This summer I spent the most time in Austria since I left more than two decades ago. I’ve written about my impressions before. In this post, I’m going over what has improved and what has gotten worse.
What has gotten better:
- Public transit in Vienna. This already was pretty good when I commuted to school, but it’s excellent now. Reliability, how pleasant other riders are, and the interior of trams and U-Bahn (subway) cars have all improved.
- The economic fortunes of the Austrian countryside outside of major cities. Judging by how houses, infrastructure and especially people look, this has improved in absolute terms, but especially compared to the deprivation in e.g. rural East Germany or rural California
- The quality of political discourse may have improved slightly, although I’m not sure if it’s really better than it used to be or only much better compared to the U.S.
- There is more contemporary American literature in translation, and literature about America, than there used to be in bookstores. I didn’t count, but there may even be more novels by American than by German-speaking writers in stores
What has gotten worse:
- Autobahn rest areas. Like many European countries, but unlike the United States, highways have rest areas that not only offer toilets and gas stations, but also large restaurants. Some of those restaurants used to be excellent, but not any more. Choice, food and service quality and prices have all gotten worse. This is in contrast to the Autobahn infrastructure itself, which have improved from an already high level
- I heard the Viennese dialect less frequently. If it was present, it was less strong, especially in the young. Some kids talk in a way that is almost indistinguishable from the way people talk in Germany, which is concerning
- The number of tourists in Vienna seems to be steady, but it seems to have decreased at second-tier destinations. There are many empty and closed inns in the country. This is based on my observation and I didn’t try to confirm using official statistics
What has stayed the same:
- The quality of traditional Austria food has stayed the same. However, in Vienna there are surprisingly few international food options for a city that has so many immigrants
- There are more museums to pick from, and they have become more diverse in what kinds of art one can see there. I lack the expertise to judge if quality has changed
- Surprisingly, the frequency at which one can see folkloric customs and costumes in the country has stayed the same. A friend I brought this up with thought there was an isostatic effect, with some people leaning into traditions more as a reaction to changes elsewhere
Nehaveigur 