Slovenia had been so wonderful to us and it fast became one of my favourite countries to visit. We were sad to say goodbye but I knew it would only be a few years till we returned. But the show must go on and we needed to pass our first obstacle.
A Change Of Plan
Originally we had planned to go to Salzburg after Bled but as we were booking accommodation on the fly I could not for love nor money find any affordable accommodation for two couples on a single stop-off night in Salzburg. So after a bit of frustration, we changed plans and set our sights on Vienna instead and managed to secure a very last minute booking through Airbnb.
The journey was a bit longer than planned if I remember correctly around 5 hours instead of 3 but on the other hand, it got us a bit closer to our next destination. We set off early for Bled station as we knew we wouldn’t have a huge amount of time in Vienna.
Here We Go Again
The train left Bled to the North and across the border into Austria, changing an hour later at Villach we were then on our way to Vienna. It a shame that we’d miss Salzburg and the opportunity to visit the birthplace of Mozart and the nearby picturesque village of Hallstatt. But we’d made the right decision and in doing that took a lot of stress out of the situation.
The sun was shining and the scenery was absolutely stunning, lush green fields surrounded by pine forests, big wooden lodges and the mountains in the backdrop painted a stunning picture as we whizzed through. The legendary film, The Sound of Music was filmed here and the rolling countryside looks exactly like the front cover or movie poster. I just wanted to get off the train and explore! We will definitely return to Austria at some point as we barely touched the countryside on this trip, I’d love to do some wild camping there or stay in one of the lodges.
The Sound Of Snoring
The train ride was one of our longest and soon enough the others had nodded off and I was riding solo again. Not a problem as a lovely chap happened to appear with some cans of cold pilsners. Couldn’t say no really. There I sat in silence, sipping beer and admiring the rolling hills and forests with the sun beating through the windows. Not once was I bored, just content and completely at peace.
Rise And Stein
The team had arisen from their slumber and found me more than tipsy, pulling faces in my camera. All of a sudden the countryside changed to urban sprawl and that addictive sensation of exploring a new city crept back up on me. We managed to find our Airbnb fairly easily, a miracle to be honest, after an afternoon of awkward conversation with the guy I had serious doubts in my head whether this would pull through or not.. I kept that worry to myself so as not to stress out the others but when we arrived I reminded myself of how last-minute this booking was and how lucky we were. I’m fairly certain the guy just rents his apartment out to people and then just stays around his friends to make some extra cash. I mean why not? Nonetheless, it was a bit odd that his washing was still in the machine, some plates left on the drainer board to dry and other little personal touches signified that this dude has probably been at work all day and has rushed home to quickly get the place ready for us. I’m massively grateful and not even slightly complaining as we had achieved what we needed which was a bed for the night and at a great price for a capital city.
Time To Explore
Our place for the night was in a great location though and allowed us very easy access to everything, there was a tram line right by our Airbnb which led straight to the city centre and only 3 stops away. We couldn’t see anywhere to buy a ticket so we assumed you bought them on the tram and walked on. Looking around we found no ticket machine but could see a person in the distance holding one. I sat there nervously waiting to play the dumb tourist card in a bid to avoid any fines. The 3 stops went by and we escaped as quickly as possible. Toll-free!
We’d done well with time and arrived mid-afternoon which allowed us to soak in some of the sights of this gorgeous city. By the tram stop, there was a park that was teeming with people and noise so we went to investigate and came across a really cool street performers event. Great timing as we love this sort of thing, there were b-boys breakdancing, street artists, buskers, food vendors and craft stalls. Such a nice intro to the city and the bohemian culture that thrives here. What an introduction.
An Artisans Paradise
We left the park and went monument spotting and were amazed by some of the incredible architecture on offer. The Gothic cathedrals here are something else and big white marble buildings dominate the skyline. The city is oozing with culture and I wish we could have stayed an extra night or two. It’s similar to Rome and Athens in scope and that there are sights and attractions around every corner. We can’t wait to return here as I would have loved to check out an orchestra in one of the many concert halls and explore the art museums. Also, the beer scene has absolutely boomed in Vienna in recent years, even more reason to revisit.
After a few hours of exploring the city and parks, we’d built up an appetite and found somewhere for a quick bite and a few beers before heading back to the apartment to rest up for another long train journey in the morning. Vienna was incredible and we barely even scratched the surface so I can only imagine the treasures it still holds. It’s high on our priority list when we get back to exploring the world after covid has (finally) been brought under control. Soon, people, we’re nearly there.
