Austria Vienna

I went to Austria few days ago (May 2010). It is a beautiful European Union member country in Central Eastern Europe bordering 8 countries. Its official language is German and currency is Euro. Living standards are very high that can easily be compared to Western Europe.

Total population is about 8.2 million, out of which 2.2 million (27%) lives in Vienna, their capital city. About 75% people are Catholic, 4.7% Protestants & 4.2% are Muslims (many from Turkey).

My flight was late in the evening. All hotels in Vienna were fully booked so I was staying in the company hostel. I enquired about directions to the address at airport and took train to city centre followed by metro. As I came out of the final station and looked for the place, I made the shocking discovery that I was at the wrong place. Oh no, it was cold, dark and raining, and I had my luggage in my hands. Luckily there was a taxi nearby which I hired straight away.

It was 10 pm when I turned up at the apartment I was supposed to stay, only to find out that no one was in the apartment, it was all locked. I got a bit worried; thought may be I am on a wrong address, again. I wandered around in the streets for half an hour, had doner kebab dinner at a kiosk, & asked around for the address.

The address was correct so I returned to the apartment again, only to find it empty, again. I was more than worried now. As I was leaving the building I saw few people entering the building, just coming back from a local pub after merry making (I could smell). Thanks God I whispered to myself. However I was told I am now booked in a hotel nearby. Another taxi ride and I was in my hotel, just after 11 pm. Luckily the hotel was excellent, ciao.

Vienna is a beautiful historical city. It is locally called Wien. River Danube runs through it making it more attractive. I enjoyed watching its historical buildings, mostly gathered in a small city centre area.

Austria has abundance of natural beauty amid lakes, mountains & parks. It has about 50% area covered with forests. Economy is based on agriculture, industry, minerals, timber & tourism (being the largest).

Economic situation is not good now days. Low income and high living cost is a big issue for general public. Aging population and huge pension expenditure brings huge deficit to the budget, a common problem in nearly all European countries.