The very first day that I arrived in the city of Vienna was definitely an interesting experience. It was the third day of a journey that would take me across three continents, through 19 countries in 80-days. But at this early point in the trip what happened, I went and got myself lost.
Now by saying that I got myself lost, I was still in the city of Vienna. I was not in some far off remote wilderness miles from anywhere. But I did not know how to get from where I was to where I needed to be. I had decided to walk to my hotel from the train station. In an attempt to avoid the need to decipher the ticket machine for the subway. But not having collected a map at the airport and finding none available in the train station, I tried to go from memory. That did not work out so well and eventually walked into a hotel and asked for help.
Danube Canal
It was on that first day not long after leaving the train station that I cross the Danube Canal. Having studied the map of Vienna before leaving home to presumably know my way to the hotel I think all was well. It seemed to be in the general region I expected, but soon enough I knew I was not in the right spot. I came across a park that was much bigger than I remembered on the map.
But alas that story is better left for another time. Everything ended well with me finding my way to the hotel. But I did not find myself at the Danube Canal again until the morning of my second last day in Vienna. The weekly pass that I had purchased after getting lost for the subway had run out. I decided instead of bypassing everything in between I would walk into the centre of town.
Ironically that walk is the same walk, in reverse, I should have taken on the day that I arrived. The bridge in this photo is the bridge that I should have walked across the canal. But these are the lessons that we learn when we travel. Especially the ones that relate to the idea of never relying on your memory to get around a city. No matter how good your memory might be.
