train – By Sarah

AKA Travel Day from Prague to Vienna

Waking up to blankets of snow covering the ground after a hefty dump overnight was like stepping into a winter postcard. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to Prague, as I prepared to leave behind the cosy warmth of Hotel Adler and the comfort of their famous banquet… I mean, buffet breakfast. There was something special about that last morning meal, an indulgence I’d miss. And as promised, I remembered to take my camera and can share this experience with you…

Heading to Vienna, we hopped aboard a very comfortable České Dráhy train. From the moment we began the ride, I was enchanted by the journey. We passed through snowy fields, the scenery dotted with quaint villages that felt like something out of a dream. The silence and purity of the landscape had a magic all its own.

After a smooth and easy connection at Breclav we soon found ourselves at Wien Hauptbahnhof. And for me, this isn’t just any city; this is the country of my father’s birth, and I was eager to dive into its history and culture.

After checking in, we kicked off our exploration with a wander down The Kohlmarkt (English: Cabbage Market) which is one of the most famous streets in the centre of Vienna. It stretches from Michaelerplatz to the Graben and is considered Vienna’s luxury shopping street due to a high density of jewelers and branches of international fashion labels. Needless to say, it was purely window shopping!

We then meandered the area around St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansplatz), before a pre-dinner drink at Lugeck Bar.

There, I sampled my very first Austrian beer – which I found to be refreshing and crisp, and a perfect introduction to the country’s storied brewing tradition.

On the way to dinner, I passed a statue that had been intentionally defaced. At first glance, it looked like a random act of vandalism, but the more I looked, the more I realised it had been left this way for a long time… and on purpose. Naturally, I had to find out more.

The monument in question was that lof Karl Lueger, a figure whose legacy remains controversial. Lueger founded the Christian Social Party and served as Vienna’s mayor from 1897 to 1910, but his legacy is tainted by his vocal antisemitism. Adolf Hitler, no less, considered Lueger one of the “greatest leaders.” In June 2020, the word “Schande” (shame) was sprayed on the pedestal of his monument, and although the city scrubbed it off, the word reappeared again and again, in different colours: creating a sort of ongoing protest. Over time, the monument has transformed into a palimpsest (a term I had to look up myself) which means an object worked on for one purpose and later reused for another.

Being a Sunday (very much observed as a “rest day” in Europe) there wasn’t much open. But we randomly found a pretty darn good local sports bar, and I had the hotdog with the local specialty sausage, Käsekrainer (cheese sausage) and an excellent glass (or two) of some local Wien Merlot.