Vienna: A Punctual and Refined Place

My First Trip to Vienna

I chose to go to Vienna to see NOFX on their final world tour so that I could see another city that I have never seen before—more about NOFX in another blog.

In general, I am not much of a traveler compared to many Latvians and ex-pats that I know. Some just move about the world willy-nilly heading to Thailand, India, and the Netherlands at a drop of the hat. I think that because of my limited traveling experience in my youth, I still think of any trip as a major event that should be heralded with some blessings from above before even being considered. Hopefully, I am getting over that.

I chose Vienna simply because it is a place I had not yet been, and it is relatively close and easy to travel to. I really had no idea what was there. I imagined it would be vaguely German, and it was.

Arrival

After another easy trip from the Riga airport, I got a CAT ticket that would take me to the heart of Vienna in just 16 minutes from the airport for just 23 euros round trip (more about this later). I carried only my trusty North Face backpack and computer bag, so getting around was relatively easy.

I chose my lodging based primarily on its proximity to the Arena where NOFX was going to play. From years of Riot Fest experience, I knew that I liked to be within walking distance of concert venues if possible.

So after arriving in the center of the city at the Mitte Wien, a mall much like the Origo in Riga that combines a variety of central public transportation hubs with a shops and stores. The only problem is that the building itself doesn’t really stand out and is hard to notice even when you are right next to it, but that is what Google Maps is for, right?

Speaking of which, I put in the address for my booking.com residence and started my march on foot to see what the heart of Vienna was like. It was a 30-minute walk, so a really nice way to see some of the city. The route was a nice urban avenue with little shops along the way and some mid-sized supermarkets. It was as if everything was just like Riga but with slightly different names. The city is clearly larger and more diverse than Riga, but it felt very similar in terms of building styles and shops.

Along the way, I decided to pick up rations to get me through the four day stay. I got some quality spicy sausage from the Mad Butcher shop and some nice, fresh sour dough from a bakery. I picked up some eggs and butter along with some other sausages to fill the larder.

My most embarrassing moment came when I finally found the address after asking a local where it was. The rain started to come down, so I was in a bit of a hurry to get inside. I followed the instructions, retrieving the key from a lockbox, and then pushing a button on the door to get in… but the door wouldn’t open. I tried pulling the door open several times until I finally called the number of the booking company. A kind lady answered and told me to try again and to push the door open. In Riga, I swear that every main door I have entered in any flat is a pull door. It never occurred to me to even try to push the door open. Voila! I was inside, but humbled.

My flat was littered with garbage bags outside the door. I thought that surely someone would come collect them, but they remained there for my entire visit, like old friends welcoming me home each day. The inside of the flat was narrow stretching from the entry way to the bedroom in a single pathway of despair. It was not a bad place, clean and tidy, but if one actually had to live there for a long time, I doubt they would escape the ruins of depression for very long.

It had a fridge, stove and decent cooking tools, so I was set. I had a bottle of wine, some beer and my sausages to create several inventive meals saving me time and money. I have also found that I like my own cooking more than I like most restaurants.

But what about Vienna?

Thanks to Baiba, I had some idea of things I wanted to see and places I wanted to go, but on my first night there, I just explored my local neighborhood in the rain. I stopped a winery and got the name of a good place for Schnitzel from the Croatian bar tender. I was a bit surprised that all the eateries in the neighborhood were not Viennese in any way. Everything was Kebabs, Asian, Italian or some other foreign cuisine.

Vienna

The next morning, I ventured out to find the venue where NOFX would be playing. It was at The Arena. I had booked my lodging so that I could easily walk to and from the concert.

I took a walk through TownTown, an elevated space full of offices and shops. It was kind of a cool concept with modern architecture and a sense of cleanliness and safety.

Once I got through, I ended up at some bus depo, and the landscape became a bit sketchier with industrial looking spaces and deteriorating infrastructure. I didn’t realize that I had made it to the arena when I saw a building completely covered in graffiti. I took a few photos, and then saw the poster for NOFX. The space looked epic from the outside. Some former industrial zone that had been repurposed into a concert space. It reminded me a bit of Berlin where I saw NOFX in a former airport.

After I ground-truthed The Arena, I walked back and took a subway to the center of the city. I love figuring out public transportation in new cities. The only confusing thing was that I had to validate my tickets before getting on the subway after purchasing. I read that you will get a hefty fine if you have an unvalidated ticket, so I did it every time, but I was never once checked.

St. Stephen’s Square

The part of Vienna that I was staying in was near the center, but it was not a place where you would see a lot of tourists. The moment I got off the Subway on St. Stephen’s square, I knew that this was the Vienna from the tour guides. I walked a block and saw the giant Gothic cathedral looming, surrounded by thousands of people from all over the world taking selfies and photos. It wasn’t quite like Venice or Milan, but it was still a lot of people.

I wandered around and found an open door where there was a ticket booth to climb to the top of the tower, some 343 steps. I purchased a ticket and started my ascent.

The moment I turned the corner on the tight spiral staircase, there was a man in an orange jump suit standing, swaying in front of me. I saw that he was pissing on the steps of the church right in front of me, and I said, “Come on man!” He turned toward me, clearly drunk. I thought he was going to start peeing on me, so I took a step back, but he just kept urinating, the puddle dripping down the steps toward me. He pushed his way by me, as I rebuked him, and he kind of seemed like he wanted to fight me. I showed no interest, and went back to climb the steps avoiding the soiled stones as I made my way up.

Despite the distressing start, the climb was quite meditative. The spiral was claustrophobically small, and I just kept going around and around, up and and up. I met a few people along the way, but there was a moment when it felt like I could just be circling and climbing forever, with no sense of time or space.

Eventually, I came to an opening, but this was not the end. I followed a path inside, and there were another 3 or 4 flights of stairs to climb before I reached the top of the tower. Here, I had views of four directions over Vienna. I found the place where I was staying, or as close to it as I could see. I saw mountains in the distance and all the tiny people doing their tiny-people things below. I have always loved looking out from heights to get a perspective of the world. This reminded me of going to the top of the Capitol building in Lincoln and looking down at the city.

The Oldest Coffee Shop

Baiba had clued me into the Cafe Frauenhuber, the oldest Viennese coffee house. It was just a few blocks from the church, so I headed there. Surprisingly, the terrace was closed, so I went inside where I was met by a rather rude waiter. I sat down and ordered a macchiato and an apple strudel. The theme of eating in Vienna for me became, “It is fine. This is fine.” The coffee was okay, and the strudel was decent, but they didn’t exactly set my tastebuds on alert or make me crave more.

After that, I wandered around town a bit, and had another coffee at a smaller shop. The service was friendlier, and the coffee was marginally better. My big takeaway was that I noticed everyone was wearing tennis shoes/trainers. Even men in suits and women with nice dresses were sporting sporty shoes. I don’t know why this struck me as odd, but it seemed a bit strange.

I walked home through Stadtpark, a gorgeous park in the center of the city. The city is clean, the public transportation is affordable and on time. Overall, I had a good impression of the city despite the mediocre food.

Then there was enough time for supper, a few beers, and then the walk back to the Arena for the show.

More pictures of Vienna

Side note:

After looking back at the photos of Vienna, I am torn between old and new architecture. Some of the modern buildings just look like the architects are trying too hard to be unique and original without any sense of aesthetic beauty. My favorite building is the old pink building that was right next to where I was staying. It has a certain charm and simplicity. Another problem with the postmodern towers is that they look good when they are new, but they do not age well. You can see the two industrial towers that were probably hailed when they were built, and now they look apocalyptic.