I will certainly be back.

Below are some pictures of my trip. I can't stress enough how impossible it is to capture the real beauty of the places I went. The pictures are good, but just don't do it justice. Oh, and now isn't the background song just perfect for my blog? Scheisse.

The city is like a fairy tale. Its a magical place.

These last couple of pictures are from a big mountain about 10 minutes outside the city. Thank you, Andrea, for taking us there. It was a very special and naturally beautiful place. Amazing.