I hate jet lag.
While I love traveling to new places – I have never really figured out how to cope well with jet lag.
I have read the countless “how-to” columns on how to deal with jet lag – drink lots of water, avoid alcohol on long flights, try and stay up and get your body in the new time zone on your first day. I have done all of these things – and it still sucks adjusting to an 8 or 9 hour time difference.
Before heading to bed on my travel day I went to the restaurant in the hotel that specializes in Austrian food – and had a local beer and a schnitzel that was excellent! The breading on the veal was very light and the boiled potatoes were cooked perfectly.
I went to bed last night at 9 p.m. local time – and then woke up promptly at 3 a.m. local time. Six hours of OK sleep – and there is not exactly a lot to do in a hotel at 3 a.m.
I read my usual on-line newspapers, checked my email (not much thankfully), read some more, went to the hotel work out facility for a peloton work out, showered and headed to breakfast at 6:30 a.m.
After traveling the world I really believe the Europeans know how to do breakfast! There are always lots of fresh baked breads, cheeses, yogurt, etc.. The temptation is to overeat with all of this delicious food – but I stuck with my usual yogurt and cheese breakfast.
The weather in Vienna today is chilly – with a high temperature expected to be in the low-20’s with snow accumulation and ice.
I donned my warm winter coat, gloves, and hat and took off to do a short walking tour of historic Vienna guided along by Rick Steves. In addition to numerous travel guides about just about everywhere in Europe, you can download an app with narrated walking tours of major historical sites in most European cities.
The “Vienna City Walk” started at the historic Opera House and led me through a snowy pedestrian friendly shopping area to St. Stephen’s Cathedral where I embarked on a Rick Steves audio tour of the inside and outside of the cathedral.
It is hard to really capture the majesty of some of these historic buildings with a small camera – especially when it is snowing, your hands are cold, and you are trying to not get hit by snowplows clearing sidewalks and pedestrian walkways.
The inside of the cathedral was magnificent – with many medieval era pieces of art that are extremely well preserved. Interestingly, the pipe organ in the cathedral does not work – and there does not seem to be any plans to refurbish it in the near future.
Overall, it was an excellent first day of touring in snowy and cold Vienna!
Kirk’s Travelogue 