[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.

[travel] What is there in Cologne?

Apart from this?

After a stressful flight from Rome to Amsterdam, I got back to my room in Utrecht at 11:30pm on 17 January 2014. I rushed to do laundry, check emails, and do some very very last minute packing for yet another adventure the next day. Yes, I have to get up at 5am to catch my 6am train for Cologne. Guys, this is seriously strenuous alright. After 1 week of non-stop sightseeing in Italy, a flight + train ride + biking back, a few hours of doing laundry and waiting for my clothes to dry, I have 3 hours of sleep before getting back to the road.

Given my fragile state on that day, it is no surprise that I did not enjoy Cologne very much.