Days 3 and 4 - Hallo aus dem Hinterland

Grüße! (greetings)


Getting up at 5am to catch a 7am train to Vienna was ok. Going to bed after midnight after not sleeping well the previous 2 days due to jetlag and too much caffeine in the tea, was not. However, Diane and I slogged through our sleepiness, caught a taxi to the train station, and hopped on the train to Wien. Caught a few zzzz's on the train, very few. Too much eye candy train shaking to sleep.  

Our goals in Vienna were very simple; see some great architecture, and give Diane some time to do womanly stuff - such as check out the shopping. Nothing more. Since we only had about 24 hours, we didn't have time for anything more anyway. However, I do believe that we accomplished both - and got in some sleepy time too. We had already maxed-out Diane's patience with so much family history talk and eating that she was ready to barf - not from the eating but from the family history talk, so I really did have to give her time to get shopping out of her system. She's fine now, thanks for asking. It's now me that's getting sick. I'm sure I'll begin to feel better some months after the bills come due.  

With that said, Vienna is a beautiful city. After getting off the train from Budapest, we wanted to first get to the hotel to dump off our stuff, and then figure out where to go and what to do. We hadn't really planned for this side trip as it was kind of a last minute thing, so we needed some time to figure it all out. I had noted the train station nearest the hotel, so it wasn't that difficult to figure out which trains to use. After changing trains at the Volkstheater bahnhof, it was only a few more stations until our stop.  

One thing about going to some unknown place on the train, is that you never know which end of the station to exit, nor which street you'll come out on. And it's never the one you want. The station signs and maps don't usually help much either. The website for the hotel said that the train station was only .1 miles from the hotel, so it shouldn't be to bad. And wouldn't you know it, it wasn't (thought I was going to take you through a long, drawn-out journey with a bunch of twists and turns, didn't you? Sorry.) We took about 5 steps out of the station and Diane saw the hotel. Wow, now that's different! I was impressed. Not only because the hotel was so close, but that Diane was awake enough and not too wobbly to notice it in the first place.  

Nice hotel. We were staying at the Marriott Courtyard Messe because I had points so it was free, and we didn't want to stay at the fancier Marriott because we weren't going to be in the room that much anyway. And because I'm cheap - ok, not always. From my perspective, this particular Courtyard was better than the US Courtyards which I stay at plenty for business.  

So we dumped our stuff, as tired as we were, went down to the receptionist and got some ideas where to go. Ok, it wasn't that hard to decide where to go. We went to the shopping district. Duh. It happens to be in the central part of the city called Stephensplatz. 

When we got off the train at our stop, the sights were unbelievable. The architecture was fantastic even though I hadn't a clue as to where we were. We were back to the old problem of - which side of the train station did we come out on? After turning the map upside down and sideways, turning around a few times, and dancing a jig, we took our first few pictures of a fantastic somethingorother building, walked across the street, and figured out where we were. We finally made it to Kärntner Straße - the high-end shopping district. Diane was awake now and feeling much, much better thank you. So, we went shopping.

Actually, the plaza is really nice. Lots of very cool architecture for me to look at (as well as other things - things that are structurally sound so to speak,) and lots of stores for Diane to look at (as well as other things, like more stores.)

 Caption: Diane mesmerized by all of the stores and not knowing which way to turn.

Stephensplatz is the geographical center of Vienna, and Kärntner Straße is the home of Stephensdom, one of the tallest churches in the world. The spires are...inspiring. It's partially under maintenance, so that's the stuff you see on the left of the photo and below the spire.

For lunch, one of the guide books recommended a deli called Meinl. It's more of a multi-floor, giant grocery store than a deli as we know it, but it had a restaurant on the second floor so we rode the elevator and got seated. The food was very decent (I had the Wiener-Schnitzel.) Ok all you old folks, let's hearken back to a time in the 1960s for a moment. Think now, of that large, happy fellow named Sergeant Shultz from Hogan's Heros. And picture him when he was thinking about his wife's cooking, especially Weiner-Schnitzel - "ahhhhhhh" (pat stomach, roll eyes and smack lips several times) "Weinerrrrrr-Schnitellll" (wipe mouth with sleeve after drooling.) Well, that's pretty much what I did! It was really, really good. I have had it only 1 time before, and it was dry and tough. This was exactly the opposite - moist and melt-in-your-mouth goodness. "Wienerrrrrr-Schnitzellllll. Ahhhhhhhh" (roll eyes and wipe mouth with sleeve.)

