48 Hours in Vienna, Austria
Dedico este blog a mi amigo y hermano de otra madre, Ray, que me tomó bajo el brazo cuando llegué a Europa en 2013, y me mantuvo allí.
Vienna Non-Stop
Anybody that knows me knows I’m an avid Salsa dancer and so are most of my friends. They go everywhere dancing and partying and sometimes I go as well. Most times not actually. I was at our local dance spot with a few of them one night when I received the invitation. “Let’s do Vienna” said Omar. “We gonna go there next.” “Sure… I’ll go also.” I replied reluctantly, feeling the effects of a few shots of rum. Prior to this invitation I had never thought twice about going to Vienna or anywhere in Austria for that matter. I had only driven through the country before about 10 years ago on my way to Zagreb, Croatia. I didn’t remember anything being too sexy about it. I am, however, the ultimate team player, and if the guys want to go to Vienna, then Vienna it is, and Vienna non-stop. It was non-stop from the time we departed Germany till the time we left the city of Vienna. I was tired but extremely happy to have accompanied my “Motley Crew” of friends on this mens’ trip. They are truly some of the best men I know. Who else better to do an eight hour trip from Frankfurt, Germany with?
“What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is the saying from us Americans. Why should Vienna be any different? It shouldn’t! Its for this reason that I’ll spare you the detail of our days in Vienna after about 5pm each day or so. That’s when we arrived the first day. I was tired but the drive wasn’t as rough as I thought it would be with three of my guys in the car with me. I was still tired, but not tired enough to get dressed, catch an Uber to the city center, pay 60 Euro for VIP access to a club, and enjoy the night with some of my good friends. I left them there at midnight or so. Nothing would be more important than what I had planned the next day.
ABOVE: Packed for 48 hours with an old camera from my collection. Unsure how much time I would have to use this thing.
The One Thing On My Mind
The previous night, somewhere between the “thud-thud” of Reggaeton and me snacking on Doritos that our bartender graciously gave our VIP table, I thought about getting down to business the next day. That business is the Naschmarkt flea market. That’s exactly what I woke up at 7 AM to do. I will literally go anywhere in the world for a good flea market. Some say I’m obsessed and maybe I do like them a little more than I should but, in my defense, I’m a travel blogger and I focus on the essence of the city. I feel like the people represent that essence. Sure, I could talk to people which would be incredibly hard for me to do as I am an introvert, or I could visit the flea markets and see a bit of their lives. What people put out for sale is an indicator of their private lives which collectively help form the city around them. Back to the Naschmarkt. It’s the largest flea market in Austria and one of the most prestigious in Europe. I feel like it falls somewhere on the spectrum between the Porte de Clingancourt market in Paris and the Mauerpark flea market in Berlin.
I got there early after breakfast at the hotel. It was easy to catch the metro to the market. I just followed the large crowd heading there without even asking anyone where they were going. I was amazed really by the large amounts of old plates, glasses and cookware. Watches! Watches were everywhere. Mostly from the old WWII Soldiers that fought on the wrong side of the outcome. Most of these had radium in them and highly radioactive. If that’s something you aren’t into, there are literally thousands of things that you could shop around for and decide its something that you can’t live without. Books? Don’t even get me started.
People abounded in the market of all ages, young and old. I couldn’t help but have the feeling that some of these people weren’t there for the market at all. Vienna is situated only about 60 kilometers away from Bratislava, the capitol of Slovakia. I speak pretty good German and could understand what people are saying around me and I heard more people speaking what sounded like a Slavic language. It was harder to get most of the vendors attention that what should have been as they were mostly just chatting with each other. Some even drinking and eating at a fold-up table they brought with them.
ABOVE: A man rummages through books at the Naschmarkt in Vienna.
BELOW: More of the same.
ABOVE: A few pedestrians spot me photographing in the 4th District of the city.
Walk About
All the looking at trinkets had me hungry after a few hours, so I started the search for food. I ended up in a spot called “Savoy” for a coffee and brunch. The place was eclectic, had a funky modern mixed with renaissance vibe interior with pride flags flapping in each corner and as soon as you walk in. It was full of tourist and locals alike. I had a coffee and a croissant, a missed opportunity to eat like the locals which is, unsurprisingly quiet like one would when eating in Germany. From the corner of my eye, I see people queuing up outside. I asked a local about the place and he said that this particular café is pretty famous in Vienna. Apparently, it is heralded as one of the first gay coffee shops in the city and probably in Europe. I was unsure why or how something could become famous simply for being gay but I understood after I had the coffee and the croissant. They had to make their name somehow because the food and drink where not going to speak for themselves.
After that it was onward throughout the Fourth District of the city which was not too far from where I was at. I stopped here and there sitting for a coffee or glass of orange juice and a tea, always something different. The quarter is not unlike the Savoy Café, eclectic, but nothing special really. It was time to move around to somewhere else so I headed to the BrotFabrik Artists’ lofts thereafter and made some photos and looked around. Then I got lost.
ABOVE: A young woman checks her Tik-Tok on her phone somewhere in Vienna.
BELOW: Artist lofts at Brotfabrik somewhere in Vienna.
ABOVE: A gentlemen enjoys reading his paper outside of Cafe Savoy.
I had no clue where I was at, and my phone was dead. My friend Ray had told me we were departing the hotel for dinner and further shenanigans at 7pm. It was about 3pm, so I had four hours to figure out where I was without a phone and catch a train back to the hotel and powernap. This was impossible, seemingly. Where there is a will there is a way though. I emerged from the metro station like Super Mario might from a pipe in the old Nintendo game. And like that character, I just started in one direction, dealing with things as they came. I was doing so until I saw a sign that read “Belvedere”. With a name like that there was sure to be someone that could give me directions, so I went there and was glad I did.
Apparently, the Belvedere Castle, as it is so called, is a museum on a park ground owned by the city itself. It houses over 800 years of art inside. I wasn’t interested in the inside of the building as I just wasn’t going to have time to appreciate everything inside but when I saw the place, I was overwhelmed with its beauty. I took a few pictures of the building and the views that it showed from behind of the city of Vienna were breath-taking. I had at this point pretty much forgot how I had gotten there in the first place and to some extent the constraint that Ray had set upon me. I was content with just being and being there in that environment. I snapped out of it and kept moving.
ABOVE: View from the front of Belvedere
BELOW: View of Vienna from behind Belvedere
Conclusion
I ended up making it back to the hotel at about 6:45pm, fifteen minutes before me and the crew headed out for dinner and then more of the same dancing and partying, we did the night before. I’m much older for having done it but leaving a little bit of my youth on the table in order to enjoy my life with some trusted friends is an even trade. Besides, that old saying “You can’t take it with you” also applies to your youth. I started this blog off with a dedication to one of my most trusted Amigos in Europe, but I’d be remiss not to mention two others: Junior and Omar, you guys rock!
ABOVE: Couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a selfie…