In Vienna, I was twice. For the first time in the high school excursion six years ago, the second time in April this year. My impressions then and now are very similar.
Vienna is a city on the Danube. The cities through which the Danube flows are on the one hand very similar, and on the other, unique in their own way. I was in several cities through which the Danube flows. Some of them are: Budapest, Bratislava, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Vienna.
Before visiting Vienna, I expected that I would feel like a foreigner there. However, I made a mistake. Let me tell you a few stories that made me feel at home.
When I arrived in Vienna, I stopped in the bakery to buy a croissant for breakfast. Croissant is invented in Vienna in 1683. Then there was the siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Empire. Then the bakers made a croissant in the shape of a crescent in memory of this event. As you know, the German language is spoken in Vienna. I do not even know the word in German, so I decided to use English as the language of communication with people there. I started communicating in English with a baker seller. At one point I asked on Serbian a friend who was with me what she wants to eat. Then the baker seller shouted on Serbian: "Speak in Serbian, that the whole world understands you!". I was surprised and, of course, our communication continued in Serbian.
A similar story happened to us at the supermarket. When the worker heard us talking in the Serbian language, she asked us where we are from and whether we are in Vienna as tourists or we live there.
I knew that many people from the former Yugoslavia live in Austria, but I did not expect to meet them on every corner. When you walk through the city, languages from the former Yugoslavia are heard on all sides, so you feel like you are in your own country. Vienna is a popular tourist destination for people from the Balkans, so among these people there were a lot of tourists probably.
Vienna is a really beautiful city. It will conquer you with its architecture, kind people ready to help strangers at any time, beautiful squares and streets, etc. I would recommend to all people to visit Vienna if they have a chance. You wont regret.
All photos are mine, photographed with an iPhone 7 Plus.
I hope you enjoyed.