Delaney and Hamda take on Donaustadt!

We decided back in Seattle that we wanted explore the 22^nd district because it was the furthest away, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Thirty minutes and two U-bahn transfers later, we arrived in our district – Donaustadt. The first thing we noticed was the diversity, we had nearly forgotten Vienna being a city of royalty, was also a city of immigrants. Knowing the best way to explore Donauinsel was by bicycle, we set out to find a place to rent one. The Donau was absolutely breathtaking, if you looked close enough you could see some of the rocks submerged in water and cloaked in seaweed.

Donaustadt is a perfect place to go if you want to get out of the city but not actually leave the city. There were children playing soccer, people flying kites, or just lazing about eating ice cream. After finally finding a bicycle rent shop and trying to remember the German word for “rent”, we were flying past the pedestrian crowds. Peddling across a variety of terrains, we saw breathtaking views of hills with castles and vineyards. There’s something about bicycling on a beautiful afternoon with nothing else planned but coffee and cake afterwards that puts our souls at ease. A fairly large island, we biked for an hour in one direction before relaxing in a meadow and turning back to our original location. We both wondered how cold the Donau was, so we stopped and briefly stuck our hands in. It was refreshingly warm after experiencing the icy waters of the Puget Sound.

Before we returned to the rent shop, we noticed a man lying in a grassy patch next to the river. We wondered if he was wearing beige colored pants. We found out the hard way that he was not wearing beige colored pants but that he was in fact very much naked. If this had happened in a park in Seattle we would have already been on the phone with the police reporting a man flashing innocent bicyclists. But because this is Vienna, we took it in stride and tried to burn the image out with delicious cake.

 After we returned our bikes, we stopped at a café to enjoy Wiener Eis Kaffee and Schoko-Crème Torte. Sitting at our table, we observed both the Viennese and their dogs. We noticed that Viennese dogs only come in two sizes – super super large or absolutely tiny. Because we visited the island on a Friday afternoon, we were able to witness the Viennese relaxing after a long workweek and before the many Easter festivities.

 So if you wish to relax away from the city and take in the breathtaking Viennese scenery, we highly recommend journeying to Donaustadt. But be forewarned, your visit may or may not include nudity.