My second Trip to Vienna

On July 10, 2023, I took a flight to Vienna to attend the Prometheus Fellowship international conference named “Bring Reason to the Future.” I took my flight from Islamabad at 5 am and reached Istanbul airport at 9 am. My layover at Istanbul airport was around 8 hours. I met SanaUllah from Pakistan at Islamabad airport, and we had the same flight to Vienna. When we reached Istanbul airport, Sana went to Turkey as he had gotten his e-visa. I stayed at the airport. Istanbul Airport is huge, and there are many things to do in the airport. I did some window shopping, ate some food, and had coffee. I met friends who were coming from India and Nepal for the same conference. We took our flight to Vienna and arrived there at 9 pm. We did our immigration, and the immigration officer asked about our purpose of visit and intended days of stay.

Now we were in Vienna. I suggested to my friends that we book an Uber to the hotel. I had been to Europe before, and I was familiar with it. If we took a train, it would cost us more, and we would need to change at two stations to get to our hotel. We booked an Uber and reached the Courtyard Marriott Hotel. It is an amazing hotel. I met other fellows in the lobby, and I checked in and got my room keys. After some rest, a couple of us went outside to find some restaurants nearby; however, the restaurants were closed. I suggested that we should find a gas station, as I knew tuck shops remained open 24/7. We found a shop open at a petrol pump. We brought some snacks and left for the hotel.

The next day, we had our city tour. One of our coordinators from Austria was our guide. He took us to the central church, the Vienna University, the statue of Mother Teresa, and the museums. I bought a SIM card on my first day. SIM cards helped me use the internet anytime and anywhere. The next day, our session started at 9 am. There were guest lectures, personal stories, games, coffee, socialization, and much more. We went to a bar on our last night, stayed awake the whole night, and talked about our plans.

I booked tickets for Innsbruck; it is a 5-hour journey from Vienna. Innsbruck is just amazing. It is a small town surrounded by beautiful mountains. I lived there for 5 days. I did night walks, went to nearby valleys, took a chairlift, visited the old town, and met new and amazing people from different parts of the world. I met my friend Teresa. I spent the whole day with her. She is an amazing young lady with high ambitions for her life. We visited some museums, ate lunch, and had coffee. My time with her in Innsbruck isn’t forgettable. It lives with me forever. I really wish to meet her again. She left Innsbruck and went back to her city to start her job. I came back to Vienna and stayed there for three days before taking my flight back to Pakistan.

The saying ‘traveling opens your heart and mind’ is a divine truth. I understand that I can learn more when I meet new people from all over the world. I understood the importance of making friends and keeping in touch with them. My international travels have given me confidence, friendships, connections, learning, memories, love, understanding, and so on. I am really thankful for everything God Almighty has given me so far.

Nayyar Abbas's passion is writing. He earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science and a master's in Development Studies in Peace and Conflict. He writes about economics, politics, religion, philosophy, and peace. His aim is to highlight classical liberal ideas of economics, politics, and identity changes in a fast-transforming world.

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