I made it to Vienna, Austria in one piece. It was a surreal feeling to be flying again after 2 years. Everything felt different. It almost felt like I was in a dream. I arrived in Vienna very sleep deprived. It was almost impossible to get some decent sleep with a connection in Doha, Qatar.

Nevertheless, it was great to arrive in Vienna and be reconnected with my husband, Markus. The weather was glorious and suddenly Malaysia seemed so far away. Everything was different. The language, weather, food, smells, people, the air. Everything. My brain was so busy processing it all that only the present moment mattered.  

And I got organised right away. Doing the things I had envisioned doing. The first was breakfast.

Those of you who have been reading me for a while now know that I am on a healthy eating mission. It has become a lifestyle including my intermittent fasting. Being in Europe, I was looking forward to a breakfast of mixed berries with high-protein yogurt and that’s exactly what I bought on the day I arrived. Europe has an amazing array of dairy products and fresh produce. It was such a treat to look at all the options from healthy protein-rich products to organic produce at reasonable prices. It can be quite overwhelming. But I aim to try as much as possible over the next weeks.

Then, the next ritual. Cycling. It was a super treat to cycle through Vienna to a vineyard. Vienna is a unique city; it has vineyards within the city. We decided to cycle to one outside Vienna with friends. What a ride it was. Perfect temperature of 31 degrees Celsius without the humidity of Malaysia.

The thing about Europe and Vienna is that they are very cycling friendly. Most people are on their bicycles in the summer and the city, and the country has a variety of cycling routes that go for kilometres. There are cycling routes that go across countries.

Our route was 60 km round trip, and it went through the heart of Vienna.

And our route took us across the river Danube. The cycling infrastructure never fails to amaze me, especially the infrastructure to support river or elevated crossings. The photo below shows one of these structures. They cater to two-way traffic, and everyone sticks to their lane, and some go at speed. Some carrying precious cargo!

The cycle through the villages and fields to the vineyard took us past private cellars. People can rent these cellars to store their vines. Some were built as early as 1909! We rode through fields of sunflowers, corn, and vegetables.

A summary of my experiences this week as my immersion in Vienna, friends, and family continue.  

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com