So long, farewell. 🇦🇹

Goodnight Vienna.

📖 5-minute read.

Land der Berge, Land am Strome,
Land der Äcker, Land der Dome,
Land der Hämmer, zukunftsreich!
Heimat bist du großer Söhne,
Volk, begnadet für das Schöne,
Vielgerühmtes Österreich!

Heiß umfehdet, wild umstritten,
Liegst dem Erdteil du inmitten
Einem starken Herzen gleich.
Hast seit frühen Ahnentagen
Hoher Sendung Last getragen,
Vielgeprüftes Österreich.

Mutig in die neuen Zeiten,
Frei und gläubig sieh uns schreiten,
Arbeitsfroh und hoffnungsreich.
Einig laß in Jubelchören,
Vaterland, dir Treue schwören.
Vielgeliebtes Österreich.

Austrian National Anthem

“Good evening, children. Good evening, Fräulein Maria”.

Hugh Grant mentioned he was raised by a generation of men so manly they hardly speak - and his - favourite film is Sound of Music.

Edelweiß, bless my homeland forever - the probably by now small “c” conservative propaganda of the Sound of Music reminds me of an innocent childhood.

Leaving Britain in 2018, and never looking back.

On mythic Austria, a Valedictorian.

September 15th 2018.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens - aged 26, I couldn’t have imagined I’d live in the capital of Austria full to the brim of a few of my favourite things. The dual identity of the City of Dreams and the City of Spies grew on me, visits to the mountains, museums and various embassies. A place much discussed in history class at the Congress of Vienna. To complement my time in Munich on my infamous Year Abroad, I was to tick off another DACH region country, and was helped to transfer by my dear employer, Apple Incorporated, exiting hastily the Stag-Nation of the Disunited Kingdom and venturing to the revenge of the sixth most bordered country, as Clarksonians would say: “in the woörlllld”.

Let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start. The first night, I wandered around the city, having dumped my stuff in the serviced apartment in Vienna’s Golden district at Marc-Aurel-Straße. Then I went around, going into drinkeries, watching the horses with carts and eating pizza and then ventured to go clubbing solo to Volksgarten, where I would meet my ex-girlfriend on day zero.

Business is everyone’s business.

My love of history deepened with trips to Petronell-Carnuntum an earlier settlement even than that of Vindobona. Marcus Aurelius died at Tulln, a place I often cycled to and from. Standard of living is incredible in Vienna, I’m hugely grateful for it.

The pandemic came and my dear old neighbour Jelena was looking after me - cooking constantly, then me looking after her. What a treasure she was, jealously guarded by myself.

Rest in Peace, Jelena.

Tense games of Chess with other neighbour Michi throughout the pandemic, a brotherhood was born amongst a shared love of history, technology and politics seen through the view of Empire.

Adam and Natalie visiting after being kicked out of Croatia for crimes against Croatianity and accidentally staying in very well priced accommodation, which turned out to accept guests by the halbe Stunde. Adam’s many visits. Simon’s early visit - coming even though he was basically ill.

Skiing, cycling, hiking near Mödling. The ÖBB. Good infrastructure that works, beautiful parks.

Humour. Wiener Grant. Not always brilliant, but constantly hilarious. Long Night of the Museums (could do some work on the naming) - so many great museums to name - what a city of culture. I can recommend checking that out in late October.

My Egyptian friend Nasser’s wedding at the Mosque in Vienna, apparently English humour is similar to that of our pharaonic friends.

Egyptian wedding ceremony at the mosque: as harmonious as the von Trapps.

For want of a lack of Proto-Germanic documentation, and through a lack of Slavic understanding or the Goethe Institute, a linguistic ethnonym is born.

The Austrians are who the Arabs call al-Nimsa: النِمْسَا - adopted from the old Russian term for the Volga Germans немцы (the dumb ones), then via Ottoman Turkish for this became نمچه (Nemçe) and through the slave trade in the Balkans and around the Black Sea, it arrived at the current Arabic word. As

Timothy Snyder

would put it, we can go into the language, just as language goes into us. It is a living thing, despite not being conscious. Perhaps we can have this debate with regard to AI - another day, though. It shows how the Arab world may see Europe from a different perspective. This is what I will continue to learn about in Saudi Arabia.

It’s hard to say goodbye, I always used to say it when Jared from management would say: It’s not Goodbye, it’s see you later/until next time. Da-svidanya then, mate. It is goodbye, though, isn’t it, sometimes.

The Hills have Eyes for the Sound of Music.

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too
And up in the nursery, an absurd little bird
Is popping out to say, "Cuckoo"
Cuckoo, cuckoo
Regretfully they tell us cuckoo, cuckoo
But firmly they compel us
To say, "Goodbye," to you

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, good night
I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu
Adieu, adieu, to you and you and you

So long, farewell, au revoir, auf wiedersehen
I'd like to stay and taste my first champagne

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye
I leave and heave a sigh and say "Goodbye", goodbye

I'm glad to go, I cannot tell a lie
I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly

The sun has gone to bed and so must I
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye

I’d like to stay and taste my first champagne. But I’ve had enough Weißweinspritzer for now. Thanks so much to friends and family who visited, including my brother Milo, who ordered hot chocolate and more at Café Landtmann.

Thanks to my godfather Doug, who kindly visited, and for putting up with it snowing so much we couldn’t even see the city from the TV tower! What a weekend

What a payne.

Sam’s winter AND summer visits - incredible scenes with his Emma, also with Ben as a body double for Coldplay. Such good times at the Schweizer Haus.

Taking my aged ancestors to Melk to learn about the connection between ancient history and the Babenberger’s. Talk about legacy.

Timeless pieces of history @ Stift Melk

Lovely Christmas visits from Vanessa & Duncan and Caroline and Stan. It was a pleasure spending time with you. Thanks team St. Barnabas!

The WSC Squash Club - what an institution. Thanks for everything, guys and gals. Weinwandern Wien. What memories with the UN friends. Completing the Vienna triathlon with Valentin, then the Vienna half-marathon and randomly bumping into Daniel who jogged along for a bit!

Learning to downhill mountain bike.

Then mountain biking around the Lainzer Tiergarten with Norman and Müller Learning Russian paid for by the US Corp. Touch Rugby on a Monday. Refining my Viennese dialect then publishing it via @austrosized austrosized.substack.com

Myself, Euan, Matt and Adam getting thrown out of SK Rapid’s infamous Block West for singing provocative English historical songs under the guise of reeducation and after a visit to the Christmas Market at Stephansplatz. Great cycling trips with Dom to Bratislava. Going to Therme Wien with friends visiting. Cycling down the Danube. Brunch on a Saturday in September.

Hopefully, when I’m feeling sad, I’ll remember some of my favourite things and then I won’t feel so bad.

Time to climb every mountain.

Riyadh, September 21st 2025.