Hotel Wandl

If I'm in Vienna then I must be staying at the Hotel Wandl (and my good friend Steve Wehmeyer is amused that I would have a "place" I always stay in Vienna). That said, I always stay at the Wandl. This is my fourth trip to Austria, and considering that on these trips I often pass back and forth through Vienna (and this trip is no exception) I've probably visited Vienna eight or nine times, and with the exception of one night I've always stayed at the Wandl. I'm attached to it for some very legitimate reasons (the chief one being its wonderful location right off the Stephenplatz, which is right in the center of town - and also because the staff is unfailingly pleasant and helpful, and they have a great breakfast) and in despite some very legitimate concerns (every time I stay at the Wandl they manage to put me in a smaller room - and this one, room 321, is just about a world record [although I stayed in a smaller room in Madrid one time, and I recorded it on this blog if you don't believe me], I can't imagine what room I'll be in next Saturday when I pass through Vienna again). However, I think I also stay here just because I have a real emotional attachment to the place. It was the first place I ever stayed in Vienna - and Vienna was the first European city that I ever spent much time in - and it gets wrapped up in all sorts of highly personal history for me - and I just can't imagine staying anyplace else. I love Vienna and I guess the Wandl, in a strange way, is just part of that love affair. As I get older my taste gets more and more exotic (and I'm developing a real desire to visit Samarkand and Timbuktu), but there's also something to be said for the comfort of this amazing old city, and it just holds a very special place in my heart.