Apr 26-28 Vienna, Austria

Day 1: We rode 1st class on the Rail Jet train from Budapest to Vienna and changed trains once. Piece of cake. Well, actually that is not true...we arrived at the Budpest terminal 30 mins early as we were instructed. Our departure time was 0910 hrs. We stood looking our usual clueless selves and not one but TWO people pointed to our train and we did what u might ask? we stood there and nodded. what dopes! well it finallly dawns on me they were saying that the pretty shiny red train before us was IT and we had 200 meters (i do not know what the F that means in yards but it was a moderate jog). we get to the first class area and the doors are closed, crap, what to do, what to do? OH, we watched others push a button on the door and oila it opens and a little stair comes down, coolness, so now we are all set with like 5 mins to spare. we finally find our seats, they recline and have fold down foot rests and is very sparce with people so we could move around and get good views. First class gets magazines, orange juice, KIT KAT and they go get your food for you rather than eat with the common folk in the dining car of all places...i shudder to think! We got to Vienna with no drama, got our tickets for Hallstatt for the following day and found our way from the terminal quite easily. We had a taxi (Mietwagon- i love that,,,MEAT WAGON) ahahahha the driver was from Jamaica and was very pleasant. the Best Western Hotel on Harmoniegasse is very very nice, room is very large, beds comfortable with down comforters (they just fold them on the bed, there is no sheet and blanket to haggle with, the bathroom has a bidet (scared to try it) and a tub that is so high it is above my knee when i stand. The large windows that open and it is not hot here! woohoo...and there is no smell of doodoo and urine like in Budapest. The first evening we split up and i got on a tour bus with the other cattle and Julie went on her own adventure viewing a nice park and some other momuments of interest (i will let her elaborate). I got to see Staatsoper (the opera house), Heldenplatz (hero square), Schwedenplatz and Stephansdom (that had some museums, cathedrals etc that were very nice. St Stephens cathedral has catacombs...ooooo creepy, but i kept missing it. shucks. the Hilton Hotel is actually a landmark here because it is the equivalent to the Ritz in New York i am told. it looks like any western hotel with shiny windows but then i did not go inside. while at Schwedenplatz i accidentally found Starbucks and got my dau sarah another mug. This is where they have people painted in gold or silver, protest animal cruelty (pigs in pens), street performers, and where u can rent a old timey horse drawn carriage like in Mozart's time..and the dude driving is dressed in period clothing,,,really cool, really expensive...i took a photo and will have to just pretend. i got some Happy Noodles which are asian noodles that "look" like chow mein but does not quite taste like it. i also bought a miniature chocolate cake...the choc here tastes a little different but is still good!

Day 2: we got up early, missed breakfast, Julie was not feeling well again but she felt better later on. We had a beautiful train ride to Hallstatt- OMG, just amazing is all i can say, will post some photos later if possible. wow, just cant describe it, takes your breathe away, jules and i were at the church there and she stops to take photos, and i have to get to a bathroom or wet my britches, so suffice to say, but the time i find one and get back, julie is already gone, i start looking for her for about 30 seconds and the scenery distracted me and i walked and walked, it is gorgeous, great for someone who wants to RELAX like Dubrovnik, Croatia was. i walked the LONG way to the trolley up the mountain, cuz i am directionally challenged but hey i got to see more of the city that way. took the trolley up the mountain and all was good, got to see some skeletons and a coffin and learn some history of Hallstatt and their salt mines. well, got on some foot path which is uphill, but i think i can- i think i can, and continue until i reach a bulldozer blocking the small path...i pass him ok the first time and then the path gets hella f'ing steep,,,,u are supposed to put on mining clothes and then go thru the salt mines,,,sounds cool, and i tried 2 TIMES to make it up that hill before saying F#$% it and started downt the path...it was deserted and stupid me had just watched the move Deliverance and the woods like like that and i thought i do not even have the breathe left in me to "squeal like a pig" even if i had to...i was sooooooooooooo out of breath, huffing and puffing like some old person. ahahhaha oh yeah, i am old. so on the way down i was trying to squeeze by the bulldozer and avoid biffing down the cliff and fell on the bulldozer and got mud all over me,,,awesome. Jules and i made some Oscar worthy videos to be viewed by invitation only ahahhahaha. dont want to spoil the surprise but only these 2 American idiots abroad would do, and our madness continued at the train station. oh, you take a ferry from the train out to Hallstatt, google it- u wont believe it.

we did not get back to the hotel until midnight or so and spent quite awhile being frustrated about not being able to charge anything. i had an hour left on my netbook and googled that i do not need the huge heavy electricity converter i could just use the adaptor and the heavens opened and things were charging finally! there is no laundry facility here only dry cleaning, the are laundromat closed 2 years ago, so i had to wash pants in the sink night before last and today i am in my last pair of clean chonies so i have used my last travel side Tide and washed 2 pair of pants and 5 chonies and 2 pr of socks - the chonies and socks are hanging out the window, the pants in the bathroom, i will run the blow dryer on them to at least get the crotch dry- i miss my washer and dryer! it is europe after all, so i think chonies blowing in the wind is a little like Petticoat Junction and american television is all the rage over here. Every single taxi i have been in here they have been listening to cover bands singing american music- weird, no one yet has listened to authenic homegrown music.

Day 3: i skipped breakfast and hoofed it about 2 miles and got the bus at the Opera House an hour early so i spotted another Starbucks and they have never heard of iced tea so i got the next closest thing a hot chocolate, they told another person NO PICTURES, so i took advantage that my video camera does not have a light in front and filmed them in length- no neener neener on your wiener (schnitzel), that is actually the appropriate usage here. i got on the bus and went to Kuntshaus which in English is Hundertwasserhaus- yeah really...so it is some dude who was kinda forward thinker and a strange architect who built a weirdly awesome house that is over 9000 feet large...really random shit, picture something like living in a house decorated by Picasso (i will forward a photo and i hope it does it justice) since his death in 2000 it is now a private residence. His view was anyone who lives there should have "window rights" which means as you hang out your window you should be able to paint or decorate whatever u can reach outside your window...ahahahaha they have a video u watch that explains his views and is like a documentary with him speaking at well. i then went to the district of Prater that has the countries largest ferris wheel and took photos and videos there as well...really cool. i bought a ticket for the Danube Tower but then missed my stop because i got tangled in my headphones that narrate the tour and did not exit the bus in time...shit. oh well, the ferris wheel gave me great panoramic views of Vienna. i had some sour apple gelato at the shopping district which after about 20 mins forced me to hail a taxi and code 3 it to the hotel if u know what i mean- but so worth it. everyone here eats ice cream it is nuts. i saw a guy tied in chains doing a hoodini act and i learned Houdini was from Austria...so i got a history lesson as well. i stupidly washed my clothing in the sink which is soaking wet and i am fucking hungry but all i have are my pajamas so when it gets dark (hopefully soon) i will walk to the end of the street and grab me an Armenian pizza. if i knew how to dial internationally i would call them to deliver but i will go out in the dark cuz everyone know PJs look like regular clothes in the dark,duh. i met a really nice Dutch couple who finally made it to Vienna after planning to go 46 years ago.

well, hoping and praying for darkness to fall= i am soooooooooooo hungry...bye Becks
**tomorrow we are off to Prague, Czech Republic.