Vienna Waits for You

October 8-10

Vienna is just as beautiful as I remember.

For those who don't know, I spent the spring semester of my junior year of college--January to May 2016--living in Vienna. I studied (and saw) opera, ate schnitzel and wurst, and got to go skiing in the alps. It was a truly amazing experience, but also a challenging one. Many of the other students in my program came from big, midwestern universities. I had gone from a small high school where I knew everyone in my class to a small liberal arts college of 1500 students. Oddly enough, my biggest culture shock was with my fellow Americans, who had a lot of interest in going out late, clubbing, and missing class to catch flights to Amsterdam. As such, I struggled to make friends for the first time in my life. By mid-semester, I had found my people, but I always had a bit of regret that maybe I hadn't fully embraced my study-abroad experience. In some ways, this trip is a way to reclaim that opportunity. It's never too late to explore.

We visited Vienna this time around for the 75th anniversary of IES Abroad, the program I was a part of in 2016. Mostly, this was an excuse to revisit some of my favorite spots, as well as get some guided tours and opportunities through the anniversary event. I am proud to say I remember enough of my German that most waiters didn't switch to English, and I also remember how to navigate the U-Bahn, Vienna's subway public transit. After making our way through the airport, we checked into our hostel (by far our best so far) and then immediately went to my favorite Wurstelstand for some Kasekrainer. For the uninitiated, this is a cheese-filled sausage stuffed into a hollowed out baguette. While the price almost doubled in the past decade, it is even better than I remembered.

The next day, we started with an IES tour of the Arnold Schoenberg center, which houses his original work, both music and art. We got to learn a bit more about Schoenberg, and both came out with our opinions even more strongly formed (I'm a fan; Cal is NOT). After this, we decided to explore some of the city center, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, St. Peter's Cathedral (where we stumbled into an organ concert), and Cafe Landtmann, where I got to have one of my favorite indulgences--Mozart Schokolade (hot chocolate with pistachio). After a couple of wurst from the stand near our hostel and a quick rest, we journeyed back into the center to board a bus to the Heuriger Dinner we booked with the program. A Heuriger is a wine tavern where winemakers service food along with their wine. Austria is well-known for its wine production, and specializes in crisp, light white wines that I greatly enjoy. We were treated to an introduction by the winemaker himself, a man very enthusiastic about all things NOT involving wine--his children, the sports and activities they participate in, and objects found around the winery. Still, we got to sample several of the wines before dinner, which was a delicious buffet of Austrian classics including schnitzel, roast pork, potatoes, and kraut. Dinner was alongside other IES alums from various years, and we got to chat and get to know several over yet more wine.

The next morning, we explored the Naschmarkt, which was right outside our hostel. The Naschmarkt is a year-round market filled with farmstands, butchers, cheese mongers, restaurants, and more. We bought some treats to accompany our travels, then took the U-Bhan out to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer retreat of the Hapsburgs, whose grounds are free and open to the public. We hiked up to the Gloriette on the hill and took in the view before returning to the city center for a walking tour of courtyards. I know--this might not sound exciting--but it was a fascinating exploration of a some corners of Vienna I had never seen before. Most of the glorious, ornate buildings around the city have quiet, private courtyards for the people who live there. We stood in one only a block from St. Stephens at the center of Vienna, but it felt like we were in an entirely different world. (Cool bonus fact--Mozart actually lived in this building for a short time!)

Everything in Vienna is a bit over the top--for example tiny coffee carts with full espresso machines lining the sidewalks of parks--but it really feels just how you want such a city to feel. The city of Hapsburgs and Beethoven, of Mozart and Freud. And, strangely, of me. Even after all these years, there was a part of Vienna that felt a little like home.