A wild sheep chase

Flying over Crotia and the island of Hvar yesterday, we encountered some light to moderate turbulence. Luckily, the kids were cool with the situation but, nevertheless, there was a sense of collective relief when our Boeing 737 finally touched down at Schwechat shortly after 3 p.m.

Staying at a hostel near Wien Hauptbahnhof, I experienced a sense of disorientation as the area has been thoroughly revamped but, a quick ride on the U1 later, Café Sperl was still there just as I had left it with its Wiener Melange more than a decade ago. Having brought Murakami along, I also got to return to the late 70’s before showing the kids Hofburg, Graben and St. Stephen's Cathedral. Travelling with them somehow allow you to see the world anew through their eyes and share everything from the unmistakable awe at the grandeur of Vienna to the somewhat brutal reality-check of Naples and its garbage-littered backstreets.