Austria

For some, Austria is the better Germany, for others it is an idiosyncratic country in the mountains. In many places you feel like you’ve been thrown into a traditional homeland movie. Church towers in an onion look, stylish buildings in the most beautiful architectural mix, food like on a hill farm and the mountains, which, apart from Vienna, are almost everywhere in the background on the horizon. It is almost impossible to free oneself from the clichés of an ideal, mountainous world before traveling to Austria. The truth is: Austria lives from these clichés. Mozart, Sissi, Hundertwasser, Falco, mountains, Kaiserschmarrn and Viennese Classicism. All of this is national culture, all of it is inextricably linked to Austria. And all of this is marketed and exploited.

On our way through to Serbia, we make a stopover at Lake Neusiedl. A huge campsite, a pebbly beach, withered meadows and lawns. In Podersdorf, the tourists queue up in front of the ice cream parlor. Although there is still an inhabited town center and real life, most of the houses we walk past are vacation huts.

The usual hustle and bustle of capitalist communism prevails on the campsite. Everyone has the same pitch, everyone has the same sanitary facilities, everyone enjoys the same view of the lake. But some are more equal than others, because everyone “camps” in their own way. We in the simple roof tent. Young people in small ground tents, as long as the wine is flowing. Families in converted vans and pensioners in luxury campers weighing tons. The sunset is accompanied by the shouts of children playing and music from small Bluetooth speakers. There is no universal definition of a vacation.

At first glance, Vienna comes across as a stuffy coffee city. Castles, Sachertorte and pastry shops, dusty monarchies and yawning history lessons – the ideal destination for a coach trip for retired teachers. But after a day at the latest, Vienna certainly presents itself as a modern, sometimes hip, city. A look beyond neo-baroque, Renaissance and Art Nouveau reveals courageous, avant-garde architecture. Small alleyways and backyards offer youth- and subculture. The peripheral and residential districts provide an insight into creative urban planning and experimental spatial concepts. And it soon becomes clear that this is precisely why Vienna is so appealing. It rejects the rushed big city mentality and instead relies on classic coffee houses that exude a yearning coziness.

Vienna’s ensemble of buildings may be impressive in its entirety. However, it is the details and small scenes away from the large squares and imposing halls that tell stories. Greek myths carved in stone in front of the Riding School. The couple in the carriage, which hides its eyes behind large luxury sunglasses and lets its gaze wander in an artificially disinterested manner. The goddess of wisdom in front of the Austrian parliament, to which she turns her back. The American woman at Schönbrunn Palace, who can hardly find words in the face of all this pomp and passion turned to stone. Stones tell what should be. People tell what is. So it is a pleasure to drift from one scene to the next and listen to people’s conversations – Vienna has its very own effect on each of them.

A cluster of people has formed in Kegelgasse. They stick their heads up, sit on the edge of a fountain or stand together in groups to have a chat. The street alongside the house designed by Hundertwasser is full of life. The house itself – a block of flats to be precise – is colorfully painted and makes use of all geometric shapes. Clear lines and edges are barely visible. Small details and the wonderfully green façade and planted roof areas bring together nature, art, humanity and the city. The artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser died on board a cruise ship in the year 2000. The Hundertwasserhaus is also getting on in years. The plaster is crumbling and the colors have turned grey. A dying project?

We drive out to Hietzing, a western district on the outskirts of Vienna. We just have to follow the streams of visitors from the subway to get to Schönbrunn Palace. Access to the grounds of this imperial summer residence is completely free. We take advantage of this and take a leisurely stroll along the long paths of the park.
Everything shines with sophisticated symmetry. The architecture is designed around visual axes. Perspective, panoramas, harmony, reflections and sheer imposingness. Every tree, every flower seems planned and purposefully inserted into the arrangement. From the hill of the Gloriette, we have a wonderful view of western Vienna. The Schlossallee leads towards the horizon, the trees are carefully trimmed so that nothing interrupts this visual axis.

We reach the Prater in the late afternoon. We can see the chain carousel from afar and hear the screams of the speed junkies. The shadows become softer, the light smooth – a photographer’s dream. There are motifs at every corner. Figures and costumes, colors and people, scenes from everyday life, emotions and first dates, cotton candy and children’s dreams. Quickly change the camera battery, then we head for the haunted house. The roller coaster plunges into the depths and a wonderful interplay of light and reflection takes place in the hall of mirrors. The Prater is our personal highlight of our trip to Vienna. It is just as much a world of illusion as the playful buildings of Vienna’s city center or Schönbrunn Palace. Only here, this illusion is condensed into just a few stalls and rides.

Out of the city, past Innsbruck and overnight at a campsite near Zirl. We are surrounded by wooded hills, with steep mountain walls rising up behind us. A storm is brewing in the afternoon. Purple storm clouds move over the rocks. No thunder, no rain. Instead, wind and weather lights. The windows of our roof tent are closed and additional storm ropes are anchored to the ground. The next morning, the sun wakes us up with gentle rays.
We decide to go on a short half-day hike. About ten kilometers through the surrounding villages, packed only with a sleeping baby and camera backpack. The Inn has formed a mighty valley here. Its water flows fast, it is ice-blue. Summer meadows are a delicate green, fields have been harvested.

One night in Frastanz before we leave Austria. At the end of the village is Domino’s Pizza & Kebap – a red corrugated iron building that stands out perfectly against the green-blue mountain landscape. After breakfast, we stroll through the village and along a small country lane. Local residents look at us and greet us grumpily. We stop at the bakery for a “Verlängerten”, then we hit the highway. Next time we’ll come just for the mountains.

Info about our trip

Overview

Budget

Food

Accomodation

Safety

Child-friendliness

Moving around

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