Day two: Tuesday, May 15
Despite the rain, today was a fantastic day in Vienna. I was able to see beautiful cathedrals, as well as tour the downtown areas of Vienna, expanding my knowledge of the city. After becoming more familiar with our surroundings with the help of Maria from AAIE, we were led to Naschmarkt, which was quite the experience. Naschmarkt was an open air market consisting of hundreds of various vendors selling food and other goods. Things such as falafels, doner kebab, macaroons, dried and fresh fruits, vendors selling beers and wines, and various small restaurants, among dozens of others. The market was a giant melting pot of cultures that was loaded with innumerable delicious smells.
During my explorations of Vienna, I noticed differences such as types of automobiles, courtesy of locals, and personal space norms in the trains. Generally, those with automobiles in Vienna own more expensive (at least by U.S. standards) models. Most commonly, cars were either BMW, Audi, and Mercedes. There were much fewer less costly makes/models, indicating that those who drive are generally wealthier. Also, vehicles such as pickup trucks and SUVs were absent, while in the U.S. they are seen very commonly. Locals generally are not as courteous about bumping into others, or moving out of the way of one another as they typically are in the U.S. While personal space in trains was smaller than it is in the U.S., this might not be due to differences in cultural norms, but simply because of limited physical space in the train. Another difference I observed was the push toward conservation of resources such as water and electricity. Air conditioning is not used, and when water is given/used, it is generally in small amounts or for short duration. A similarity I observed was pushy vendors in the Naschmarkt, as is typical in U.S. mall kiosks, for example. Also, pedestrian laws seemed to be the same in the dozens of times I had to cross streets.
My general impressions of Vienna are very positive. The city is very clean, with beautiful architecture, friendly people, and delicious food. People are often very willing to help, as I found out after accidentally becoming lost. One individual pointed out that we were traveling the wrong direction on the bus, and another led us back to our neighborhood from the bus stop.
The train system in Vienna is very precise, and very smooth. Trains are exactly on time, seemingly problem-free, and very clean. Having a train system like that of Vienna's provides a great resource for locals and tourists alike. Mapped routes of the various trains makes navigation of Vienna simple. The trains allow for a lesser cost of living, while reducing amount of traffic due to automobiles.