[Travel Practice Part 1] "Does this train go to Wien Mitte?" | A Senior Couple's 32-Day Trip to Europe

Our 32-day trip to Europe, which we have been planning and preparing for a long time, is finally starting.
From here on, I will write about the reality of our trip little by little.

The flight from Kansai International Airport to Helsinki is 13.5 hours.
The departure from Kansai is at 10:15 PM, and the arrival in Helsinki is just after 5:00 AM.

Luckily (I was actually hoping for this), we were in a row of three seats at the back of the plane, and the middle seat was empty. We both sat in the aisle seats and were able to stretch our legs into the middle seat to sleep.

We couldn't sleep very soundly, but I think we still managed to get 2 or 3 hours of sleep.

Immediately after arriving at Helsinki Airport, I tried setting up the eSIM. To avoid any mistakes, I operated my smartphone while watching a YouTube video I had saved in advance.

The internet connected immediately, and I reported it to our family LINE group.
It is truly reassuring to have an internet connection.

Our connecting flight to Vienna departs at 9:25 AM, so we have a 4-hour wait. We passed through security and had a light breakfast.
……Two sandwiches and two coffees cost 28€, which is 5,100 yen! The price wasn't light at all (lol).

After that, we went to immigration. It was a manned immigration counter.

When I went to the counter first, I was asked where I was going and how long I would be staying, so I told them the cities and countries I would be visiting in order. In English, of course!!

"I'm staying in Vienna for two nights, then moving to Salzburg... and finally going to Amsterdam."

I felt relieved after saying that, but then,

"Until when?"
followed by "Who with?"

I was asked.

I couldn't quite catch it, so when I made a "Huh?" face, they said it again,

Who’s traveling with you?

so I said,

“With my husband.”

I was able to answer that quickly.

Even though it was a fairly long question, I was able to say it quite smoothly, and I thought to myself, "I've still got it."

My husband followed behind me, so it was clear he was with me. I guess they realized I didn't understand English, so they didn't ask me anything (lol).
I'm so glad I went ahead.

Our transit at Helsinki Airport was 4 hours. Security and immigration took about 30 minutes, so we had quite a bit of waiting time. We wandered around the Moomin shop and took tons of photos, acting like complete tourists.

The flight to Vienna was almost full. I made eye contact with the tall man sitting next to me, and we smiled at each other; that alone made me happy.

We arrived at Vienna International Airport at 10:50 AM on May 13th.
It had been almost 20 hours since we left home, but I was surprisingly energetic.

After arrival, we headed to baggage claim.

I was wondering, "Where is baggage claim?" when my husband said, "There's a picture of luggage, so it's this way," and started walking briskly.

He has such a sharp sense of direction that he knows exactly where to go even without reading English.
Thanks to this sense of direction, he was a huge help throughout the rest of our trip.
After all, even when I look at a map, I have no idea which way to go. I'm the type who usually heads in the opposite direction (lol).

We picked up our luggage safely and headed from the airport to Vienna city center.

According to the Airbnb instructions, we were to take the S7 line (suburban train) from the airport to Wien Mitte station. From there, take the U3 (subway line 3) for 5 stops, and it's a short walk from there.

First, find the S7 platform.

From Vienna Airport to the city, the platforms and ticket machines for the bright green CAT (City Airport Train) are very prominent.

I had researched beforehand that the CAT is expensive and the suburban train is sufficient, so I followed the train signs.

When we finally reached the platform, there was a CAT train right in front of us. I waited, thinking, "The S7 will probably come after this," but the electronic display only showed the times for the next CAT trains.

Looking closely, there was a sign on the wall that seemed to say, "Platform is 170 meters that way."

"Oh, the platform is different!"

We hurried over and finally found the S7 line. We jumped onto the train that was waiting there.

However, I was worried about whether it was really going toward Vienna city center, so I asked a lady who looked German and was riding the same train,

"Does this train go to Wien Mitte?"
(Does this train go to Wien Mitte?)

I asked her.

And then,

"We aren’t sure. Hope so."
(We aren't sure either, but we hope so.)

They said. (Haha)

I asked another man the same question, and he told me, "Yes, it does," so I was finally able to sit down with peace of mind.

We arrived at Wien Mitte Station.

We looked for the U3 line and bought 24-hour tickets at the platform. I wasn't confident with the vending machines yet, so I bought them at the ticket counter. English was understood, and I could use my credit card.

Phew.

As we were looking for the subway platform, a man passing by told us,

"There's an elevator over there. You don't have to carry those bags down the stairs."

He told us.

Oh, it's such a blessing to be able to communicate.

We took the U3 line to the station nearest our Airbnb. It was supposed to be a 6-minute walk from there, but we wandered around, not really sure where to go.

We had received a message saying, "Please use WhatsApp to contact us," so we tried using it for the first time. I didn't really know how to use it, so I tried a few times.

Everything is a challenge now.

We managed to reach the Airbnb, and an assistant was waiting for us and helped carry our heavy suitcases.

Even though check-in was at 3:00 PM, we were able to get into the room at 1:30 PM.

We made some drip coffee we brought with us and took a breather.

After resting for about 30 minutes and organizing our luggage a bit, we felt energized.

Since we had bought 24-hour passes (which can be used for all trams, subways, and buses), we decided to go ahead with our planned 'loop around the Vienna Ring'.

Everything is magnificent and gorgeous. I am amazed by the city of Vienna, where historic buildings stand side by side.

After that, we went to St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg Palace, and the Austrian National Library.

In the end, we walked around without having lunch and bought dinner and breakfast at a supermarket.

We decided to splurge on wine and rump steak, and that night turned into a luxurious steak dinner.

The first and second days from our home to Vienna were truly a huge adventure.

When I traveled in Europe 15 years ago, it was a package tour, and I was just flustered without understanding English. I couldn't even imagine taking connecting trains on my own, and I was nervous just shopping at a supermarket.

I have been studying English for a long time, and especially over the last few months, I have been practicing with Nobu-sensei's courses specialized in 'learning English through sound' and 'spoken English'.

Thanks to that, I can hear English. The things I want to ask come out of my mouth.

Just that alone makes the trip so free and gives me confidence.

The senior couple's 32-day grand adventure has only just begun.

Thank you for reading until the end.
Our comical journey continues from here. Since we are traveling, I will be uploading posts at a relaxed pace. Please come back and visit again.

I would be very happy if you could give me a like or a comment.