Vienna (Austria) - a boot full of belongings

VIENNA (Austria)
27 September - 28 September 2017

With our decision to move back to Australia in 2018 we also then needed to find a place for all the stuff we had acquired in the prior 2.5 years. We were told, in a number of subtle and not so subtle ways that non of this would be able to be stored in Belgrade. In fact, when we tossed around the idea of having a handful of boxes stored the firm advise from my aunt was 'No'. I recall I found her manner of answering at the time, as well as her complete disregard for our needs to be somewhat disappointing at the time. A little assistance would have been the proper thing to have done. Still, it is what it is.

Belgrade in September - the confluence of the Danube and Sava - Serbia

With our Renault Laguna packed to bursting we headed north out of Belgrade, effectively ending our living situation there. In a technical sense I still had the apartment rented until February 2018, so it can be said that we were in fact living in Belgrade until that point in time.

Inga describes this time, or this travel, as one of the most exciting. In her view the usual progression of things is that a foreigner will arrive in Latvia, perhaps get involved with a girl, and then drag them off to an unknown corner of the world. In some small part, she was now pulling me into her sphere and we were going to set up in Riga until our big move to the land down under.

First stop on the 2000km migration north was the hometown of my grandfather Heinrich Elisher. 

On the road - somewhere in Europe - car full and ready to migrate north

There's some sort of kinship I have with the people here. Somehow I feel there's a little bit of Vienna in me. Quite often I wonder if my grandfather and I have walked the same paths, walked through the same doors, looked on the same buildings. There has to be elements of his experiences and life learnings that originated here that have somehow influenced me in some small way. Those small thoughts, those intangibles makes that way I view this city far for personal and closer to home than other places within that connective line.

The famous Sacher Torte - Hotel Sacher - Vienna - Austria

The famous Sacher Torte - Hotel Sacher - Vienna - Austria

The famous Sacher Torte - Hotel Sacher - Vienna - Austria

Bauskas apartment before the mighty renovations - Riga - Latvia

When you mix it all together this is what you get

Vienna was just to be an overnight stop, so we didn't get to doing a lot of sightseeing. In fact, how much sightseeing can you do in a Mexican restaurant whilst in Vienna? With that said, we did have a late night stop at the very famous Hotel Sacher, located in the Innere Stadt, the speciality is the Sachertorte, a delectable chocolate cake with an apricot filling. With a mighty fine cognac to accompany this late night tryst, this was just the thing I craved as a necessary highlight to our short stay.

Vienna (AUSTRIA) - Budapest (HUNGARY) - Real life version 2.0

Vienna (Austria) - Budapest (Hungary)
25 January 2016 - 29 January 2016

Thinking back to the moment when it dawned on Inga that she may need to move to Belgrade, and that period of time would be in the vicinity of 2 years now,  it sometimes for me brings on feelings of extreme sympathy. Not only was I asking her to leave Riga but I had no chance of talking up the qualities of Belgrade, for sure it couldn't be dressed up as being an upgrade. For anyone making short visit to the Serbian capital will find that its very Balkan, in a post Communist, overtly nationalistic, historically challenged kind of way. It doesn't give you any sort of tingling sensation, in the loins or otherwise, and my goodness, TWO YEARS sounded like a death sentence when it came out of my mouth. It was however my best and final offer.

Vienna and Budapest were like the teaspoon of sugar, the dangling carrot that needed to be engineered as the entree to our real live, version 2.0. I call it a 'real life' as we had lived together for three months whilst travelling, we had lived together for three months in Australia, but none of it was really domestic bliss now was it? This was 'living together' in a real world kind of way and it was going to be taking place in a city that I only had a small idea of and Inga has no idea about. Let the canned laughter ensue.

Vienna - Austria

Vienna - Austria

Vienna - Austria

Vienna - Austria

Vienna - Austria

We were getting good at meeting in airports, Buenos Aires, Stockholm, Belgrade, Riga, Sydney, Vienna - it became unexpectedly familiar. For a while we became one of those couples that you'd see reacquainting themselves after an extended time apart. It was nice, in an odd way, but this time it was 'hello, I missed you' with the caveat that we'd be staying together, and that in itself was something to celebrate.

