These long, abrupt silences seem to have become a trademark of mine, eh? Apologies for this gaping absence. It was an insane semester at school that made spending time on anything else virtually unthinkable. But thanks to the winter break, back to my hobbies I went - and I realised I had a few thousand pictures waiting to be shared. So here's presenting my experience of Vienna over Easter Break (7 months late).
We spent Easter Sunday in Vienna and it had nearly completely shut down but there was this peace about the city. We also took a day trip to Bruck an der Mur, the hometown of our Austrian friend, Florian. It was really interesting seeing the recreated Roman village - you could imagine yourself living the life of a Roman from centuries ago. Apparently, that was just the concept they were going for: "It is supposed to seem as if the Romans left just 15 minutes ago."
Apart from the ruins, we also hiked up several hills because the boys had contracted - as Florian said it - mountain fever or "bergfieber" in German. We were rewarded by an uninterrupted view of the sun setting over Bruck. With tired feet, we descended back down and drove to our dinner place for the night. (I remember having the best car-nap I have ever had in my 21 years of existence).
What I loved about the dinner experience was that it was in someone's home. In this part of Austria, apparently it's common to open your own home as a 'restaurant' for others to eat in. We had exotic (at least to me) cured meats, cheeses, desserts and wines. It was such a unique and homely experience. I was so grateful that we got to eat among locals. You can imagine the quizzical looks we received - 4 Asians - in this part of town, at a table with one Austrian.
Beyond that, Vienna itself is irrefutably stunning. Never have I seen such a scale of wealth and opulence reflected in the whole structure of a city. Buildings gilded in gold and breath-taking monuments at every turn. I distinctly remember walking down a narrow, unassuming street that suddenly opened up, leading you into a vast square preceding an imposing, regal and pristine white dome. Buildings weren't just regal - they were massive. And it wasn't just one large building. All the buildings were humongous. These mammoth buildings often sat atop excessive plots of land, extending far beyond what I could see. It's difficult to imagine but if you ever make it to Vienna one day, you'll know what I mean. Indeed, Vienna was truly a captivating city.
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