In my last post I did a day trip to Bratislava in Slovakia. This turned out to be a hidden gem which I really enjoyed! If you enjoyed the post or have been to Bratislava let me know what you think? Would you visit again and what would you like to see more of?
In this post, I have come to the end of my journey and it will be my last night and day in Vienna. I’ve had an amazing time so far and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my journey. I make some final friendships and part ways with the people I’ve met at Wombats.
Vienna State Opera
The following day I spent the morning visiting a few other places on my list which included the Vienna State Opera. Now one actual regret that I do have is that I didn’t book a tour or a show screening prior to coming on holiday.
It’s very unlikely you’ll be able to find anything on the day so you should really book in advance. I really do regret this as I have been aware of the Vienna State Opera and how famous/historical it actually is with Beethoven and Mozart, so I really wanted to go inside and see a show. So if you ever plan on going, book in advance. Tickets will be available and they will be cheaper rather than trying to find something on the day. I went back to Strandbad gänsehäufel following this failure to spend the rest of my day there in the lovely weather.
That evening was pretty relaxed. I said goodbye to Katie before I went down to the bar as I wasn’t sure if I was going to see her again before I had to leave tomorrow morning. There was a football game on with the Euro 2024 group stages. I can’t remember who was specifically playing but I think it might have been Austria vs Netherlands.
The bar was really into the game but there was a group of guys who were playing straight pool as doubles and they were playing winner stays on. I was just sitting at the bar for the most part and having a drink. One of the guys asked me if I’d like to play which I absolutely accepted so we all had a game together whilst the football was on. It was quite a relaxing evening. I had earlier gone out to get some dinner at a local eatery. I can’t remember what I ordered but it was enough to keep me going at this point.
After the game of pool, I went back upstairs to reorganise my luggage to get ready to leave in the morning. It didn’t take too long but I just had to make sure everything was organised with my electronics and liquids.
I did see Katie again whilst I was repacking and we had a last conversation where she asked me how my day was. I was a bit sad to be packing and finishing my holiday and I did mention that I was quite sad to be leaving Vienna. Katie replied that I could always come back which is very true and I will. Katie said goodbye again before she left for the evening and I think I saw her once more during the night/early morning when she came back to the room but we never spoke. I’m going to Croatia in the first week of September and I think Katie will be there too coincidentally so she said “I’ll see you there”. Hopefully I do. She was lovely and really sweet.
“I now know why you cry…”
After checking out from the hostel in the morning I had enough time to grab breakfast. I remember on my last trip I got to the airport really early before my flight. On this occasion however, I decided as my flight was late in the morning, I had a couple of hours to get some breakfast and not stress too much about immediately getting to the airport.
I stressed myself out on the bus journey. I had to change to get on another bus in the middle of my journey and I missed the stop so had to walk the way back to get the right bus. This was a bit stressful as it made me worry about missing my flight. But it I guess wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world, I could book another flight or if it came down to it, just stayed another night in Vienna which I really wouldn’t have minded!
Now going through security and the gates for me always seems to take a bit longer. As my bags went through the scanners I had a security guard ask me to open my bags so he could do something like a swab test thing.
I carry my insulin and as this doesn’t count towards your liquids limit, it causes them I think to do additional checks. I was becoming quite short on time but the best thing you can do with security in my experience is not get stressed and be very polite, smile if you can and cooperate patiently. This puts them at ease which actually means you get through it quicker.
I got to my gate just in time. There were only 5 people including myself who were yet to board. I know I said I wanted to enjoy my time before a flight previously but I wouldn’t choose to do this again. I think coming earlier is better and less stressful. The check in clerk and security guard checked my details and strangely asked me further security questions like what I did in Vienna and if I would come back and what I would see next. I would love to go to Thal which is outside Vienna to visit the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum which is actually his old house. I’m a huge fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and I would really love to visit the museum.
The security guard asked where my final destination was, which was the UK so this was my final flight. I talked about being really sad to leave and dreading work tomorrow. This sort of banter and emotion I think gives them more assurance that you’re just a normal traveller. He was happy and said “ah ok I understand” and then returned my passport.
I grabbed the passport and looked at the security guard and replied,
“I’ll…be…back.”
That got the last laugh.