And there it was, this lovely note of burned wood and comforting warmth in the air. It just felt like home.

I could finally smell the summer again, after all these months filled with freezing winds and utter darkness. We often take the sense of smell for granted, and even though It’s Not Like You have to enjoy each and every smell out there, we should embrace all of them.

Especially those that might make us remember long forgotten childhood memories or just help us feel more alive again.

Love Ratatouille, such a gorgeous and deep movie!

You know, like a certain smell of cleanness, when you just smell fresh air and nothing else. Something you usually don’t expect from Big City Life. Actually, even though Vienna is quite big, it‘s still very compact and Low-key which is why it sometimes echoes a soothing small town vibe after all.

I’ve already lived in seven different cities around the world and traveled to many more, but this one just takes the cake, really. On so many different levels.

Step after step, one of the first things that will stand out in Vienna is just how clean the streets are. It’s so clean that I can see myself even eating from the fricking ground. Not even kidding. Maybe a little though.

Sometimes, it’s even possible to literally smell the contrasts of the city, like experiencing a friendly battle of scents.

The smell of freshly mown grass in the area of the Hofburg, the intriguing stink of culturally accepted cigarette smoke in bars (update November 2019: finally prohibited by law!), the familiar aroma of roasted coffee beans in a traditional coffee house, the comforting odor of horses (which means you’re probably close to the 1st district) or the strong whiff of some drunk student’s remnants of Ottakringer beer in a dark corner of the street.

Let alone the trail of weed you‘ll ocassionally find along the Donaukanal at night, next to some of the popular hubs of the alternative club scene down there. Or burning cigarette filters sending a plume of rancid smoke out of one of the iconic cig bins at U-Bahn stations.