My name is Andrew Elliot. I've lived in California all my live, I don't speak a word of German and this trip to Vienna is the first time I've ever been aboard. As strange as it may sound, I find this foreign city to be more open and inviting than most of the places I've seen in america. Despite the language barrier, I feel accepted and welcomed by the cities people, and somehow the town easy seems traverse despite having no knowledge of it's geography. Everything I try to do here seems to work out in a positively even though I should lack many of the important skills requited to function in Vienna, everything simply seems to be clicking.
I discovered most of this information by following my professor's advice and simply got lost in the city. I took a tram to somewhere I had no knowledge of simply in search of some interesting place I read about in a tour guide. I ended up getting off the subway in the wrong place twice, but found myself successful in my pursuits. My first error in path-finding was corrected by a helpful local passerby who stopped and asked my in English if I needed help finding something. He pointed me to the museum district of Vienna after recommending several sites of interest. I remain astonished at his generosity, because something like this would never happen in america. I would never image that a foreign tourist would be lucky enough to receive unsolicited aid from a local in their native tongue in New York.
I made a second mistake after I got off on the wrong subway stop. (I found the subway system to be simple and easy to use, this was simply user error as I was mistaken to which stop was mine.) I was confused to where I was, but was instinctively drawn to a large church that I saw in the distance. As I got closer, I noticed a Belvedeer street, named after the famous landmark. I followed the street, and sure enough, I found my way to Savoy's great palace. In this instance, I feel as if the cityscape itself acted as a guide to me. The layout of the town was based around well known landmarks, which were easily spotted from a distance, as they often towered over newer buildings. I was able to find my way around using what I had seen from my cab ride from the airport using only the information I could gather from the layout of the town. This is unlike anything I've experienced in america, where I often find it much easier to lose my way in large cities.
I believe I find this city to be unthinkably welcoming because the city seems to be aware of the needs of tourists and newcomers. The people seem ready and willing to help strangers, and the layout of the city itself seems oddly accommodating. I feel as if Vienna is inviting me to explore it futhers, and I look forward to what I will find.
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