Vienna – Day 1: A Fateful Reunion
Vienna
Day 1: A Fateful Reunion
March 15, 2024
I arrived in Vienna late the day before. Exhausted and dishevelled after a day of touring around, I found myself on a train – barely able to contain my excitement.
Finally, after one long year, I’d be seeing Amelia. A train ride and a metro later, and there she was. I could hardly recognise her, dressed as she was in her city-life attire. The Amelia I knew was always wearing either a bikini or her divemaster trainee T-shirt. Meanwhile, I was always bare-chested, wearing nothing but swimming trunks. Seeing her there, under a different light – both physically and metaphorically – was almost bittersweet. Long gone were the days we spent in Utila, but at the same time, we were both here, living completely different lives in different countries, like grown-ups.
With the tightest and warmest embrace imaginable, I held her in my arms for longer than most would deem appropriate. I just couldn’t believe that we were together again. Amelia. My forever dive buddy, my little sister, my Dirty Little Elf. Man, I had missed her.
We walked back to her apartment. She gave me a tour and introduced me to her flatmate, an Austrian guy named Andreas. Then she showed me to the room, where she had prepared an extra bed for me to sleep in. We’d be sharing a room again – this one much fancier than the one we had shared back at Underwater Vision.
After catching up a bit – not that we needed to, since we had stayed in good contact throughout – we got ready for bed and spent a few hours watching The Empress, this incredible show on Netflix about the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sisi, whom I’d learn more about during my stay in Vienna. It was like a good old teenage sleepover with your bestie.
The Habsburg Shadow
Waking up close to Amelia seemed surreal. We had spent the better part of three months sharing dorms and having incredible adventures, and now we were back at it.
Of course, our day wouldn’t quite involve any diving or climbing volcanoes, but having a local showing me around the city she lived in seemed like a good compromise. We had breakfast at hers, her lady-of-the-house hospitality something I wasn’t accustomed to. Then, after she made sure I was fine and ready to go, we donned our finest apparel and headed out.
Our first stop would be one of Vienna’s – and Austria’s, for that matter – most touristic attractions: Schönbrunn Palace. Needless to say, I can’t talk about the palace without going back to Austria’s imperial history.
Austria’s history is deeply tied to the Habsburg dynasty, which ruled over Austrian lands and much of Central Europe for centuries. Starting with Rudolf I in the 13th century, the Habsburgs expanded their influence through war, diplomacy and, most famously, strategic marriages. Under their reign, Austria became a cultural and political powerhouse, with figures like Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife, the iconic Empress Elisabeth – known as Sisi – leaving a lasting legacy of grandeur, art and architecture. The Austro-Hungarian Empire itself lasted from 1867 until 1918, after which Austria became a republic, endured annexation by Nazi Germany and eventually regained full independence in 1955. Today, the country’s rich heritage, imperial palaces and traditions still reflect the imprint of its Habsburg past.
Schönbrunn Palace
Back to Schönbrunn Palace. Considered one of Austria’s crown jewels, the impressive building is a sprawling Baroque palace in Vienna that began as a hunting lodge before being transformed into the imperial summer residence of the Habsburgs. Over time, it became one of the great stages of imperial life. Franz Joseph I was born there, spent much of his life there and died there in 1916.
The palace contains 1,441 rooms, with lavish interiors shaped largely by Rococo taste – with Sisi’s apartments being one of the palace’s major points of interest. Amongst the few we got to visit were the Great Gallery, with its glittering chandeliers and frescoed ceilings; the Mirror Room, where Mozart is said to have performed as a child prodigy; and the imperial apartments associated with Franz Joseph and Sisi.
If that’s not enough, the palace and gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with symmetrical flowerbeds, fountains and perfectly trimmed hedges in true Baroque fashion. The Gloriette, a grand hilltop structure behind the palace, now includes a café and offers one of the best panoramic views of Vienna.
As we went around, it felt like I was back in Versailles, Paris – with the grandeur, gold and gardens of Schönbrunn rivalling it, if not eclipsing it.
Out-Touristed in Vienna
After our visit to the palace, Amelia took me on a whirlwind tour around the city. She showed me the main highlights and, with both of us feeling a bit out-touristed, we just enjoyed everything from the outside.
We spent the afternoon wandering around – from the impressive St Stephen’s Cathedral to the Hofburg Palace, exploring all the roads, squares and alleys in between – not knowing much about anything, nor wanting to after the exhaustive tour of Schönbrunn. Instead, we just walked and talked.
For lunch, we went to Naschmarkt, a market full of food stalls where we could gossip and chat over Aperol Spritzes. For dinner, we went to a fancy restaurant where we could gossip and chat over red wine and an infinite amount of sushi. It was so, so good to be in her company once again.