After a weekend in Vienna, tonight I end my first chapter of my journey. I begin the second chapter of The Guylas Road, my journey through Hungary. I am meeting the other cyclists in my tour group for dinner tonight and orientation on the ride.
I must say that Austria is a beautiful country. Over three days, I got to experience a small slice of this country. The highlight of the weekend was definitely my bike ride into the Wachau Valley. Many people judge bike rides by the mileage. This was not the case with this ride. It was only 15 miles, but these miles were packed with the beauty of this valley and many good times. I will remember this bike ride and the experiences from that day. 

The city of Vienna is a spectacularly beautiful place. It is extremely clean. The people are extremely friendly. It is definitely a foodie’s paradise. The people are very proud of the fact it is often number 1, 2 or 3 as the most livable cities in the world. If I were to give highlights of the city, here are my top three things that I like the most about Vienna.

1. The architecture and preservation of historic buildings. Many palaces from years past, by that I mean 200-400 years, have been preserved. Many are now hotels. Some are museums and some are commercial spaces. 
2. The cleanliness of the city is amazing. I believe this is ingrained in the Austrian people. Streets are clean and public spaces are extremely clean. I felt safe whether I was walking the street from the subway station to my hotel during the evening or in an early morning walk through the neighborhood. Even downtown felt extremely safe. I saw this level of cleanliness in my hotel.
3. The Viennese culture is a good culture to live a life by. Dinner is an experience to share with friends. People are not hurried in any public space. Coffee is an experience. People sit endless hours and coffee shops talking, reading, and enjoying their coffee. There is just an overall feeling that life does not to be need to be so hurried. That is even the case on a subway car or on a bus. This is rare for this crowded large metropolitan city.

Tomorrow, my posts will take a different turn. I will be on my bike and very quickly entering Hungary. On Monday, our group will cycle about 28 miles and finish the day in Sopron, Hungary. I look forward to a much more rural and serene view. I suspect these early miles will resemble my trip into the Wahau Valley yesterday. 

Tom and Hungary