Written by: David Press
11/24/2010 1:00 AM 

During a recent discussion with a fellow traveller the topic of first impressions of people and cities came up. The common quote, “you only get one first impression” was thrown about and a conclusion made that, like people, our first impression of a city is often the one that lasts. Our arrival in Vienna, Austria is a testament to that, we arrived, judged our new place of temporary abode and have been sentenced to a life of love for what is my favourite city in Europe (thus far at least).

On arrival I did my best to get us lost yet again (I have no idea what has happened to my sense of direction) and were saved by a very friendly and helpful info/security guard at the train station. Our tickets purchased for us (we did pay though) and we were on our way into the main part of the Vienna. It took less than 5 minutes and about 100m of walking before we entered the old town area of the city and began feeling slightly awestruck. Quite literally every corner of each block as far as we could see were the most beautiful architectural wonders we have laid our eyes on. It was early evening and the lighting creates an almost yellow glow similar to that of the old town in Dubrovnik at night. The lighting is genius and ensures each building shows the character that only buildings of this era can display.

On the topic of entering the old town, I can't go on without quickly mentioning the tram circle routes and the chaotic feeling the criss-crossing tracks can create when your new to it. Put simply, its worth your while sticking to the rules and crossing on a green signal only. The locals have no issues, but tourists should definitely be extra careful.

At this stage I'm feeling a form of lust not unlike that of a new relationship...I was almost hooked. Our accommodation was the final key to locking us into a life of love for Vienna and it didn't fail. We stayed in the Believe It or Not hostel, which is far closer to a shared self contained apartment than a hostel. All amenities are provided, from soaps to pasta, rice and cordials of about six varieties, all stored in modern dispensers for easy access. Breakfast was also included which is always a big bonus when travelling. The maximum number of guests was 10 or 12, ensuring a cosy shared apartment feel, as opposed to the larger somewhat more chaotic hostels we are used to. The manager/owner is a helpful guy who like us has obviously fallen in love with Vienna, given he is actually from Greece and not Austrian. The apartment is run predominantly off-site and guests are let in via a rather clever us of telecommunications technology, he is however in every morning to provide breakfast, collect board and ensure everyone has whatever info and guidance they could need. All this adds to the feel of a self contained apartment rather than that of a hostel. We liked it enough to add an extra night to our stay.

There are enough historical sites in Vienna alone to spend at least a month by my reckoning. We managed a few with my personal favourite coming in the form of a library. Yes I know I'm becoming nerdier by the month, however the State Hall library is something you simply must see. The historical literature alone is mind blowing, with publications hundreds of years old and in huge quantities, but it is the building itself that sets it apart in my opinion. Wall and ceiling paintings depicting times or war, piece and revolution are spectacular and in similar style to those of Michaelangelo in the chapels of the Vatican. My photo's yet again fail to do them justice but should give you an idea of what I'm referring to. On the topic of arts, we did manage to see exhibitions of works by Michaelangelo, Picasso and more. I'd say we saw only 5% of what Vienna's arts have to offer and yet we were still blown away.

Vienna has etched itself into our memories forever as a city of pure spectacle. There is something very special about old buildings, artistic and architectural wonder, walking streets and carts drawn by elegant horses. So special in fact that we have booked ourselves in for our first white Christmas in Vienna. So much to see, and thankfully we've allowed for more time to see it. Top of my lists this time are a visit to the old era coffee houses, more arts and a fair bit of time in Europe's famous Xmas markets.

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Tags: Austria , Vienna , architecture , Xmas markets , travel , art , hostels

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Location: Blogs David Press Austria

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