Absolute Austria

Been a while since my last post. I've been to Vienna and Bratislava in the past few days. My last day in Budapest was going to include a brief visit to the baths. But it didn't. The tram across town got stuck in construction and we actually were asked to push. Along with about 10 locals, I heaved all my might into the back of a several ton eastern european public transport vehicle. I gave up and walked away pretty quickly realizing it was a futile attempt. On my way out of Budapest I was caught without a ticket for the tram and slapped with a 2500 HUF fine, about 12 bucks. I didn't have any cash but I was fortunate enough to be traveling with a Floridian who did. E xcellent backpacker karma for him.

Tuesday: I pulled into Vienna with the hopes of finding a place to stay. As it worked out there was a brand new hostel only two minutes from the station. The Wombat Lounge, as it was called, was my base for the next three nights. That first night some hostel mates and I met the self proclaimed "greatest country western singer in all of Europe." All we knew was that she was a little bit batty and a whole lotta fun. She drove us to some obscure local irish pub that puts most irish pubs I've seen to shame.

Wednesday was tourist day. A group of us from the hostel made our way to the Schloss Schonbrun palace for a walk and a picnic with a view of the whole city. None of us saw reason to pay 9 Euro to peer into the 40 open rooms of the palace's 1410 rooms. I took off on my own to enjoy the Kunsthist. Museum which to my delight had an incredible ancient Egyptian and Greek display. I wasn't too keen on the 16th and 17th century religious art...too many halos and cherubs. At night, Vienna is a diner's dream. The vehicle-free downtown area is alive with the din of chatter and clink of glasses. The balmy evening brought everyone out for drinks, conversation, and people watching. I'd never seen anything like it at home. So many people just enjoying a relaxed evening.

Thursday: I swam in the Danube. I wasn't the only one, either. In fact, I stumbled across what seemed to be the typical afternoon pasttime for the people of Vienna. Take a dip in the river and sunbathe (tops optional).

Ana from Portugal asked if I'd join her on her visit to Bratislava and Ljublana. I had been considering Munich, but had no reservations about changing plans for a travel partner.

Friday: utter chaos as I tried to meet up with Ana in Bratislava. The plan was simple enough that morning in Vienna. She would take the bus because it was cheaper for her. I would take the train because it was only a few dollars. I would arrive earlier than her in Bratislava and meet her at her arrival station. I knew it wouldn't be as easy as it seemed but things have a way of working out so we were off. I missed my train by seven minutes so I had to catch the next in an hour. Arriving in Bratislava, I realized I was in the middle of nowhere with no clue how to get anywhere. With hand signals, numbers, and a smile, I was able to get from the locals that I needed tram 93 to the main station in order to get to the meeting point with Ana at a different station. So I hopped tram 93 to the main station. Once there I lucked out and asked the right local who spoke great english but couldn't explian the transport to my destination. Andre, the good samaritan that he was, offered to drive me there after he parted with his four girlfriends. I showed up an hour past the meeting time with Ana (although we'd discussed the possibility of me catching the later train) but she was nowhere in sight. So I bought an ice cream bar and sat down to consider what to do next. Not ten minutes later, a very ruffled Ana sat down next to me. She had slept through her stop on the bus and had a hell of a time getting back to her stop.

In light of the unnecessary stress caused by sticking the orignal plan of a stop in Bratislava and a night in Ljublana, we found a hostel. Amazing what the simple knowledge of having a place to sleep can do to a situation.

There isn't a whole lot to see outside of the old town of Bratislava, except the big castle on the hill. Like Vienna, this city has a pedestrian only center where the sidewalks are host to outdoor caffes and ice cream stands. The nightlife here is incredible. We were lucky enough to have a hostel across the street from THE nightclub/disco of the weekend. Great DJ's spun throbbing techno beats till 4 in the morning both Friday and Saturday night.

Yesterday was lazy sightseeing day, although as mentioned there isn't a whole lot to see for free.

Today is Sunday and I've parted ways with Ana. She's off to Madrid for a flight home and I'm off to either Venice of Munich. I doubt I'll do Munich but it's still a possibility. Italy is the highlight of this trip and I intend to give it a full two weeks.

That's it for now, no pictures because they are impossible to load here.

ciao ciao