[travel] Highlights from Vienna

I have so many fantasies about Vienna, or may I call it, Wien. Listening to The Blue Danube played by Vienna Philharmonic every New Year’s Eve has become a ritual. In my heart, Wien is all about the classical, classic, and classy; Wien for me is elegant, resplendent, and dignified. Wien for me is Lacrimosa’s Nachtschatten–calm, imposing, and beautiful..

Und so treffe ich Dich in Cannes
Und vielleicht auch schon in Rom
Vielleicht bin ich der Mann
Der Dich anruft wenn Du einsam bist
Im Grandhotel in Wien

I had so many expectations before coming to Wien that somehow the whole trip, in the end, felt flat. I am so sorry to say this. I wanted to love Wien so badly, but it turned out that for me, Wien was fine and nice, but hardly left on me a lasting impression.

[travel] Best & cheapest way to travel from Amsterdam to Vienna

Before coming to Vienna, I had always been dreaming about that city. It holds a special place in my heart (and I won’t tell why). Let’s just say that of all the European cities, Vienna was always on the top of my to-visit list.
Yet it took me quite some time after I arrived in Europe to actually visit Vienna. The obstacle is, of course, money.

I had always thought that getting from Amsterdam to Vienna should be a breeze. I mean, it is just Germany between us, right? Right… just like Vietnam is close to Afghanistan–only China in between, or that Korea can be a neighbor with Finland had it not been for Russia.
Yes, you got my points: 1/ Germany is BIG and 2/ Getting from Amsterdam to Vienna is not the easiest thing to figure out when you are in tight budget, because believe it or not, there is no cheap airline that flies you from the Netherlands to Vienna.