Vienna [antikvár]

The Authors NEAL BEDFORD Neal's love affair with Vienna started in 1994, when he arrived in the city all bright-eyed and bushy tailed to fill a vacant au pair job. Not speaking a word of German (except for Eins, Zwei, Polizei, Drei, Vier, Brigadier), he was anxious and afraid of being lost in a strange city, surrounded by people mumbling something he couldn't understand. His fears were totally unfounded: his employers soon became his second family, his English-course buddies introduced him to more locals than he could keep track of, and before he knew it, he felt perfectly at home. He even learnt some German. Over the years Neal has enjoyed numerous year-long stints in this fair city, only to leave for what he thought were greener pastures. But the magic of Vienna (whose pull is stronger than he'd like to admit) is a magnet too hard to resist. For the past two years he's called Ottakring/Hernals home, and wouldn't exchange his rooftop apartment, with views of the VVienerwald, Votivkirche and busy Ottakringer Strasse, for anything. CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR JANE RAWSON It's not every city that understands the profound beauty of reinforced concrete or the potential of the public toilet for gor-geousness. Vienna does, and that's why Jane loves it. Wandering aimlessly through Eastern and Central Europe, she was lured to the city by the promise of coffee shops that serve hot chocolate with a chaser of rum, and in no time at all fell head-over-heels in love with Egon Schiele and Wiener Werkstatte cutlery sets. Jane wrote the Arts and Architecture chapters. PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD NEBESKY Richard was born one snowy night in the grungy Prague suburb of Zizkov, but surprisingly he didn't have a camera in his hand. It was, however, not long after he got out of his cot that his father, an avid photo enthusiast, gave him his first point-and-shoot unit. Ever since, he's kept a camera by his side on treks, ski adventures, cycling trips and while researching Lonely Planet books around the globe. He has also worked for various magazines, travel guide book publishers and on many social photography projects. Lonely Planet books provide independent advice. Lonely Planet does not accept advertising in guidebooks, nor do wie accept payment in exchange for listing or endorsing any place or business. Lonely Planet writers do not accept discounts or payments in exchange for positive coverage of any sort.