Vienna - Pride Goeth Before the Party

I love Vienna. It has nothing to do with the fact that its clean, full of lovely Austrian people and speaks my favourite language. Its completely blown my Big City = No Fun theory out of the water. I sat down for a good 15 minutes trying to think why I loved this place so much when I hated Paris and Prague, and I think I´ve figured it out.

My arrival here has coincided with my graduation from Novice Traveller to Advanced Novice Traveller. Over the past weeks I´ve become a lot more comfortable with the lonely and often downright strange world of travelling alone. I now have a stack of mates to entertain me at various destinations. I can comfortably sleep in a dorm room where 5 people are snoring and 4 people are fornicationg. I can feed, clothe and bathe myself at will. Ever since my last night at Cesky Krumlov, relaxing on the pagoda, drinking free beer and chatting to my New Best Mates I´ve felt totally at ease with this backpacking thing.

Anyway heres how my stay went. I arrived at yet another perfectly located, beautifully decorated hostel and unpacked. Met up with Tom in the foyer and accompanied him and a bunch of new people to a local restaurant for some €5 Scnitzels.

It was there I met Gaylan, whom after a bit of tactical chit-chat I identified as a "car guy". We were both thrilled to vent all our pent-up car talk, giggling like schoolgirls and making ridiculous hand gestures as we embellished all our best stories on one another.

After dinner me, Tom and Gaylan caught the Metro into the city and went to the fairgrounds (which seem to run all year). We warmed up with a quick game of OutRun 2, then Gayland mentioned there was a go-kart track on site. I was absolutely psyched for some racing action since the last track day was a non-event, so I handed over my €5 and prepared to be the very first international S1 representative in a semi-serious event. Starting from the back, I caught Tom on turn 2, and ripped Gaylan under brakes on the final hairpin of the very first lap. I was totally charged. Afterwards I accompanied Tom on the Boomerang, my very first rollercoaster experience.

You couldnt wipe the smile off my face as I went to bed that night, it was a perfect day.

The next morning I was up early for the wine tasting tour through the viney region just outside of Vienna. We mountained biked through some beautiful scenery and drank what was apparently some very nice wine. And some liquers too. There was also a climb to some Castle ruins that will go down in history as one of the most agonising things I´ve ever done.

I arrived back at the Hostel to find my camera was missing. I was so very sure I´d left it on the Bus for the wine tour, so I gave them a call and left a message, then searched my room about 5 times.

The next morning, reasonably confident the camera would be found, I checked with reception to see if I had a call back. I had, the camera wasnt there. Shit. I asked them to double check, and I searched my room some more. I had started in this city with such confidence in my ability to travel without the usual comedy of errors that follows me in most of my endeavours, surely Pride had not given way to the dreaded Fall..

I spent the day travelling around town with Marty and Alex, the NZ couple I had met earlier in Cesky Krumlov. I felt like a total downer though, I couldnt get my mind off losing 800 plus photos and a brand new camera. I called the tour guide again, and he told me he still hadnt found it. I started trying to rationalise the loss, thinking about how it wasnt that big a deal and the memories are more important etc.

Anyway around 2 that afternoon a SMS came through from the tour guide. They´d found it, exactly where I told them to look. The guide had actually found it that morning, but forgot to drop it off at reception. Fantastic, best feeling on earth.

It was an absolute beautiful day by the way. Perfect blue sky, 33 odd degrees, and a camera full of memories safe in a bus full of drunk backpackers. To celebrate (actually, just for a laugh), we made our way down whatever river runs through Vienna to a section of reclaimed beach not unlike the infamous Kodak beach in Southbank. It was there we grabbed some deckchairs, found a shady spot, and spent the afternoon drinking absurdly priced Mojitos under the azure sky. Absolute perfect holiday moment, I´ve never felt more relaxed with my eyes open before.

The tour guide dropped the camera off at the Hostel around 8pm. I,d been drinking for a few hours by then. I pitched in a few euros to the grocery bill of the NZ couple and they shared a delicious pasta dinner with me. We had salami instead of chicken which was a bit special, and I ate my first ever mushrooms. I am truly a renaissance man now.

So now Im putting the finishing touches on this Long Island Iced Tea and reflecting on truly awesome it is to be young and handsome and on holiday.

Onward to Salyburg.