Der Wiener Augarten

Mission of the day:

Pursue the Donau.

This was possibly the farthest distance I am willing to walk. Frau taught us about the Donau in my high school German class. So I figured that while in Vienna, it would be foolish not to make a pilgrimage. Note that the actual river lies even further north than the Donaukanal, which seems like enough of a walk from my residence.

So I made a mental map and set forth.

In front of the highly exhalted Stephansdom. It towers so high that I could not get a steeple in. But I have the feeling I will make regular visits to this tourist attraction. It is awe-inspiring.

(Not my photo, obviously. But here you can understand the intimidation factor. Imagine if you were one of those dots to the far left. Looking up to it's uppermost points during midday burns your eyes out, not to mention makes you feel like insignificant.)

I had finally made it to the other side of the Donaukanal when I saw a long, stretched out ivory wall to my left, green life peeking out overtop. I had seen in my travel guide that a garden was located in the vicinity of the route I was travelling. I knew I had to investigate,

And to my surprise, it was one of the most pleasant and worthwhile discoveries I have made yet.

So special, in fact, that I titled this entry for my new secret garden (tee hee!)

It was a separate town, protected from the crawling urban dwellers by trees, shrubs, walls and fences. The Austrians know what they're doing.

The longevity over here has to be impressive.

Upon entering the garden I immediately recalled the final task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. These were some looming shrubs. I could have strolled their mazes for hours, it was so soothing.

There must have been some sort of school within the walls of the garden because gym class was taking place in this mystical green land. The first strip of red appeared to be for sprinting while the two in the background...I'd say those are for long jumping.

(Oh, look! The day's outfit...)

I found a nice, shaded bench and decided to take advantage of the tranquility before continuing on my mission to discover the whereabouts of the Donau. I read some more Kerouac, watched countless runners and strollers go by, and was accosted by a pair of young adolescent boys who asked, "Wie heisst du?" I told them my name, and their could tell by my pronunciation of the "E" that I spoke English. Smart kids- my name should actually sound more like Ah-me-lee. Their shameless confrontation made my day.

After a drawn-out walk along commercially-dedicated streets, I finally saw hope glimmering in the distance in the form of an elevated bridge. THE DONAU. My heart raced. My legs sighed with relief.

I had found the glorious waterway.

Bikers are everywhere. My father would be in heaven. Also, in-line bladers are not scarce either. I would dig having a pair of my own over here.

Represent, Austrian style!

On the weary yet hopeful journey back to inner-city Vienna, I picked up an Iced Caffe Latte from my best friends at Starbucks and marched back past Stephansdom toward my favorite grassy courtyard at Maria Theresia Platz. I read, wrote and bonded with Mandy Moore's new album, Amanda Leigh. It's unique and lyrically pleasant. If you need a breath of fresh air, I'd say it's a springy/summery go-to.

I doodled up a rough draft of today's walking extraviganza. My path on the way to the Donau is represented by the blue line, while my returning route is in orange. It's a small picture, but if you traced the distance on a scaled map, you'd understand why I crashed immediately upon returning to the Hostel (after downing half a bag of pretzels and half a container of Nutella...)

I also took some relaxation time to browse H&M, American Apparel and Nike Vienna. The variety over here is increased while the store layouts are also superior. Many of the stores on Mariahilfer Strasse have twins at opposite ends of the strip. There are two H&Ms, for example, but only one Nike and one Puma.
Browsing stores keeps me sane, for the record. Being alone in a foreign country isn't the most settling situation, but just admiring the fashion over here- both in the stores and that modeled by the natives- makes me happy and allows me to find inner peace. Skinny jeans are everywhere, as are wedges and fancy sandals. I feel like I fit in better over here, clothing wise. New moms are so fashion-savvy, as are middle-aged women. It's not a competitive thing, either. People simply care about how they present themselves, which is completely admirable and sensical.

The girl who moved into my room yesterday and sleeps in the bunk beneath me hails from Bulgaria. She is here alone as well, her trip paid for by loving parents as a graduation present. She tells me she has been in Vienna before and that she also lived in Deutschland for 3 months to study German. She wants to attend University in Wien and plans on applying in one month, after she recieves her diploma. Her name is Sara and she favors Metallica (she has at least 2 separate t-shirts signifying her loyalty to the band.) She is friendly and knowledgable. I like her.

Guten Abend, Amerika!

Ich muss schlafen. Ich will schlafen.

Jetzt, werde ich zum Bett gehen.

(My Deutsch is still rusty, and my endings are terrible. Hopefully the Deutsch Akademie will help me mend this language tear.)