Is it the best way to understand a city by following the guide book and maps?

Until I arrived at the airport, I could believe this was indeed happening and that it was not a dream anymore. It has been three years since my last travelling on holiday, and since then, I have been longing for the day that I could travel again. 

On the flight to my destination, I imagined what would happen on this holiday and recalled my last memory on a flight. Who could imagine the world would have a massive change in such a short period?

After a two-and-a-half-hour flight from the UK, I arrived at my destination, Vienna. I have always wanted to visit Vienna. As the capital city of Austria, voted as one of the safest cities in Europe, which is best for solo travelling, like what I am doing. 

“You must visit Schoenbrunn Palace. It is one of the most impressive landmarks in Vienna,” said my father. Before going on the trip, many people told me the same thing. 

After 20 minute ride on the metro, I arrived at Schoenbrunn station. Once leaving the station, there is a directory showing the direction to Schoenbrunn Palace. Even though it is in German, with groups of people walking in the same direction, I knew I didn’t have to worry. 

After visiting some other palaces in Europe, my impression of the Palace would be magnificent architecture with detailed sculptures on the outside and standing guards at the main gate. 

However, the Palace in front of me has nothing that fits my imagination. After passing through the gate, there are two small fountains on both sides and behind them is a three stories architecture decorated in white and yellow colour tone with sculptures at the top. 

Though it is a bit different from what I expected to see in my first insight, the Palace has created an impression of warm-hearted and understated luxury that it was just a home for the royal family in the past. 

“Welcome to the Schoenbrunn Palace. It is used to be a summer palace for the royal family. You will now enter the guard room,” said the voice from my audio guide. “From the guard room, you would begin the journey of the royal family’s life throughout history.”

The whole Palace has more than 40 rooms, from the bedrooms and multifunctional rooms to the stateroom within the apartment. In an hour and a half, with the audio guide, I did not only understand King Franz Joseph and his family, as well as all the ups and downs that they faced. 

After the tour, I followed the path to the back of the Palace into a vast garden, The Privy Garden, with a slight slope at the end. Standing in the middle of the Garden and looking back at the Palace, it felt surreal and reflected how weak the human being is.  

Even though the monarchy was so powerful and wealthy, with a superior status at that time, spending years constructing the Palace. After a few centuries, the only physical thing left behind is the Palace which became an attraction open to everyone. In comparison, their names and works became the content of history books and brochures. 

Once I reached the top of the Privy Garden, I immediately took out my camera even though I would like to catch my breath because I didn’t want to miss out on the beautiful view in front of me. At the top of the Garden, I could enjoy not only the view of the entire Palace but also the view of Vienna.

“Did your ticket include the entrance to Gloriette terrace? It is a completely different picture viewing up there,” said a visitor walking passed me. 

When I reached the terrace of Gloriette, I could immediately understand why the visitor was so excited and strongly recommended I go up there. The terrace provides a fantastic panoramic view of Vienna far beyond the other end of Vienna. 

With everything becoming very tiny and looking at buses and trams moving in a disciplined way across the city, individuals focus on their own pace. In contrast to that busy street, standing on the terrace without other visitors, I felt like an outsider in a parallel world, enjoying quietness as every second of the time passed. 

Despite there being restaurants around the Palace area, I decided to explore a more local side of the city for lunch. Leaving the metro station, I was attracted to the direction where the food’s strong armor and the people’s chattering voice were. 

After a few minutes walk, I was standing in front of a vast market, Naschmarkt, and I knew I was in the right place. It comprises individual market stands and is categorised into three primary columns based on their businesses. 

“Do you want to try it?” The boss of a snack stand handing me some nuts said. “Wie fühlt es sich an?Mag ich?” 

“Sorry, I don’t understand German.”

After a few seconds, the boss said with a warm smile, “Umm….Good?”

Apart from market stands selling snacks, there are restaurants in the market. There are lots of restaurants that serve a wide range of cuisine.

At a restaurant with the tables set outside, the waiter said, “Do you want to sit under the sunshine or the shade? I can give you the best table.”

Though it is a weekday afternoon, looking at the people around me drinking beers, chattering with friends in suits, and tourists looking for their way. The weekend was already here, and I understood why there was a saying that every day could be a holiday.

“Welcome to Vienna. Is this traditional Viennese food taste good?” It is the third time I have been asked during my lunch by the people who passed by. 

We might not know each other and probably will meet once in our life; there was an invisible bonding created between the local people and me. 

After lunch, I headed to the city centre. I have researched some famous attractions that I must have visited in Vienna, and according to Google map, there are all splattered in different parts of the city. 

Indeed, I decided to rely on something other than Google Maps to navigate my way. I wanted to take advantage of every tiny bit of the city by focusing too much on my phone.

Compared to other European cities such as Barcelona, which created an impressive image of their architecture built by well-known architects, there isn’t a significant architecture in the city centre. It gives me a more home-feeling city that does not need any unique elements to gain your attention. 

One of the most well-known architecture in the city centre is the Vienna State Opera House. Despite I am not a fan of classical and opera music, looking at the groups of the audience dressed up in a decent dress code with high expectation walk into the opera house. I knew the performance must have some unexplainable attractiveness and superior representation to them. 

Initially, I had planned that after visiting the State opera house, I would return to my hotel and have dinner as it started to glow dark. On my way to the metro station, I was attracted to the statue on a terrace platform behind the State Opera House. 

It is a museum, and the statue is a remembrance of King Franz Joseph. Though the museum had closed when I arrived there, the detailed design and elements featured in the architecture attracted me to follow the path around the architecture and capture every detail of it. 

The glamour of the beautiful sunset illuminated by the architecture gave me a different picture when every second passed, and it felt like a magical moment that time had frozen. When I gathered myself back from this impressive view, I was walking on a path towards a park next to the museum and leading in an unknown direction. 

Without many directories to show direction, there were a lot of uncertainties and worries because I didn’t know where it would end up. 

“Should I turn my back and go back to the hotel? Should I continue to explore what is ahead of me?” There were a couple of times this question appeared in my head. However, my legs kept going forward and encouraged me to explore those architectures. I knew that I would feel regret if I did not explore the history and story behind those places and architecture.

At the hotel, I reviewed the photos taken during the exploration and looked up where I had been in the evening. Many of those places were off my initial plan because they didn’t interest me when researching. 

After visiting these places unexpectedly, I kept asking myself if I had planned my day and scheduled all the visits of that day, would I still be able to see these magical and fantastic sceneries or understand the story behind these places?

The answer is no, and I am glad that I didn’t plan my journey thoroughly ahead. If I had planned all the places, I must visit that day. I would focus on finding the way to each spot on my list and ignore the details around me. Also, is that really what I want to limit myself on this holiday?