Vienna International . It starts with the wifi, which works well and early. You can put the consent page in English and you don’t need to tell them about your entire lineage. It’s unlimited and has a speed of 200 Mbps. Great start. You already know that these people respect you.

There's a theme to the entire experience. Respect, and pacing. Even the water taps in the men's room are set to a leisurely flow. Enough water to wash your hands, but not so much as to rush you.

Every airport I land in gives me the urgent feeling of: “I gotta get the fuck outta here immediately”. Airport arrival experiences are hostile because they're designed for quick turnover. They are kicking you out.

Vienna International is different. It's not impressive like Istanbul or delightful like Tallinn. It does something much more important. It allows you to reconnect with the ground, calm down and refocus. It puts you at ease because the place itself is at ease. It seeps into your behavior. You start to look around, walk slower, and maybe buy an overpriced panini or something. They charge you in a normal currency that you understand. The lady is very German but speaks proper English like airport employees should. She’s peppy but she doesn’t rush you with her rhyme... Micro-interactions... You pay and take a seat

Now they managed to take you off your feet, slow you down another notch. Now you’re sitting down, writing these very words.

You paid 12 bucks for the sandwich but you get table service. Nobody in the history of man has ever gotten table service in an airport before. They usually give you that thing that beeps like an IRA bomb when you food is ready. It pressures you to move at an abnormal speed to get it to shut the fuck up. But not in vienna. The english-speaking german lady strolls in with a lively pace, establishes eye contact, delivers a well-proportionate smile, and deposits the plate gracefully. It's not an airport sandwich. It's the real deal. People food. made to order like you mattered. Straight out of the over as if they actually wanted you there.

The coffee isn’t winning any awards but it's a far cry from that substance I drank in Warsaw Chopin.

You can get an Uber to the city for 35 bucks. Expensive but not stupid expensive. But you can also take a train like a civilized person. You don’t need to have been here before to know that. There are signs and tasteful green branding that guide you without kicking you out. They don't shout at you. You waft through the newly refurbished premises as you’re escorted gently and swiftly to the entrance of the railway station seen in the picture. It's decorated with real plants. It's not a brutalist dungeon like the one in Helsinki where they've given up on life.

I booked a ticket for this train. They have machines similar to the ones everywhere else in Europe, except these ones are not stupid and they start with language selection instead of hiding it in some obscure corner. They don’t have 300 options and 7 buttons. 3 clicks, fast payment, and off you go. You’re on the move again.

What’s in Vienna that’s not gonna be in Vienna an hour from now? Nothing. It’s all been there forever. "Take your time" says the airport. You’re no longer going to Vienna. You are In Vienna already (even though you’re technically closer to Bratislava 😉).