英语播客 A Cup of English Vienna by chance.

Have you ever been to Vienna? I was lucky enough to get there by chance during my trip to Europe. How can anyone go to Vienna by chance? Any person with a brain would go there deliberately, right? Well, because I didn't have a lot of time, I had to fly to a different place each day. After visiting a friend in Frankfurt, I flew the next morning to Nice to visit my friend Lorraine. Now, when I had organized my flights back at home, I had chosen the cheapest flights possible. My reasoning was, well, I would be by myself, having an adventure, so I could easily put up with a bit of discomfort, or a few extra airports. My flight from Frankfurt to Nice was not direct. I booked it through Expedia.com, which I have used before. There was to be a short change of plane in Vienna, and then the journey would continue. So, Thursday morning came, and my friend, Blanca, dropped me off at the airport. I noticed that it was quite foggy, but I really didn't pay much attention. I got to the gate just when the announcer told us that the flight would be delayed by about one hour. Mmm, I would be in a big hurry to catch my connecting flight. And, as you can guess, when I arrived at Vienna, my connecting flight had already left, and I was put on a later flight, five hours later. It just so happens that there is a bullet train from the airport into the city. So, before you could blink an eye, I found myself in Stephensplatz, the center of Vienna, gazing at the cathedral wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I say open-mouthed because the architecture is stunning. I walked through the maze of cobbled streets and squares taking pictures and video clips. I rushed into a bakery and bought a pastry; well, everyone was walking around eating pastries! I wanted to fit in! It was a beautiful, sunny day, but very cold. So, I had a good excuse to buy myself a scarf. By the time my four hours in Vienna were up, my feet ached because I had walked non-stop. I would have loved to have stayed longer, of course. But, I contented myself on the plane by resting my feet and having a good look at the photos of my day's adventure.

Grammar notes.

Expressions: to put up with, it just so happens, in the blink of an eye, to fit in.

Our neighbors are very noisy. We have to put up with it; we have no other choice.

Do you need some nail clippers? It just so happens that I have some in my pocket.

Someone let the dogs out of the front door, and in the blink of an eye, they had disappeared.

Teenagers try so hard to fit in at school. They often change their style to look like everyone else.