The Art of Getting Lost and Being Alone

A Plan-less Itinerary

This weekend I decided to take a solo trip to Vienna, Austria. This was the first I’ve travelled during the semester outside of trips coordinated by CIEE and my first trip completely alone.

I bought bus tickets at 2 a.m. two days before I was set to leave and accommodations later that same day.

I chose to book an AirBNB based on several of my friends’ positive experiences with it. I did my research to find a private room in an apartment with a reputable host not far from the inner city. I communicated with my host before making my reservation, as I recommend to all considering AirBNB.

There was nothing on my to-do list for this trip. Even when I was waking up in Vienna, I didn’t have a plan. It was unlike anything I’d done before, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had.

One of the first places I found - a park by the Habsburg Palace

Being Lost and Alone (and Incredibly Happy)

The best part of traveling solo? There were no expectations. I put no pressure on myself. Instead of focusing on experiencing everything I could fit in, I focused on taking my time and relaxing, because that’s what I wanted out of the trip.

B Vocal - a pop-comedy a cappella group, one of many a cappella groups performing Friday on balconies to start a month-long festival. I heard them sing "The Circle of Life" in German and a 60-second version of "Les Misérables."

A street made for window-shopping

The first day, I slept in as late as I could and only walked around for a few hours before going back to the apartment to Skype with friends from home and watch Netflix until I went to bed. It gave me a taste of the city, so I wanted to get an earlier start to explore on Saturday.

But you can’t always get what you want and I left the apartment shortly before 11 a.m. That morning I went on the hunt for a specific café, got very lost, and ended up at a different café. There I met an older couple from New Jersey who were in Europe for vacation and who thought I was Viennese until I started talking to them (so I must have been doing something right).

I actually don’t know any German at all and I even found myself missing the Hungarian language. Most times I heard English speakers in Vienna, they were searching (in vain) for signs in English so they could figure out where they were. I was no help, seeing as I also didn’t know where I was at the time.

Austrian Parliament - I missed this building completely the first time I passed it.

Once I ate, I walked around for hours, going wherever I thought looked pretty. I let myself get lost until I couldn’t anymore. After a while, I found that I’d turn a new or unfamiliar corner and suddenly know exactly where I was and another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

I found the Sisi Museum and walked through the Imperial Apartments, home of Empress Elisabeth (aka “Sisi”) and Franz Joseph I of the Habsburg Empire. The apartments shed light on the life and assassination of the empress. Pictures were restricted but I got a couple small souvenirs from the (moderately overpriced) gift shop.

Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments

Habsburg Palace

The weather was uncharacteristically warm for November and I got outdoor seating at a busy café to enjoy apple strudel and mélange (coffee with milk typical for Vienna). For dinner I found an Italian restaurant on one of the many simple side streets (I simply can’t resist the possibility of a good Italian meal - and it was good!).

Mélange and apple strudel from Aida

I let myself get distracted on the way back to the apartment and followed the light and noise from a small shopping corridor. There I found Xocolat, a chocolate store where I spent way too much money on treats for family and myself. Okay - mostly myself.

My final day was wrapped up with sunshine and temps in the mid-60s (Fahrenheit). I went to a café around the corner from the too-busy café I originally had my sights set on. It had a limited and mostly elderly crowd but it felt homey and the waitress was one of the kindest I encountered in Vienna. I even ran into the couple from New Jersey there that I had met the previous morning!

Vienna may be a big city – the Imperial City –, but it’s in a small world, the perfect size to lose and find yourself again. Still, coming home, even to a temporary home, with familiar terrain and language (yes, even Hungarian is more comforting to me than German now) will never get old!

Back of Habsburg Palace on Sunday