Day 74 - Travel Day to Scharnstein and Our First Night with the Locals

Another early start. Around five-ish again. No alarms needed at this point.

Straight into bag packing and sorting. We’d only been in the Vienna apartment a few days, but somehow clothes had exploded everywhere. One of those pack-ups where you realise how quickly a space becomes “home” when you’re living out of bags. Lots of tidying, consolidating, repacking. Making sure everything fit properly. Backpacks light enough to carry. Wheels rolling smoothly. Rubbish taken out. Breakfast eaten in stops and starts.

What we thought would be a quick exit turned into a slow burn. By the time we locked up and dropped the keys back in the lockbox, it was just after ten.

Saying goodbye to our Vienna place felt oddly sentimental. It was cosy. Small, but comfortable. A little more space would’ve been nice, but it worked. We really liked it there.

Once outside with all the bags, Emmett had one last request. The park. There was this one piece of equipment he and Maddie had completely fallen in love with, so of course they needed one final go. While they played, I checked Google Maps and saw it was “only” a seven-minute walk to the train station where we were picking up the car.

Seven minutes, apparently, meant running pace.

We set off. Maddie got tired of her bag pretty quickly. Emmett too. Before long, Kia and I were carrying our own bags plus the kids’ bags, while they cruised along with just backpacks. To make things more interesting, the walk was uphill. I’m pretty sure Kia was quietly wishing we’d just caught the tram.

Partway along, my mate Aaron messaged to say where they were waiting. Turns out they were at a different station. Central Vienna, but not the central station. A bit of back and forth, a detour on their end, and eventually we all converged in the same place and ducked inside to get out of the cold.

It was really good to see Aaron and Emma. We hadn’t seen them for a couple of months. They’ve relocated to Spain but are doing a big loop back through Australia, New Zealand and a few other places before returning. A short catch-up. About forty minutes. Coffee, stories, life updates. Hopefully we’ll see them again in April when they’re back in Europe.

Then it was time to find the car rental.

We got the car sorted and headed out to the car park. Big boot. Just big enough. Four large bags, backpacks squeezed in. Tight, but it worked.

Our Austrian host, who will be helping show us around Scharnstein, was in Vienna for a meeting and asked if we could give him a lift back. We shuffled things around and made room. It ended up being perfect timing. He guided us out of the city and talked us through the drive.

Driving a left-hand-drive car always messes with my head. Pedals are the same. Steering wheel feels normal. But everything else is flipped. The biggest thing is lane position. I’m so used to the white line being on my right. Suddenly it’s on the other side and I kept drifting. Same thing happened years ago when Kia and I drove in Europe. Thankfully the car’s lane assist kept nudging me back where I should be. And to kristian’s credit, he didn’t say a word. Just let me sort it out.

The drive out of Vienna was really cool. Past Schönbrunn Palace again, through the city, then out onto the highway. Traffic moved well. Kristian explained the frost on the trees, different to snow, and pointed out monasteries and landmarks along the way. The countryside was beautiful. The two-and-a-bit-hour drive flew by.

We went straight to Kristian and Rafaela’s place because our accommodation wasn’t ready yet. Met Rafaela and their daughters, Marian and Olivia. Had a look around the house. Ski gear everywhere. Instant alpine energy.

Once we could check in, we dropped our bags and immediately had to race to the shops before they closed at six. Quick grocery run for breakfast supplies. Dinner was covered.

Back down to Kristian and Rafaela’s place for the evening. A big spaghetti dinner. Five adults, six kids around one long table. Wine flowing. Great conversation. They had this herbal cordial you mix with water that was unreal. The kids loved it. So did I.

We didn’t leave until around ten. Home close to ten-thirty or eleven. A late one, but hopefully it means a sleep-in tomorrow.

It was a really good day. A proper shift. Out of the city. Into the countryside. New rhythm. New people. Real locals. A Norwegian family here too. Four weeks ahead of us in Scharnstein, learning to ski, settling into village life.

Day 74. Finally settled. And it feels like the adventure is just getting started.