What happens when you set off on an expedition to find an ice-free passage east of Russia, only to discover that the Arctic is, in fact, absolutely full of ice? In this first part of our two-parter, we travel back to 1872 and the Austro-Hungarian North Pole Expedition that would lead to the discovery of Franz Josef Land. Carmen and Stephen delve into the ambitious plans behind the voyage, marvel at the sheer number of Antonios among the crew, and commiserate with the explorers enduring months of darkness, freezing temperatures, and generally miserable conditions. Stephen also tries his hand at a new Viennese expression, because even in the Arctic, there's always time for a bit of Schmäh. And just as things get interesting, we leave you hanging in a proper Hängepartie until next time.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

What happens when Stephen takes the day off and Carmen suddenly finds herself interviewing a public transport expert? Well, apparently you call in the next generation! In this special bonus episode, Carmen is joined by her cousin's son Paul, who knows a frankly impressive amount about Vienna's trams, U-Bahn and trains.

Together they travel from Vienna's first horse-drawn tram in 1865 through smoky steam trams, the arrival of electricity, the heyday of the tram network, and the mysterious origins of Vienna's U-Bahn. Why does Vienna have a U6 but no U5? What exactly is a U-Strab? Why do some trams have numbers while others still have letters? And can you spot an abandoned U-Bahn station from a moving train?

Plus, Carmen discovers that she apparently lives on not one but two pieces of Vienna's public transport history — and Paul gets the chance to prove that he really does know his stuff. A special episode about the trains, trams and U-Bahns that keep Vienna moving, with a special guest who may just be better at this than we are.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!

LINKS

• https://wienuncovered.com/geisterbahnhof-lerchenfelder-strasse-in-wien/

• https://www.public-transport.at/nummernsystem_strassenbahn_wien.htm
• https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Schaffner
• https://www.meinbezirk.at/hernals/c-lokales/erste-pferdetramway-fuehrte-nach-hernals_a873833
• https://www.planetizen.com/features/130700-mass-transit-and-manure-new-yorks-lost-era-horse-drawn-streetcars#:~:text=In%20November%201832%2C%20the%20Bowery,Side%20up%20to%20Union%20Square

Summer has arrived, which means it's time for the next installment of our Vienna Survival Guide. This time, Carmen walks Stephen through the finer points of surviving everyday Viennese life: why you must always open a window for some fresh air, only to immediately complain "es zieht!" (there's a draft!); our complicated relationship with air conditioning; the unwritten rules of elevator etiquette; and the active participation required whenever someone inevitably shouts, "Zweite Kassa bitte!" at the supermarket. We also dive into the great Viennese tradition of Raunzen—the fine art of complaining—which, strangely enough, is only possible because things generally work so well in the first place. This is livability, baby.

For more, check us out on social media at viennapastandpresent or at viennapastandpresent.com. Reach out to us at viennapastandpresent@gmail.com. We love hearing feedback and ideas. Danke!