“Hey”

“Yea?”

“…Wie konntest du mir das antun?”

“…was hab’ ich gemacht?”

“Du hast mich dazu gebracht dich zu lieben, obwohl du wusstest dass ich mit dem nächsten Sonnenaufgang gehen muss.”

In German, everything has its gender. And “city” is a lady.

Above was what I asked her – the lovely lady living by the Danube. We were sitting on an old tram, running across Franz-Josefs-Kai. The day was almost finished – marking the last hours for us being together.

Her name is Wien, or Vienna in English.

A corner of Wien

I love Wien, since the first hours we met.

It was almost 9pm. I just arrived more than two hours ago. A mild metro took me from Schlachthausgasse station to the heart of the city – the St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

My first impression was like, how can this be?

Even though being the heart of Europe, the capital of Austria refused to be another tourist center. Everything is calm and relaxing. I have been living in Finland for a while, and this atmosphere somehow brought me back to the inner peace I always have, while at home in Lappeenranta.

St. Stephen’ Cathedral – the ever “under-construction” complex

I love Wien, for being the perfect one I was looking for.

I like Germany for its language, culture, food.

I like Finland for its silence and kindness.

And I love Wien, because it has both factors above.

And the sun of course. The best sunny days I’ve ever had.

In Wien, streetlights signal LOVE in all shapes

I love Wien because I’m a student.

This city is open-minded. Lots of museums, galleries, exhibition, libraries, opera shows…all support to enrich one’s mind.

Everywhere has student discounts, even free-entrances. Eduroam (student Internet) works at all institutions. Lots of parks and open places for study and relax.

Deeping into Wien, I felt more and more in love with who I am at the moment – an Uni student.

Dawn on the rooftop of Wien Uni

I love Wien because she is nostalgic.

For some people, what had happened is like dust – they would whoop it away. For Wien, she holds her past in the best places, and keep it shine brightly. She has a abnormal passion toward that.

Having a walking tour around Wien in 2019, you will see what people have seen for generations; most significant is the legacy of the Habsburg family – “The most powerful royal family in Europe”
St. Stephen’s, or many other Wienese old building were made of sand stone. Glorious and convenient, but very easy to get dusty. That is why they are always under renovation – for centuries
Opera serves as the cultural highlight of Europe. And in nowhere else will opera be appreciated as much as in Wien. Here, you can attend different performances every day
And, do you know this is where Mozart used to hang out? Wien still has within itself some of the living historical sites, dating back to the Medieval time and even prior
Have you ever been astonished by a library, which is the home of priceless academic masterpieces, arts, and medical? Come to Wien

I love Wien for the personalities she has.

Grumpy but classy and respectful.

Proud and wise.

Polite, friendly, and have good taste of everything.

And most importantly, she has empathy, and is capable of knowing what I have in my mind.

Everything is just so familiar, when in Wien

And last but not least, I love Wien because of the Prater. And this part will be written in German.

Wenn ich Deutsch lernen beginnte (seit 2015), da gibt es diese Fragen:

“Was kann mann in Berlin besuchen?” – “Der Brandenburger Tor”

“Schön. Und was kann mann in Paris besuchen?” – “Die Eiffelturm”

“Super. Und Wien?”

Die Anwort war, der Prater.

Eine kleine Erinnerung, aber es hat meinen Wunschtraum geworden, dass ich der Prater sehen und spielen kann.

Der Vergnügungspark (vom Prater genommen)

So, if you want to fall in love with a city, go to Wien – it will surely worth it.

(To be continued)

Khanh Tr.