During my ten days in Vienna, I’ve formed some impressions. Because I’m a tourist doing tourist things, my observations are superficial and anecdotal, but that’s ok. The big surprise: Vienna is multi-cultural, youthful, and very cool.

The People. The Viennese seem to have a reputation for being a little snobby. Vienna is not Mexico, where people on the street say buenos dias and lunge in your direction if they sense you’re going to trip on the cobblestones. But I’ve found people in Vienna are friendly and engaging. Except in the richest neighborhoods, the city center is full young people who are more open than their elders. If it’s Austrians who seems snobby, the city is no longer very Austrian. More than a 40% of its residents were not born in Austria or are otherwise foreign nationals, mostly from the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe. A few other things — no one seems to be in a big hurry. Everyone is thin. The cars are nice. Surprisingly, a lot of Viennese people smoke and almost everyone speaks English.

The Food. Most traditional Austrian food is bland and not very healthy. Schnitzel is a slab of meat breaded and boiled in oil. Hyper-sweet pastries. Sausages. White bread. Potatoes. (The wine is good!) But Vienna is multi-cultural and youthful, so Vienna is full of all kinds of not-Austrian food. Within a few blocks of my hotel, the restaurants are Filipino, Japanese, Lebanese, Indian, Thai, and Syrian, as well as Austrian. There is also a lot of vegan. In fact, Viennese restaurants seem to have skipped right over vegetarian. The choice isn’t between meat and no meat. It’s between animal products and no animal products. .

The City. The historic center of the city is elegant and not very old. Most of it was built by the Hapsburgs in the 19th century but it looks older than that on purpose, because the Hapsburgs liked baroque flourishes. In spite of the grandeur in the center, the city seems very livable. It feels very low key for a big city. Public transportation is abundant and comfortable, people walk a lot, and traffic is not bad. There are a lot of bike lanes and parks. The Danube River transects the city, and its beaches are wildly popular during the warmer months. The commercial neighborhoods are a mix of local and corporate brands selling everything from Prada to CBD gummies. (However, it’s hard to find a store that sells tape.)

Culture. Besides all the great art, music is a big thing here. Mozart lived here. And Beethoven, Hayden, Strauss, Mahler and Schubert, among others! Vienna has one of Europe’s most important opera houses and hosts Mozart concerts almost every night. Musicians play in the streets even when the temperatures are in the low 40s. The Viennese socialize over coffee in cafes and have elaborate holiday traditions — I heard several times about the crowded events held during the Christmas season The people here don’t seem to be dog people, except I’ve seen a few wiener dogs (“Wien” is what Austrians call Vienna so….). I don’t think I’ve seen a single cat. Fashion at this time of year is mostly those puffy Michelin Man coats sandwiched between fat scarves and boots. Masks are not a thing.

Politics. In recent years, the Austrian Parliament has been lead by a coalition of social democrats, the Green Party, and the centrist People’s Party. But the right is ascendant, leveraging the country’s economic strains to political advantage and spewing the usual anti-immigrant rhetoric. More than 30% of Vienna’s residents of voting age can’t vote because they’re not citizens, so anti-immigrant rhetoric doesn’t present a lot of political risk. I hate reporting that, but I also think young people will ultimately reverse course.

So hurray for Vienna! I’m on my way to Tunisia.

“And I’ll dance with you in Vienna, I’ll be wearing a river’s disguise. The hyacinth wild on my shoulder my mouth on the dew of your thighs. And I’ll bury my soul in a scrapbook, with the photographs there and the moss. And I’ll yield to the flood of your beauty, my cheap violin, and my cross.”
~ Leonard Cohen