We saved some room for dessert, because there was no way I wasn't going to have something sweet here in Vienna - the very capital of the world for desserts. However, before we left I had to pay the bill. After waiting an eternity, I received the bill and noticed an extra charge so I questioned it. Now I believe that I am a fairly sophisticated traveler, but I haven't been in Europe for a while. I can't honestly say that I ever recall seeing a $7.50 charge for the silverware and tablecloth! Now others who have had more time on the continent may have seen it, but I was nary amused by it all.

After leaving the restaurant, we walked down the platz and found a really great looking pastry shop called Gerstner - been around for a few centuries or so. We were very fortunate to find a table in the back of the crowded store and sat down. In fairly short order the waitress brought us our tea and (ok you Hogan's Hero's fans) appppplllllleee struuudelllll (cue the rolling of the eyes and lip smacking.) Ohmygosh, it was incredible!

So we had our fill and continued to walk around and get accosted by several sales goons in costume trying to pawn Mozart opera tickets for "the final night of the performance with center section seating on the isle at the premier opera house in Vienna." We listened politely, and then passed. I've heard it all before. Apparently, every seat in every theater is center section isle seating.

So we walked and we shopped and we walked and we shopped, hit the antique stores, and hit the clothing stores, and after some unknown time, we finally had had it. Got on the train and went back to the hotel. It was about 6:30pm. We went to bed at about 8:00pm (I can hear you saying "Are you joking? You're in Vienna for a lousy day and a half and you went to sleep at 8pm? What are you, nuts?) and woke at about ..... 8:00am. I guess we must have been tired?  We had already been at maximum over the past 3 days, our flat in Budapest can be noisy at times as it's in the city, and the hotel room was so quiet, and the bed so soft, and it was really dark. Couldn't pass it up. It worked out well though. We needed the rest. And I didn't need any more shopping.

Thursday, October 28
Now what to do today? After careful consideration, and some minor arm twisting, we decided to check out of the hotel and go to the Fine Arts Museum. But first, we had some breakfast at the expense of Re-Max, the real estate company. They were having a gathering in the hotel lobby with danish, etc., so we partook just enough to satisfy ourselves and left. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was for Re-Max people only. Oh well. Too late. Can't give it back.

We got off the train at the museum quarter, but we never got to where we were going. Guess where we ended up? Yep, we went shopping! Yeah! In the same area as yesterday no less - seems that the museum quarter is within, um, walking distance of Stephensplatz.

While performing my husbandly duties in making sure my wife was getting a good shopping fix, we ran across a nice set of antique jade phallics in their erect state from India - no, not used for youknowwhat, but as a good luck gift for being fertile. Very amusing. Then to another antique dealer where the wife almost spent a fortune on a small bronze, 20 point buck (deer) to hang on the wall somewhere in the house - somewhere she had yet to determine - with money she had yet to determine. After a carefully thought out discussion (ahem) and with some pretty hard arm twisting by the dealer, she finally saw the err of her ways and passed on the deer (no additional comment from the peanut gallery needed here.)

After a decent pizza lunch (hey, I can't say that I've ever had pizza anywhere but the US.  Nope, never been to Italy) we decided to head back to Budapest.


Did the train thing and got to the Westbahnhof train station with about 45 minutes to spare. However, um, "Where are the train tickets" I asked Diane? She scratched around and scratched around - got red in the face, scratched around some more. Dug deep into the bowels of her purse, the goodie bags, back into her purse, my bags. Gone. Doh! Arrrrrgh. Well that's another fine mess you've gotten us into!

This wasn't a problem that more money couldn't solve, as there was no way we were going to go back to either the antique dealer (no second chance to buy the bronze) or the pastry shop (ok, I could have gone back there.) After giving the ticket agent about 75 euros ($105) for 2 MORE tickets, all was well again with the world. But just a bit lighter in the wallet.

The trip home was, fortunately, uneventful, and so here we are. At the end of another day.

Tomorrow, Diane goes to the spa with my cousin while I go it alone to Gyongyos (pronounced something like djun-djoesh) to do some family research at the local cemetery.

Mmmmmmm, apppple-strudddelll........roll eyes, smack lips.

Gute Nacht. Jó éjszakát.