Tagebuch: November 2006

Dear Diary,

The Obere Donaustrasse is one of the better places to live in Vienna’s 2nd District. It is nice and quiet, safe and only a bridge away from the centre. Also, the U-Bahn is just a bridge away. But in a year, an entrance is planned here on our street right in front of No. 59.

Two years ago, I moved to my cozy apartment at – you guessed it –  Obere Donaustrasse 59. There were some signs of construction getting underway, but my landlord assured me it wouldn’t last long. I have now lived here for two years, and they’re still at it – if anything, more than ever.

The construction site is directly under my window. Not only do they have to drill, install electrical equipment and lay track, but the workers also had to dig a tunnel under the Danube Canal to connect the existing exit to the new one.

For months we could feel very loud, throbbing vibrations coming from underground. These I think were the water pumps, operating day and night. I mean, I could live with the loss of parking spaces, inaccessible streets, dirty windows, endless drilling. But the night noises were bringing me close to a nervous break down. The noise would start, go for a couple of minutes (just long enough to wake you up) and then stop again.

Then, just as suddenly as they had started, they stopped again. Phew, I thought. The worst had passed.

Boy, was I wrong. This summer’s construction was even more intense. Every morning between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. the noise started, a cacophony of sounds of metal falling from the sky, drilling and hammering, workers shouting, whistles blowing, beepers whining. A couple of times I made the major mistake of falling asleep with an open window… until the early morning roar came crashing in on my brain.

After two weeks of not sleeping I was considering going to a hotel, just to get a normal night’s sleep without my windows shaking and books falling from their shelves.

Then suddenly, it passed. The construction is much quieter now. I hope all the heavy construction is done. And it will be great to have the U-Bahn stop right outside of my building door.