The focus of the blog is changing yet again. While I enjoyed my original concept of Tolkien titles for the names of of posts, I realized as I open this up to more people, the connection might be lost. I retroactively changed the titles to be a more descriptive, but I am going to try to be a little creative about it, when possible.
As I am writing this, I am midway through the stay in Vienna. Since this is the group portion of a largely solo trip, I am still figuring out how I will blog about it. I may break out of the chronological and just do themed blogs to cover everything.
For now, back to the regularly scheduled program…
The early planning for this trip went through a number of iterations until I fell into the idea of flying in and out of London, with train travel for most of the rest of the in between. I do think I am repeating myself a bit too much with some of the stops on this trip, but I really enjoyed Brussels. I had experienced Eurostar from Brussels to London, and it made sense to do the opposite to get to the continent.
From there, I had to figure out how to get to Vienna, and originally, I thought I would fly from Brussels to Munich, spend a day there, and then take the train to Vienna. After doing research on flights, I didn’t have a lot of options that weren’t RyanAir and the like, and with me carrying all of my life like a carryon hobo, I had a feeling I would run into bag restrictions on any of those options. Then I discovered the existence of the Brussels to Vienna night trains via ÖBB NightJet, and figured out that between the not so cheap plane ticket and the hotel night in Munich, I could more than afford a cabin to myself on the train.
They have rolled out newer version of the NightJet, but unfortunately, this was the older variety. I was put into a berth normally meant for three, but I honestly cannot see how three, full-size adults would fit for seating and then eventually three bunk style beds.
To say the seats were uncomfortable is an understatement. Even laying across three with all the pillows was pretty rough going, and trying to write the previous blog post was next to impossible. It makes sense that the seats are not too plush, because they need to fold down to make the lowest bunk, but still, for a 12+ hour journey, the lack of comfort was compounding.
The beds themselves were really nothing more than a cot, which is again pretty expected. You’re not getting the Waldorf Astoria here, but it was certainly better than the seats. I was able to get some sleep, and the ride was smooth enough that you almost forget you’re on a train.
There is a sink with non-potable water in the berth, but the water barely worked. I was able to use the provided water bottles to brush my teeth and washing my face before bed and before departing the train, which made me at least feel somewhat human arriving in Vienna. The shared toilet was small, smaller than most airplane lavs, but unlike the overnight Amtrak I have taken, they remained clean either by European cleanliness or the attendant was cleaning it regularly, but if you are a person of any size expecting to sit down to do your business, I cannot imagine that working out well.
We were provided a breakfast in the morning, and it was pretty good. I had brought snacks on the train, but they weren’t exactly healthy, and having some good bread, ham and gouda with some coffee was a good start to the day.
We arrived in Vienna Hauptbahnhof a few minutes before scheduled arrival, which is pretty mazing for a train that left Brussels and wended its way through Germany and across Austria. The view may not have been as scenic as I would have liked, but I am glad I did it this way. While the comfort was a little lacking, this experience was a lot better than the European Sleeper I took Berlin to Brussels in 2024.
Once I arrived at Vienna Central, which reminded me of a smaller, a lot less confusing version of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof, my first order of business was to find a restroom. I’m not sure if all of them are like this, but the one I found was a paid restroom that cost .50€. I don’t find that a problem, but what I do find the problem is the turnstile you have to use to get into it. These are completely impossible to use with luggage unless you lift everything over, and it’s just an absolute pain.
While on the train overnight, I did purchase a 7-day transit City Pass via WienMobile, that gives me unlimited access to transit in the city core, and it also provides discounts to over 200 attractions. It is well worth the 39€. What I have found in the German speaking countries is that while they do not coddle non-speakers, they offer very clear signage and wayfinding, and I was quickly able to find the subway I needed to take to get to the flat that my group was staying at. It was a short walk from the nearest station, and frankly, I have not done as well of a job packing as I did last time, because the bags are feeling heavy. There might be some things that do not make the trip back to make room for more chocolate.
Anyway, I arrived at our flat while Jerrad, who organized the trip was en route. So, I waited for him to arrive. We were not able to check in yet, but they allowed us to stow our bags, and we went to a coffee shop to wait for the rest of our group and caffeine load.
We were able to check in a bit early, and we went up to the flat. Being in the affordable housing business, I am not a fan of AirBnB style usage of housing stock that could be used for people to live in vs. mini-hotel chains or corporately owned housing, but with all that as preamble, this is a very nice office building conversion. Basically, the first 5 floors are still used as offices, but the top floor is housing. It is three bedrooms on one floor with the upstairs kitchen, living, and dining with two balcony spaces, one overlooking the city and the other just a part of the roof with a couch. It’s perfect for what we need.
We puttered around the flat until the last member of our troop arrived, and then we got cleaned up for the evening festivities. Jerrad and Viani were heading to meet a local friend of theirs before joining us, and Stephen, Tony, and myself decided to head over to the Eurovision village and then find a bar to watch the first ESC Semi Finals.
The Villiage, which is, for lack of better term, like the Super Bowl Village that sprouts up around the Super Bowl, is the main visitor experience with food, beverage, merch, and a big stage where they have DJs, performers, and other acts. It is open the whole week leading up to the Eurovision Grand Finals on Saturday. This year, it is set in front of the spectacular Rathaus in the Rathausplatz, which is basically a gigantic town square.
After walking around and getting some very affordable food (when compared to American event pricing), we went in search of the Why Not bar, which had been closed for renovation up until reopening on that very day.
I had been doing research about bars and such for us, and this was one I had been monitoring, and they did not announce the opening until Monday. This set off some red flags for me, because most businesses like this will do a soft opening at least. There could be issues (spoilers: there were).
We arrived at 7:59 for an 8:00 opening, and we were able to snag a table for us and for when Jerrad and Viani join us. The bartenders were new, the sound equipment was new, and it took a while for the bar to find its speed, but it ended up being an incredibly fun evening.
Stephen and Anthony tapped out, and Jerrad, Viani, and I went to City Bar across the street, which was more of a dive feel to it, which is catnip for me. The bartenders was an American ex pat, which made the communication level easier, and we settled in for several cocktails and interactions with the locals. We stayed out WAY too long, and while I wasn’t feeling the effect much, Jerrad and Viani were hammered (schwasted, if you will). It took some effort to herd the cats back to the flat, but we eventually did. I will omit much of the story of it taking us three Ubers to get back home…to protect the (not so innnocent).
It was an excellent first day in Vienna.
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