Detour: Austria (Vienna, Hallstatt)
It was night when I arrived. My hostel was located in the market district just outside the city center. I was staying at a Wombat Hostel, one of many Wombat’s in Europe, and easily the most corporate of any hostel I’d visited thus far. They had a modern lounge, branded maps, card key doors and lockers, and a bar that could have passed as a standalone facility. I appreciated not having to deal with any bullshit since I was still battling my sickness from Prague.
A comedy show and open mic would begin shortly after I arrived, so I ordered a pizza and made myself comfortable at the bar. The stand up lasted an hour, which was ambitious given that it required holding the attention of 30 drunk travelers who may or may not speak English. The comedian was mixed black white American who made his living performing in Austria. He told a lot of jokes about different nations and nationalities, peddling the weirdly specific genre of travel humor. The open mics that followed were all “tight five” sets and varied drastically in quality, though the last was phenomenal. An English bloke named Luke was heckled ruthlessly by a women at my table who was drunk out of her mind. Her boyfriend sat to her side, red-faced and cringing as Luke deflected her insults and masterfully engaged with the other audience members who chimed in. It was a high energy, nearly improvisational set.
I noticed a woman to my right who was on my bus earlier and decided to introduce myself to her and another guy at my table. Her name was Kiah, an Australian travelling since February. His was Logan, a developer from New Zealand who dressed like an adjunct professor in training. We made a bit of conversation before heading off to bed and reconvening the next morning.
The weather was gorgeous, and I was able to go outside with only two layers for the first time. Vienna is pristine. The streets and buildings gleamed in the sunlight to the point that it was borderline obnoxious and required sunglasses. We walked through the city center and palace grounds, peeked inside the royal library, and did some yoga at a nearby park. Kiah and Logan spotted an Australian themed restaurant and insisted we eat some veggie-mite toast (A salty, vitamin mix/spread and, apparently, a national religion). Every city has a catch though, and Vienna’s is the price tag. This city is EXPENSIVE. It’s easy to find yourself paying $5 for coffee out here and $13 for a meal, but, then again, it’s the same in San Francisco.
We attended the Opera later that night. It was only 4 euros for the standing section, and for good reason. Hot, irritable people, packed like sardines, craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the action in the cramped, peasants’ box. We only planned on staying for a few numbers given the circumstances. I studied the set design closely: slanted slabs of slate, broken up into multiple tiers of differing depths for the purposes of plot and action. There was a large pool of water center stage, with shimmering light shimmering and reflected off it and onto the walls. The curtains were made of four layers and closed like a box around certain characters as scenes came to a close. Sadly, no photos were allowed.
When we got back the hostel, I ran into Martina, a woman I’d introduced myself to the previous night. She was from Brazil, traveling from Ireland, and very excited about taking a day trip out to Hallstatt. She energetically asked if we wanted to come and showed us some pictures of the destination. Stunning. I was reluctant to go given the trip’s 100 euro price tag and seven hour (round trip) commute by train, but was on board (no pun intended I swear to GOD) when a staff member told us how to do it for half the price. We would leave at 6 a.m.
Hallstatt
We spent the train rides in silence, taking in the scenic countryside while I worked on my blog posts. I was still coughing up a storm and blowing my nose every 10 seconds, but the trek was well worth it. Pictures are worth a thousand words right?
Two new roommates had arrived when I returned from Hallstatt. They were Americans who had campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the key states that Hilary Clinton lost. Their insight was interesting and it was fun exchanging political notes. The next morning I visited the Albertina museum in central Vienna. The museum is small relative to many of the modern museums I’ve visited in the states. As a result, they have to make every square foot count.
I visited two exhibitions during my brief visit. The curators managed to put together compelling narratives for both, where each piece of art contributed towards it. I saw the drawings of Raphael, from study, to concept, to draft, to finished product. I saw an excellent canonical presentation of major modernist works from impressionism to Picasso’s neoclassicism. Kiah was also headed to Budapest, so we booked our hostel and bus tickets together and made our way to the station.
