Gonzo Girl

Many years ago my good friend, Jeri, and I traveled to Italy on an unforgettable adventure. With Rick Steves’, “Europe Through the Back Door”, as our bible, we used a eurail train pass to get from town to town, covering way too much ground in just a few weeks. We saw countless cathedrals, palaces and Roman ruins. It was exciting and overwhelming. At one point, we were walking over the Bridge of Sighs in Venice and both of us were exclaiming – no, gushing over the beauty of the architecture, the art, the city itself. It was like nothing either of us had ever seen. As we were carrying on, probably while taking a thousand pictures, some Italian guy leaned over to us and said, “Oh my god. You Americans. You cannot process all that you see. So many of you end up in our hospitals because you are overcome by the beauty of the art and architecture. It is too much!” 

His comment was both annoying and hilarious. Accurate statements usually are.  

Thirty-two years later, our ride into Vienna was a bit of a grind. Having completed over 200 miles, we were all really tired and looking forward to a rest day. So our super boring hotel on the outskirts of the city was perfect. Eat, laundry and sleep were our priorities. Sightseeing would wait until the morning.

Sean figured out how to use the UBahn subway. So easy and inexpensive. Walk five minutes, go down a big escalator, get on a train, travel 8 minutes, get off, go up an escalator, and…

St Stephen’s Cathedral towering above an incredible town square.

Omg! Call the ambulance!

We were immediately overwhelmed and didn’t have any idea what to do. So we started walking. Every turn revealed something amazing. Mozart’s House, the Vienna State Opera, the Hapsburg Palace.

Feeling a little woozy, it was time to sit and have a coffee. 

It was good to sit and just watch.  For well over an hour. Taking it all in.

But, we had an entry appointment at Schönbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. So back to the U Bahn for another easy 10 minute ride. 

A little bit like Versailles, Schönbrunn is a huge complex of various buildings and gardens. You could easily spend two full days exploring all of it. 

We had a few hours. 

So, getting a little dizzy, we found a place in the shade to try to absorb it all, which involved mostly staring at the grand entry. 

Once mentally prepped, we went inside and were immediately engulfed by opulence that was indescribable. No words. So much history that shaped the entire continent. I mean Mozart played his first concert here at age 6. Marie Antoinette spent her childhood here. When Napoleon captured Vienna, he took rooms here. Plus all the kings and queens and all their shenanigans. 

And then we were topped out. 

Too much history. 

Too much beauty. 

So we had dinner, came back to our boring hotel on the outskirts of town and went to bed.  

With another few hundred miles to go on our cycling journey, we needed to rest. 

I mean, we couldn’t risk a trip to the hospital.