Day 01 Patience Is a Virtue

Our 10½-Hour Wait for the NightJet

We stepped off the Rinda at 11:00 AM, bags in hand, taking one last look at the ship that had carried us through the Danube. Via taxi, by 11:30, we were standing inside Wien Hauptbahnhof, beginning what would become a 10½-hour layover before our NightJet to Zürich. We didn’t choose the wait—sometimes travel simply hands you a day and says, “Figure it out.”

And so we did.

Fast-food warmth and early observations

Our first stop was McDonald’s. It was crowded, loud, and warm—the kind of midday chaos only a giant train-station McDonald’s can produce. Donna and I shared a large Coke, continuing her ongoing scientific study of European Coke vs. American Coke. The conclusion remains the same: the U.S. still wins by a wide margin. I skipped the coffee and we just sat for a while, watching Vienna move around us. But eventually the noise became too much, and we drifted back into the station to continue our search for a quieter place to land.

Down by the tracks — a different Vienna

We ended up in the public seating area near tracks 3–12, right under the giant departure board and—unfortunately—right beside the metal recycling bins. From here, a different side of the day revealed itself.

One by one, people approached the bins, pulling out recyclables for deposit money, carefully removing leftover food, or sorting through tossed-out pastries. It was quiet, steady, almost ritualistic. No begging. No confrontation. Just survival, happening quietly in the background as travelers like us waited for trains to carry us onward.

Travel is always teaching. Today it taught us to look a little closer.

Food court refugee life

Eventually, the cold of the platform area pushed us to the food court. We bought Burger King nuggets and water—then kept them in full view on the table. Technically, you’re only allowed to sit there if you’re actively eating something from the vendors.

A young man across from us had no food displayed, his head was on his backpack on the table and was approached by security and asked to move. Donna whispered that we probably got a pass because we’re older white Americans with food clearly visible. She wasn’t wrong. Travel exposes the unspoken rules of public spaces—who gets to rest and who doesn’t.

So we stayed put, nursing our nuggets, charging our phones, watching the hours slowly pass. Ready to go get more if needed. We had a plan.

A shouting voice and staying aware

At one point, an unhinged woman came through the station shouting loudly in German, clearly distressed. Her voice echoed above the crowd. For a moment, I wondered if it was a distraction—pickpocket teams sometimes use noise as a tactic—but there was no coordinated movement. It was simply another moment in the long day of a major train station: humanity in all its forms, from tired tourists to people struggling in ways we’ll never fully understand.

6:15 PM — low batteries, high tension

By 6:15 PM, both our phones were in the red. After hours of navigating, photographing, and scrolling to fill time, seeing that last sliver of battery felt like betrayal. I pulled out the battery pack and we set up a little island of cables and adapters on the table. Watching our phones slowly revive felt like reviving ourselves.

7:50 PM — the oasis appears

Finally—finally—at 7:50 PM, we stepped into the ÖBB Lounge, and the day shifted instantly. First class travelers are allowed access to the lounge an hour before the train leaves. We tried to get in sooner and were rejected by a “by the book” security guard.

Quiet. Warm. Clean.
Soft grey seating.
Low lighting.
Complimentary drinks and snacks.
A view over the bustling station below.

It was the exhale we needed after a long, drifting day. For the first time since leaving the Rinda, we felt genuinely settled.

9:20 PM — All aboard

When our platform was announced, we gathered our bags and walked to the NightJet. At 9:20 PM, we stepped into our sleeper cabin—small, cozy, clean, and ours. After 10½ hours of wandering, waiting, observing, and staying just one step ahead of exhaustion, closing that cabin door felt like the day finally let go.

We didn’t kill each other.
We stayed warm.
We stayed aware.
And somewhere along the way, we learned a little more about the world and the people moving through it.

Tonight, we fall asleep to the rhythm of the tracks, heading toward Zürich.
Tomorrow, a new chapter begins.

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