Of Mysterious Cafes and Chinese Joints

All's not good in Vienna though! The Chinese joint (located opposite the street in the pic) seemed a misfit. But I really want to talk about the cafes here. This one was bang adjacent to my hotel but it gave a queer vibe. As I walked past it, I could see the inside was dark, smoky and dingy - such a sore spot in the middle of a bustling shopping center. I dared to walk into it many days later one evening, and was greeted by unwelcome stares. I guess these guys get fed up of the hustle and bustle outside and try to ensure they limit visitors only to their crackpot patrons! I couldn't even get myself to order a coffee or a glass of wine. There were a lot of newspapers and journals on the shelves besides the entrance and I glanced through them looking for signs of the 'political leanings' of the place.  Well, Vienna is known for its Cafes. Located everywhere on street corners like this one, the cafe culture has inspired its writers, artists and even politics for centuries. I hadn't been to a place where you can just sit in the middle of a city center and just privately enjoy your wine, beer or coffee, alone or with a bunch. And people talk about everything from under the sun, particularly passionately about their culture and socio-economic realities. This one, though, I stayed away from.

City Bikes and Humanic Shoes: Welcome to Vienna!

September 17, 2012.

Arrival @ Museumsquartier. Technically this is where I first landed after the U-bahn ride from the airport, and two things really struck me. The girly Citybikes, and the Humanic store in the distance. Met a couple of chicks with big shopping bags walking out of the store towards the station, and I guessed (rightly) that Humanic was a shoe store :) I asked them for help, and they were kind enough to speak with the Time Out City Hotel for directions and to translate the same for me into English. I tried to listen carefully to the barrage of German exchanged, but as it happens on the first landing in an alien place, the words seemed to be from another planet! I did check the system for using the citybikes, but the lethal combination of an obvious tourist on a girly bike would be pushing my lameness too far! So I decided to walk down Mariahilfestrasse (the road going straight down in the pic) and after about a few hundred meters, easily located my hotel.

Checking-In!

September 17, 2012. Checking-in at Time Out City Hotel, located near Starbucks on Mariahilfestrasse (can you spot the cafe in the distance?). A quaint little place, and came to around $40 a night, which was decent for a place so near the city center. The hotel, like most in these parts of the world was well-stocked with tourist guides and things-to-do stuff so I took them to my room to have a look before heading out for a walk. Before going, I sat briefly with the owner's son over a beer, and he gave me a brief about the city using a map. He mentioned that the Government prohibits demolition of buildings classified as of 'historical importance' and that pretty much covers 90% of the city. The preservation of Greco-Roman, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture in their ancient bloom in 21st century Europe was a surreal experience, and the commitment towards cultural preservation truly inspiring. 

Anyway, after the drink I went out for a stroll. Dusk was settling in, and I meandered into this Cinema cafe nearby. People were sitting both inside and outside just having a good time! I went through some of the Austrian films on the list for the evening, and made a note of catching a show sometime later. Close-by I ended up at this dim lit bar where I had nothing better to do but chat with the Swedish waitress and the DJ for the evening. Well, there was a reason for that. The bar turned out to be a lesbian bar. Ouch! Did not see that coming!

Flughafen Wien!

September 17, 2012. My first landing on the European continent. And what a more wonderful place to land than lovely Vienna. Here I was, staring outside my flight window into the best city in the world to live in! The high bastion of Western culture, home of Freud, of the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire and the anti-semitism of the 1920s that later consumed Europe. A place with many mysteries indeed!

Flughafen, German for "airport", somewhere late in the afternoon, looked neat. It is cool around this time of the year, so felt really pleasant. Immigration formalities happen quickly, EU and non-EU passport holders in different queues. Having done with that and backpack pickup, I decided to explore the airport itself for a few things. By the way, it wasn't as small as a friend had told me it was, with the arrival section pretty long and full of shops.  I bought a new prepaid card, obtained directions and taxi/U-bahn tickets to get to my hotel, and drank some sodawasser. The latter was a mistake of course. I just asked for water at this bar, and they gave me a gassed up bottle but I drank it anyway (wondering why would someone drink carbonated  flavorless water neat). After making a few calls to friends and family back home, I was out. Ready to explore Wien und Osterreich!