Ok – this is what always happens! I get a good start on the vacation blogs, I’m flying through – and then, life happens and the last one, the wrap-up post, always gets so delayed. Anyway, better late than never – that truly should be the motto of my blog!! So, Vienna!! The way our flights were booked – flying in late into Vienna, and then the onward flight to Chicago early next day – so we were looking forward to nothing more than a good night’s sleep! Through an unexpected turn of events, Austrian Air put us on an earlier flight to Vienna – now there’s a story here, more to come on this – and there we were, we suddenly had the gift of an evening in Vienna!!
Our hotel was literally across the street from the airport – and here was something you don’t get to see too often – the room literally had 3 full beds, instead of the 2 queens most hotel rooms have! Dropped our bags off, and headed straight back to the airport to get the train to downtown. There was an express train straight to downtown – but buoyed by our success in navigating the public transport in London and Paris – how could we not take on the Vienna U-Bahn?! So first off, this was a lot less intuitive than the London Underground or the Paris Métro – and we actually had to ask the help of a local to figure out which train we needed to take. Then the platforms – it wasn’t enough to know that the train was to depart from Platform 3 – each platform had sections, 3A, 3B and 3C – different trains on the different sections.
And then the kicker – we’re all heard of German efficiency and precision, right? Well, we got a very real-life demonstration! Once we figured out the right platform and right section – there’s our train, departure at 8:01pm, oh no, there’s no way we’re going to make it! Raced down to the platform and jumped onto the train just as the doors were closing – high-fives all around, we made it! But wait a minute – watching on GPS – this train doesn’t seem to be heading in the right direction? Could it be? – must be – but how? – yeah, we were definitely on the wrong train! Got off a couple of stops later and had to retrace our steps – so what our mistake had a pretty simple explanation! The 8:01 we wanted had departed precisely at 8:01, and a SECOND train pulled in right behind it, to depart at 8:02pm – and that’s the one we got on! I kid you not – 2 trains within a minute! If anyone’s keeping track, it’s Austrian trains – 2, Kulkarnis – 0!!
The right train finally took us straight to Stephensplatz – a bustling square in the heart of Vienna. Quintessential Europe – cobblestones streets, cafes and restaurants lining the square with outdoor seating, ornate fountains, and the elegant, Stephensdom, Vienna’s most famous cathedral holding center stage! How beautiful is that mosaic on the roof! After the famous Carette chocolat chaud in Paris, Manasi was eager to try the authentic chocolat Viennois in Vienna – the verdict? – this one was hands down the best we’ve ever tasted! Strolling along the streets around Stephensplatz – admiring the glamorous store-fronts – we made our way to Michaelerplatz, and the imposing North entrance to the Hofburg Palace, the center of the Hapsburg’s imperial power. The Palace was closed this time of night, and the crowd thinned out pretty quickly as we walked around the Palace grounds. We made our way back to Stephensplatz to grab a quick dinner and dessert, and then, too soon, it was time to catch the last train back to the airport.
So I’m not really a bucket list type of person – but if I was, there’s this one itinerary I’ve held onto for ever that would top the list! Right before we left France, I had a vacation planned down to the smallest detail – Eastern European capitals – Vienna, Prague and Budapest. It was meant to be the last hurrah of our French sojourn – but for reasons now long forgotten, we never made it. Several times since, we’ve come close – but somehow has never worked out! So you can imagine how delighted I was to even get this tiny glimpse of Vienna! Certainly, it is time to revise and revisit my itinerary – I’m determined to make this happen in the next couple of years!! And the Sacher torte? Well, it’s basically a decadent chocolate cake with chocolate icing – but ‘Sacher torte in Vienna’ – should also be right up there for all bucket-listers!
As I said before, this evening in Vienna was only possible courtesy of Austrian Air! We were at CDG early – expecting an issue with our bags. So we flew out on United with a carry-on bag each, with an allowance of 11kgs per bag. Then we found out that Austrian has an allowance of 8kgs for the carry-ons – so we wanted to make sure we didn’t have any trouble! Ajey decided to check in via the mobile app, and first weird thing was that he had to download an app to get the boarding passes, rather than just regular pdfs. Then these boarding passes refused to be scanned anywhere – not at the entrance of the weird chute to get to the security check, not even at the security check. Don’t even get me started on the chutes – Terminal 1 at CDG – hands-down the weirdest airport terminal ever! And every time the boarding passes didn’t scan, we thought we would have to head back to the ticketing counter to get physical boarding passes – but they just kept us waving us through!
So we’re at the gate, there’s still time before our flight – so Ajey headed to the desk to try to figure out why our boarding passes won’t scan, and that our check-in bags were good, don’t want to held up right before we board! And just as Manasi and I were settling down with a drink and a snack, he comes running back – there’s a flight to Vienna leaving right now, and do we want to go earlier? Oh yes, we do – thank you! And I still don’t know why – but the Austrian Air people really, really wanted to get us on that flight. They literally rushed us on to the plane – boarding passes, don’t worry about it! Luggage allowance – oh who cares, we’ll figure it out! Get on, get on, get on – the flight is ready to leave!! Seats, yes, no problem – plenty of room here, we’ll fit you in. So slightly out of breath and completely bemused – we were dispatched to Vienna earlier, giving us the gift of an evening in Vienna!!
And that’s a wrap for our 2023 Europe vacation!! You know, not to justify it or anything – but there is definitely an upside to my procrastination – I get to relive glorious summer days in cold, dank November – definitely cheers me up!! And then there’s always that next vacation on the horizon! And while we’re reminiscing, here’s the links to the other posts from this vacation:
Thistle do nicely – a day in Edinburgh
Paris holds the key to my heart…
Happy reading!!
A place called home... 