A diverse group of young people from around the world spent a memorable Advent day in Vienna. A walking tour of the Austrian capital, enriched by personal storytelling and shared enthusiasm, created an experience filled with learning, connection, and lasting memories.

On Saturday, 6 December, 20 young people from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, France, Mexico, and the United States travelled by train to Vienna to explore the Austrian capital and experience the special atmosphere of Advent in its historic city centre.

At Vienna’s main railway station, we were welcomed by Juraj Necpal, our long-time Rotarian friend living in Vienna, for whom guiding and history are lifelong passions. It was a true pleasure to listen to him at each stop near the city’s most significant cultural landmarks.

With the aim of showing and explaining as much as possible, he suggested a walking tour of Vienna’s most notable sights. Thanks to the pleasant weather, this proved to be an excellent decision. Step by step, we gained first-hand insight into the city’s most important tourist attractions.

I am not sure how much information my young friends will remember from the tour, but I believe that names such as Belvedere, City Park, the State Opera, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Hofburg, Parliament, City Hall, and the Municipal Theatre will bring back memories of this demanding yet very successful day.

The experience was equally appreciated by Pavlínka and Darinka from Rotex, our “guardian angels”, who looked after the group throughout the day and made sure we stayed together in the bustling city.

In short, we all had a wonderful time together. This is also reflected in our group photo taken in front of the gilded statue of Johann Strauss in the City Park.

Our sincere thanks for this successful event go to Juraj Necpal, Peter Kucera, Jan Kriška, Zuzka Kucerová, our friends from the RYES leadership, and above all to all the “tour participants” – my young friends.

Peter Klučka

President Rotary Club Bratislava Danube