After a night of sleeping at the airport, I was completely exhausted when I got there by plane. So when I arrived in Vienna, the first thing I did was to head straight to the hotel and have a good sleep. In fact, this sleep also set the tone for this journey: This was a journey that thoroughly tested my physical strength. Countless night trains made me have to have a good sleep to replenish my energy almost every time I arrived at a new city.
Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna
When I woke up, it was almost dusk. In Vienna, there is one place that must be visited at dusk, and that is the century-old Ferris wheel in Platt Park. This Ferris wheel has become a special symbol of Vienna because of a film, and it specifically refers to Vienna at dusk. Pratt Park, as an amusement park, was naturally crowded with people. However, perhaps because it was almost dark at that time, the park was not so crowded. In contrast, there was a lot of cameras gathered on an open space far from the Ferris wheel. It was obvious that they were all tourists who had come here for the Ferris wheel. It is very comforting to note that even in the now infinitely commercialized Platt Amusement Park, this Ferris wheel still retains its own charm.
The Ferris wheel in Pratt Park
As one of the most powerful imperial powers in Europe at that time, Vienna naturally became a major European city as early as the Middle Ages. However, compared with other major European cities, Vienna seems to be much “quiet”. The “quietness” here means that at least one can clearly feel the profound heritage contained in this city, whether it is the little golden statuettes in the city parks Whether it is the majestic and magnificent Austrian Palace or the most bustling Moat Street in the city, one can sense a unique color that belongs only to Vienna. In today’s European cities that are crowded with tourists and becoming increasingly commercialized, the “quietness” of Vienna has become rare and precious.
In my opinion, the beauty of Vienna basically only emerges at night. Even the same buildings, such as Charles Church and the Golden Hall, look so stunning when seen at night. Buildings that seem unremarkable during the day immediately become at the forefront of fashion at night. Especially that Charles Church, during the day I had no feeling for it at all, thinking it was just a Baroque building worth passing by to have a look. But when I visited it at night, I found that this building had become one of the most representative buildings of Vienna: in a quiet space, its own magnificence was even more highlighted.
Charles Church
Among the night views of Vienna, the Danube River in the suburbs still touched me the most. This blue Danube River is closely linked to Vienna. It seems that without this Danube River, there would be no Vienna of today. However, the feelings this river brought to me at this moment were not limited to these. In fact, my entire travel route this time revolated around this blue Danube. Starting from Austria, it passed through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, and then returned to Austria. These seven countries seemed to have no connection at all. But if you look at the map, you will find that they are all nurtured by the Danube River, which runs through four of these countries, and the other three are also crossed by the Sava River, the largest tributary of the Danube River. This Danube River has witnessed the war in Belgrade, the prosperity of Budapest, the peace of Bratislava, and also Vienna, a city that is romantic and glorious because of the Danube.
The blue Danube at night
I came to Vienna listening to the music of Mozart and Strauss, and when I left, the familiar “The Blue Danube” was still playing in my ears. On the last day of this journey across seven countries, when I stood in Vienna again, the feelings in my heart were completely different from when I first arrived in Vienna. These seven countries and seven cities brought me seven different experiences, including fear and pain, as well as joy and peace. Of course, that Danube River remained the same Danube River, flowing eternally.
The Strauss Statuette located in the Vienna City Park
The phrase “I’m leaving Vienna” came to my mind twice in just over ten days. The first time was when I was about to take a flight to end this trip. And another time, I had just arrived at the Vienna bus Station, where a bus bound for Slovenia was about to leave, and my journey had just begun.