There is something to be said of a big fancy four-star hotel: “not the biggest fan”. I can see it’s merits. Sometimes the foreignness of a place can be a bit overwhelming. The Hilton or Marriott would be considered an oasis. The rooms are air-conditioned and appointed with modern amenities. The food in the hotel restaurant probably has some elements of the local cuisine (so you’re not missing out), though maybe a little sanitized for the not-so-intrepid. Without much convincing, you could probably even have the same kind of breakfast you would at home.
Not dismissing the role of hotels. Some people actually look forward to staying someplace luxurious (or at least better than their current living situation). That is their definition of a vacation. Can’t knock that. They might want to know how the other half lives, even if just for a couple of days. I wouldn’t turn my nose up if I won a 5-night Tahitian getaway on The Price Is Right!
We realized from this first European trip that this was not our Modus Operandi though. Cue Peter and Traude, our consummate hosts and key characters in this adventure.
First, a little background. Traude (nickname for “Waltraud”) is the childhood best friend of our Seattle-mom, Heidi. Peter is Traude’s husband and avid tennis player. We were not staying exclusively in Austria on this trip but were actually accompanying Peter on his annual pilgrimage to play tennis, this time to Croatia. I guess I was so excited about a trip to Europe that I completely overlooked this significant detail: we were visiting a former Yugoslavia state that roughly 20 years earlier (1991) was embroiled in a war for independence. In 1991, I was a sophomore in high school learning about the American Revolutionary War. On the other side of the globe, a fellow 15-year-old was living in a war zone. Let that sink in.
Did I mention they are also our travel role models? These two have been all over the world. A wall-mounted map covered in colorful pins and tasteful souvenirs from Africa to Asia to Australia lining their home proves it.
We were fortunate that during our time in Austria, we stayed as guests in their home. Staying with family or at a friend’s place might not seem very interesting but for us it was. It gave us firsthand insight into how other people lived: what they ate for their meals; how they relaxed on weekends or after a long day of work; where they went on a typical day. This longing to understand and experience how similar or different we were from someone living in another part of the world (or even just across the street, for that matter) began on this trip and has helped shape how we travel.
As mentioned in a previous post, refinement pervades this country. It extends even to the homes of ordinary folk. Out in the suburbs, this refinement manifests as orderliness and cleanliness. There is almost a palpable sense of what we call in the States as “keeping up with the Joneses”.
Our home away from home in Wiener Neustadt, a city slightly southwest of Vienna and which literally translates to “Vienna New Town”.
And for those curious minds, this is what a typical Austrian breakfast (fruhstuck) looks like. Maybe a little overboard since there were visitors but basically the same staple items: bread, jam, butter, cold cuts, milk, coffee, cheese, savory spread, and/or fruit juice.
