I think what a lot of Europeans don’t appreciate is how close everything is. You can drive two hours from Vienna and be in Hungary, the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Take the train and you’re easily in Germany, Poland, Slovenia, and Italy. I’m from the city of Halifax, which is in the east cost of Canada. The drive to the next big city, Montreal, is 16 hours. We also don’t have high speed trains, so the train takes almost a full day (22 hours). So I’ve made an effort to see as much of the neighbouring countries of Austria as I can while I’m living here, and I’m dedicating the next couple post to encouraging you all to get out and see stuff! It’s so easy!

 

Not to long ago, I took a weekend to myself and went to Budapest, which has been on my travel bucket list for a while. The train ride was only two hours and I found myself an awesome hostel for 11 euros per night. I spent my two days there just walking around and exploring. Budapest is a gorgeous city full of beautiful Art Nouveu buildings (like the Four Seasons Budapest, which you should definitely step into) and deep history. There were tons of flea markets, cute secondhand and vintage shops, and (at the time) Christmas markets. There is also a huge market hall full of food and traditional Hungarian items. Maybe I was lucky with my timing, but I also experienced amazing weather while visiting. There was actually sun! Which was a change of pace from the grey Viennese winter.