A day earlier Vladimir and I had busted out of Belgrade bound for my rendevous point with Inga at Vienna International. After having spent a few years with my cousin, living virtually next door, there's a couple of things I've gotten to know about him. He drives recklessly, so much so that it makes me feel uneasy. Do I think he's a good driver? Yes, but do I like the chances that he takes unnecessarily? No ....and do I think he jeopardises the welfare of his passengers? Yes, and I hate that and whatever bravado or machismo goes with that aggressive/reckless form of driving. I'm called him out on it a few times and called him out on it on this occasion too. Another thing about my cousin, he's particular. He doesn't like crowds but by that I mean he won't like venue if it is vibrant and has plenty of people, that just isn't his thing. That has challenges in itself and in some way negates a large part of freedom and enjoyment on my part. Thankfully in Vienna on this occasion it posed no challenges.

Inga arrived in Austria on Australia Day, in a city with no kangaroos but plenty of bratwurst and schnitzels for the offering. That's not really a comparison other than to simply pass commentary on the situation that Australia Day in Austria is bemusing.

Australian pub - on Australia Day - Vienna - Austria

Schonbrunn Palace - Vienna - Austria

Vienna or rather Wien, wow!  Just a wonderfully sophisticated, engaging, elegant city. Every time I visit I fall a little deeper and harder for it, and of course, walk a little taller as this was my grandfather's hometown. Heinrich Elisher, my namesake was from here and I like to imagine that by walking through the city I'm stepping on the paths, on the stones, in some of the gardens the he did. I like to imagine looking at this city through his eyes and think somehow, in some way that he can see me strolling through his backyard. Sometimes those ancestral echoes ring louder when you're closer to home.

Apart from being known as the City of Music, it's also known as the City of Dreams because it was also the home of the worlds first psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, and again, when I look at the timeline of when my grandfather was alive and living in Vienna its very likely the two would have crossed paths on the odd occasion.

We spent a few days in Vienna, just walking around the city and also seeing Schonbrunn Palace, a place that at one time was the Summer residence of the Hasburn rulers. Considering it was the end of January we were relatively lucky with the weather also, navigating our way through without so much as a bout of rain, snow or sleet.

After a few days in Vienna we headed down to Budapest via a brief stop in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. 

Now the great thing about Europe, which is totally different to countries such as Australia or the US, is that you can travel a mere 60-70kms and be in another country and capital city, which was the case here. Only a 70km, 1hr drive from Vienna and there we were, still on the Danube but having lunch in the old Czechoslovakia, experience something totally different in terms of geography, language, culture and food.

Budapest - Hungary

Budapest - Hungary

Budapest - Hungary

Later that day we arrived in Budapest. A city which in some odd way, being so close to Belgrade, I felt as though I should know more about, but in actual fact knew nothing about. Additionally, and somewhat embarrassingly, there had always been that ingrained Serbian prejudice in me that somehow Budapest was inferior, to what exactly I'm not sure. Inferior to everything. It's a very Serbian view, everyone else is inferior but they know nothing in their country is of quality either - so essentially, in their mind, everything is crap!

Budapest - Hungary

Budapest - Hungary

 Budapest - Hungary

Budapest - Hungary

Budapest IS NOT crap, in fact its wonderful and one of the great highlights of Europe. The unfortunate thing was that it took so long for me to discover our next door neighbour and that also, on this trip, we would only be staying the night. Never the less, Inga & I gave ourselves the opportunity to wonder around. 

Budapest - Hungary

On the Serbian border - three passports - all awaiting entry

Starting at the Liberty Bridge we walked down one side of the Danube in front of Gellert hill to the Rudas Healthy Spa, essentially making a small circuit. Unfortunately we didn't have time on our side but from what I saw and experience of Budapest I knew that it had to be placed high on the list for a return.  Considering Budapest was now going to be a neighbour there was no reason that we shouldn't start up a friendship.