I'm an optimist by nature which is probably down to both ignorance and naivety, as proven by my sincere prediction that corona would "be over" (whatever that means) by March 2020.... Alas, here we still are, coming up to a year later, in a newly extended lockdown. But I plan to focus on the silver linings in this post and will attempt to justify my blind positivity with some photographic evidence - it's certainly not all bad!
^^The latest trip to (a freeeeezing) Stuhleck!
One such silver lining of a lockdown plagued year abroad is experiencing the city at its lowest ebb. Not much of a silver lining! I hear you say. Well it is and it isn't. After just a few weeks here, I was set on returning to Vienna after my degree and as much as I'd like to imagine my life being filled with daily Kaffehaus trips and weekly evenings at the opera, the reality is that our normal, busy lives will hopefully soon recommence and dull everyday routines like commuting, which seem like a far-off fantasy at the moment, will return life to its normal, blissfully frenetic pace.
So although I'll be first through the doors when cafés reopen and won't hesitate for a second to swipe my now-dusty museum card, it's been surprisingly eye-opening to live on out here through the city's greyest months. Instead of being handed all its cultural riches on a plate, I've been forced to find alternative ways to keep myself busy and seek out the city's oases without the help of my now-abandoned, dog-eared guidebook. We're coming up to month four of 'hard lockdown' here in Austria so the fact I'm still finding new highlights and continuing to spam my family with photos captioned "look at this!" justifies its title as "the most liveable city in the world."
That being said, finding joy in the little things is all well and good, but my latest lockdown experience has without doubt been brightened by the privilege of being able to take a day trip to the mountains! Vienna lies just 90 mins on the train from the Stuhleck-Semmering ski area and thanks to the government declaring ski lifts 'public transport' and emphasising the value of outdoor exercise, skiing has somehow managed to withstand the latest lockdown measures. The compulsory FFP2 masks on lifts are annoying but no hardship and the closed restaurants/huts/hot chocolate shacks just means more time on the piste and less wasted on pit stops! Being out in the cold is refreshing in more ways than one and the general atmosphere is a far cry from the doom and gloom of the media. Long may it last!
So finally, here's a lowdown of what I've been up to this quarantine:
1) A day trip to Krems an der Donau. Other than the train breaking down in the dark for an hour on the way home, this was an easy afternoon outing and one I'd love to repeat in the summer. With nothing to do but wonder through the streets and marvel at the architecture, I stayed barely more than 2 hours but am glad to have seen it and can't wait to go back, for I missed a trick and left without buying any of their famous Marillenschnaps (the Wachau valley is famous for all things apricot!)
^^ Shops are just classier in Austria!
2) A hike to Husarentempel. On yet another desperate attempt to seek out the snow, I went with a friend out to Mödling to hike to Husarentempel. We were greeted with Narnia-like scenes from the moment we set foot in the forest and narrowly escaped spending a night in the snow when the temple turned out to be rather more elusive than expected. After 2 hours of hiking we finally saw it peaking through the trees as the sun retreated at an alarming pace and the only walkers we saw were those speeding away from us in the opposite direction. Thankfully we came across a pair of mothers with their sledding sons on our return, without whom we'd probably still be walking in snowy circles.
3) Not a day trip this time but rather, a walk around one of Vienna's most charming neighbourhoods - Wien Spittelberg! Not much to say other than that I'm open to offers of flats/houses/garden sheds here if anyone's offering?
4) Ok, this one might seem like I'm really scraping the barrel for content but truth be told, Vienna Central Cemetery has been on my must-see list since flying over it back in September. One of the largest cemeteries in the world and home to icons like Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss, it was an oddly delightful way to spend an afternoon! Delightful, that is, until we were exploring the church which stands at the centre and were cornered into an old, dilapidated elevator in a dark nook of the crypt by a raging security guard. Thankfully the door didn't close so we had to take the stairs. Who or what was waiting for us on the top floor, I'd rather not know....
In other lockdown news, I've rather recklessly signed myself up for an intensive 3 week Russian course. Online... In German... Don't ask me why. I'm not yet sure myself. Updates to follow!