Wein

Ok. It is 2:10am, and again, I am attempting to stay up and await my flight back to the U.S. I guess I will be doing a bit of backtracking, talking about my trip and all. 

I decided before I even came to Switzerland that I would not leave without doing the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, and cross that off the lifelong goal list. This trip turned into a larger excursion of Vienna, Salzburg, and Munich, but I never found a good time to take off work and do this trip. Finally, almost at the end of my stay here, I was able to work out my vacation, book a flight and some hostels, and begin this memorable journey.

Let me begin to tell you, that through all this planning, I didn't think much about the fact that I was going on this trip alone. It has just become second-nature, through co-op; if I want to go see it, I see it. I have no insecurities of being alone. But I didn't take into account that I would literally be alone for five days, traveling Europe companionless, and turning to my side to relay happiness or excitement and coming up emptyhanded. Being a backpacking traveler takes guts and a level of outgoingness that I don't know if I am really qualified for. It's fun at first, and then you start running out of distractions. Your mind starts confronting itself and the issues that are usually suppressed by music, mindless chatter, and other distractions. You meet other travelers, and you chat the same mindless chatter about where you've been and how long you're on the road, but ultimately, it's just you and the road. And a tons of strangers. At the same time, I know I could be spend this precious time in Basel with people that I love, rather than see the world, alone. 

I arrived in Vienna early in the morning, got to the hostel, and really just wanted to sleep. I got an awkward 1.5 hours of sleep from a failed attempt at staying up all night. I felt guilty, but knew if I didn't get some rest, I would have a worthless day in the city, so I took a quick nap and then headed out for some exploration. Saw St. Stephen's cathedral, and went back again at night. There is just something so moving about seeing a cathedral at night, with the candlelight and the solemn aire absent of tourists. You can really feel connected to the space.

Went to a butterfly house, which was a nice break from the old architecture that all starts to look the same after awhile, no matter how much you love it. Then to the Albertina art museum, which is in the Hapsburg Imperial Palace. There were some stunning pieces by Egon Schiele, who I've come to love from my Christie's days, Dürer, and then a huge huge exhibition on Van Gogh. It was so thorough, showed every aspect of his life, just wonderful. The gallery was situated in regular museum spaces, as well hanging in the palace rooms, so you could experience the period interiors, and enjoy the art. This museum was probably one of my favorites that I went to while in Europe this summer. The gardens outside were shady and perfect for a second nap of the day, and for a little sketching. 

At night, after doing a bit of wandering, I stumbled upon a Film Festival that was showing a 90s recording of a Tschaikovsky piece done by the Berlin Philharmonic. Really, only in Vienna would something like this appeal to a huge group of people. I really enjoyed it, because the atmosphere was great, situated between the Rathaus and the Hapsburg Theater. There were tons of food booths, and locals just enjoying the evening.

Went on a bike tour of Vienna the next day, and met a woman whose sister is a librarian in Napoleon! How crazy!