Changing rooms

Things are changing nicely over on the continent. Time away from the office is going well and my little trip back last week led to me going to my ex workplace to pick up a key. Although I seemed to be a minor distraction for a while it really was strange to be back there and I didn't really want to cross over into the building. I passed on an all day meeting to faff around town instead, I hope that was a joke anyway.

Otherwise, in the last week I've came from France, in through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, a smidge of Germany and into Austria. Ive done some bike touring in the past and although Ive passed through a variety of countries I've tended to get from one place to the other and scoot around for a while.

Today has been a little like that, or also similar to a weekend away where you drop into a city after coming off the plane. It's strange the way that air travel or even motorway travel (as I travelled today) places you simply in a location with no real impression about how you got there. I've never noticed previously that there might really be another way and it really struck me as I drove today.

Driving more slowly allows you to feel, smell and hear what's going on. Stopping for food or a drink allows you to meet some of the people. Getting lost helps you really figure a lot out that would really have gotten you stressed before. On any other trip I wouldn't have missed a train in France with no option but to try and find a hotel in a small town, nor of driving into the alps hoping that one of any number of mountain passes was open only to find them all closed but there being a rail train available. These little challenges are lost when the worst you have to do is transfer between terminals at Heathrow.

As the trip moves on I'll have no end of options for getting lost. All sorts of possibilities for meeting people and taking part of life as I work my way through it. As a contrast some time ago I went for a friends wedding in Majorca and stayed in a one star Magaluf hotel. No matter what time I made it back to the hotel the wake up call was the full volume sound of Eastenders from the Eastenders bar across the road. Ive no problem with a spot of familiarity but do want to see more of local life so will keep trying my hardest to eat and drink locally, avoiding all the global corporate guff where possible.

It's not a British thing either and I was struck with the sight in Salzburg of what appeared to be Koreans leaving a Korean restaurant and a bus full of Indians at an Indian restaurant. I'll keep on with my Weiss bier and roast pork, and being amazed at the difference between driving styles in different countries.

Location:Matrosengasse,Vienna,Austria