Some of you may know that Vienna and Melbourne have had a healthy competition for “the most livable city in the world” for a few years now. After holding tight to our ranking, last year Melbourne was pushed down to second place, which made me even more curious to see what the Austrian capital had to offer.
Sorry Melbourne, I have betrayed you. Vienna has stolen my heart in 3 short days. The practical everyday things like the atm that lets you choose the exact change you want your cash withdrawal in, the pedestrian traffic lights with a couple holding hands (2 boys, 2 girls or 1 boy and 1 girl- it’s insanely cute!), the free WiFi in the train station, and the amazing public transport system; are all reasons to live in this welcoming city.
If I pair that with the less mundane and more touristy things to appreciate about Vienna like the delicious sacher tort (Vienna is the birthplace of this apricot jam chocolate cake concoction btw), the breathtaking palace, and the ridiculously beautiful architecture in the city Centre- Vienna wins.
My favorite experience in Vienna was when we went in search of a tiny deli in the local market, which was recommended by the late and great Anthony Bourdain. After some time trying to locate this literal hole in the wall, we found the 2 square feet deli that will put together a meat and cheese board for you and suggest a nice wine pairing, making it a popular local hangout. There were heaps of people hanging out there after work, and the energy and conversation of the “happy hour” in this minuscule butcher/bar/hidden gem was amazing.
We ended up spending 4 hours in this shop, drinking five glasses of wine and eating copious amounts of the best roast beef I have ever had in my life. This roast beef is so good that two documentary filmmakers from Berlin squeezed into the deli with their camera to interview the owner and his sons. We chatted with all the locals (who were probably wondering how two small brown tourist could eat and drink so much!) and bought wine and bought too many snacks from the neighboring stalls afterwards (oops)!
Another one of my favorite things about Vienna (I could go on!) is the small open sandwiches that they seem to favor. We visited a bar called the black camel, which was an odd mix of a restaurant, sandwich and cocktail bar.
I have to admit I felt very much at home in Vienna, thanks to the large hipster culture (beards, fancy avocado twists and vegan options are everywhere!). As we checked in our bags at the main train station (Melbourne doesn’t even have a train to the airport much less a check in option with a lounge!) , I am hopefully that I will return to Vienna at some point in my life. 
kkpills 