No pictures allowed on the standing front row. Badly still managed to capture a Bilinda moment, other than that - only memories prevail, as it should be: A falling tremolo, Bilinda's drinking from a child juice pack between songs, wavey angelic mumbling, Kevin dedicating Soon to Mani, Kevin teasing the crowd "Louder?".

When sound becomes a visual expression of an expired film, there is not much left to think: "It's a bit like an infinite horizon, and unlike a horizon where your eyesight stops, with sound, you can imagine it infinitely.” 

kudos to the people I've met along the queue - Maisie, Dimitri, Carlos, and the Reddit MBV community

Any time,

This is the very first time I'm publishing a travel report. After several years of traveling through Europe, I’ve never shared any of my travel experiences before, mainly because I never intended to. This time, however, I traveled with the intention of sharing, which influenced my plans and, in a positive way, encouraged me to stick to a more structured itinerary. At the same time, I made sure to leave plenty of room for spontaneity, allowing the unknown to surprise me along the way. I’ll share some of the must-see spots I’ve visited, tips on how to save while traveling, and helpful apps to keep your travels organized. Pre-conclusion: This trip also redefined the way I approach travel. It made me ask myself: Is traveling just another form of consuming entertainment, though a more refined kind of consumption? And if so, can traveling become superficial, where you’re merely consuming experiences without a deeper, creative purpose beyond gaining new intellectual knowledge? I realized that, yes, this might be true. Most of my past travels may not have served a greater purpose beyond creating memories and meeting people. This time, however, I wanted to create a sort of portfolio, something that could redefine how I travel in the future. (More on this at the end of the report.) Day 1 – January 28th: Arrived in Vienna late at night. There wasn’t much to do on the first day after arriving late at 9 PM. My main priority was to reach my Couchsurfing host place, following his instructions to take the S7 express train. This is the train everyone should take, as it’s the cheapest way to get to the city center. I requested a 3-night stay with the CS host, which was my first budget-saving trick. At the same time, it allowed me to have company and get to know a local who had lived in the city since birth. I must admit, I felt he had a particular temper I could relate with, we clicked almost instantly. You might wonder if Couchsurfing literally means sleeping on a couch. While it can be, it’s also possible to have a single room all to yourself. This was the bedroom I stayed in:

Day 2 – January 29th: First day exploring Vienna. Bear with me - before the trip, I had already mapped out all the places I wanted to visit using Google Maps. I knew exactly what I wanted to visit across all three cities:

The very first thing I like to do before exploring a new city on my own is to join a free walking tour (operating on donations). It’s a great way to start fresh, orient myself, and learn a bit about the city’s main history. I always find the top-rated tours on GuruWalk and sign up—a process that’s quick, easy, and free. These tours usually last around 2.5 hours, which is the perfect amount of time for a solid introduction. You’ll always discover new information that you might not find on your own, especially because the tour guide is usually local. They know all the hidden gems and can share insights you’d likely miss otherwise. After the walking tour, I wanted to try a typical Viennese breakfast. Luckily, a local recommended the traditional Café Restaurant Bräunerhof, where I happily enjoyed a Wiener Melange and a slice of Sacher-Torte.

After 2 PM, I had booked the Vienna State Opera tour, a great alternative way to explore the interior and see the stage up close. Unfortunately, I didn’t think ahead to buy a ticket for one of the shows, as they sold out quickly. However, if you plan in advance, you can find tickets for as low as €15.

Following up in the evening I decided there was still enough sunlight to visit Prater Park. While most attractions are closed between November and April, a few of them, like the Prater Tower, remain open and are still worth a ride! The park is free to enter, only the attractions have an additional cost.

I bought the 3 theatre tickets, for me and my parents, at the very last moment my brother came last minute as well. We entered inside the theatre doors and I guided them trough the sitting corridor and showed each one where was their belonging sit. I then proceeded to land on my chair a little further from them and the act was about to begin.

At the very first appearance of the act, we see a known actor who was not supposed to be on the cast, everyone was quite surprised, everyone was expecting the originally announced cast stars. Regarding the bad surprise, someone from the audience shouted loudly: "For real?" The actor stared with a haunting look at the audience, knowing he was not supposed to be there. The show continued with starling confusion from everyone. The chatting in the audience kept getting louder.

Actors getting ready to perform their acts publicly on the stage; The audience leaving the theatre at the very beginning; Actors speaking Brazilian instead of Portuguese; Audience expectations were not met, and no one understood.

Cocteau Twins - Fluffy Tufts

My Bloody Valentine - Strawberry Wine

Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why

Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader

Björk - Undo

Beach House - Master of None

Feist - Monarch (LYJHD)

B Fachada - San Francisco/ Amsterdam

Kickball - Fight

Mom Jeans - Poor Boxer Shorts

Ariel Pink - Phantasthma

John Maus - Episode

The Fool - Voice on the Wind

Paavoharju - Valo tihkuu kaiken läpi

Current 93 - Hourglass for Diana

MGMT - We Don't Care

The Roches - Quitting Time

Breakbot - Arrested

Usher - U Don't Have to Call

Death Cab for Cutie - The New Year

Fall Out Boy - Of All The Gin Joints

Massive Attack - Protection

Burial - Shell of light

Aphex Twin - I

Architex - Altitude

Chuck Person - Eccojam B1

Mouly & Lucida - Inertia

Artemis - Elysian Fields

Charli XCX - Nuclear Seasons

Mariah Carey - Sugar Sweet

Clairo - Juna

Psychic TV - We Kiss

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Proderics - Strangers

Hareton Salvanini - Quarto de Hotel

Fleetwood Mac - Over My Head

Vince Guaraldi - Skating

Tom Jobim, Gal Costa - Gabriela

LOVE INC. - Life's a Gas

Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmastime

Charlie Brown Jr. - Te Levar Daqui

Postal Service - Such Great Heights

Ramones - Judy Is a Punk

Sigur Rós - Avalon

Phoenix - Lisztomania

Broken Social Scene - Stay Happy

Nick Drake - Poor Boy

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks

The Microphones - Moon

Mika - We Are Golden

Muse - Starlight

Air Traffic - No More Running Away

Roger Sanchez - Another Chance

The National - Sea of Love

U2 - New Year's Day

Taxi - Sing Sing Club

Secede - Foliage Pathway

Julee Cruise - The World Spins

Kate Bush - Hounds of Love

Amy Winehouse - Just Friends

Rolling Stones - She's a Rainbow

Animal Collective - Street Flash

Bobby Jameson - Know Yourself

Sufjan Stevens - Tahquamenon Falls

Imogen Heap - Just for Now

Jessy Lanza - Slapped By My Life

Vashti Bunyan - Walk In Your Mind

Crystal Castles - Through the Hosiery

Playboi Carti - BACKD00R

Tyler The Creator - Take Your Mask Off

Clã - Sexto Andar

Christopher Saint - Ulterior Motives

PinkPantheress - Stars

LSD & The Search For God - Starting Over

100 Gecs - Money Machine

Devendra Banhart - At The Hop

Talking Heads - Sax And Violins

Bon Iver - Minnesota, WI

Beirut - East Harlem

Gregory Porter - Be Good (Lion's Song)

The Radio Dept. – Sleeping In

Don Henley - The Boys Of Summer

Bryan Ferry - Slave to Love

Spandau Ballet - Gold

Smashing Pumpkins - Hummer