I needed some laundry done and arranged it with reception. It cost 56 Euro. Very expensive. I Had hand washed my jacket in the bathroom sink the day before because I wanted to wear it today when I was around town. It had become a little smelly from all the cigarette smoke. While I arranged the laundry to be done, I also decided to pay for a sight seeing tour. I was going to do it on my own but when I looked at the map, i got confused and to spare getting lost, I decided to do an organised tour.
The tour was 39 Euro. I paid at reception and got my ticket. The man at reception told me they will pick me up at 9:00 AM and to be waiting in the lobby. That meant I had 30 minutes to prepare. I drank a Red Bull while I packed my daypack. I marked where the hotel was on a map just in case the tour ended in a place I didn't recognise, then went downstairs to wait.
My transfer came at 9:15 and I got in his black van. He drove to another hotel and picked up another couple. Then he drove out of town to a train station/bus interchange. Some people checked our tickets and directed us onto different buses for different tours. My bus was half full. I got on and sat near the back. Soon after we left and drove around Vienna. The thing about these kinds of tours is that it's all from the bus and there is no getting off with exception for particular sights. It was freezing cold so a bit of time on a bus wasn't such a bad thing. It had snowed the day before but notably, there was not really any snow or ice laying around in the city.
I knew that most of the sights were near the hotel anyway so I could go afterwards and take some photos, but I definitely saw most of the city from the bus and was still able to get some photos. Vienna is incredible, there is nothing I don't like about the city, except maybe the restaurants can be expensive. It is hard to imagine that I will see a city I like more than Vienna. As i wrote earlier, it has all the charm of it's Eastern European neighbours (however more civilised), mixed with low prices (compared to Australia) for all the essentials and an amazing atmosphere. Viennese culture is heavily influenced by both German and Italian (or more specifically ancient Roman) heritages.
Vienna needs to go on everyone's list to visit. I only regret is that I have to leave tomorrow. There are many statues and monuments scattered around the city.
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There are very few modern style buildings in Vienna but the one place you do see them is, as the tour guide told us, "The area that was heavily bombed during World War 2" she then went on to explain that over 2,000 homes were destroyed.
After driving around the city we stopped at Schonbunn Palace. It's a big palace where the emporer of the Austro-Hungarian empire lived until the end of World War 1. The palace has over 200 rooms. We went inside and saw a small selection, but photo's can only be taken from the outside as all the furniture inside is original or has been restored.
The gardens surrounding the palace are enormous. We were given 45 minutes to wander around them but you could easily spend 2 hours before you saw everything. There are statues ling all the paths in the garden and many more scattered throughout. There are 2 big monuments at the end of the gardens. One on top of a hill and one down below. The monuments were interesting but I found myself more intrigued by the squirrels running around the garden. I watched one not be scared of pedestrians on the path and 2 others chase each other up a tree.
Inside the palace were elegant crystal chandeliers and paintings of historical events in the life of Austria's Royal family. There was a poster where the bus picked us up displaying some of the rooms. I took a picture to provide some sort of idea.
After the palace we were dropped outside the opera house which was not far from my hotel and the surrounding attractions. I took a walk around town and took some photo's of the other points of interest. Europe is filled with these amazingly designed churches and cathedrals. Whilst I despise all organised religion and have no desire to visit churches, the architecture is still something I am impressed by.
Once I had taken in the sights I went back to the hotel and decided I needed to find something to eat. I wandered around the city and stumbled across an Italian restaurant down an alley with construction going on around it. I entered and it was quite charming little restaurant. There were empty wine bottles on a shelf that ran around the entire walled surface of the restaurant. each one was a different Italian wine.
I was directed to choose any table I wanted in the corner near the doorway of the restaurant. Once seated the waiter gave me some menus and a basket of Italian bread. It took me awhile to decide what to eat. Everything sounded good. I ordered a Campari as an apperatif, then the Mozarella de pomadoro e Rucala (Mozarella with Tomato and Rocket). It was good as I expected. It was drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil and fresh cracked black pepper. I asked. They sold Chianti in a glass here so I got a 200Ml vase of Chianti. It was good Chianti. For the main I ordered Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (Tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce). It was ok, but I have had better Bolognese sauce, in fact I have made better, but I just felt like some Bolognese. I had Limoncello to cleanse the palate.
The meal cost me 33.00 Euro. I left a 12 Euro tip and walked out. There are some decent restaurants here in Vienna that don't cost a lot. I found one here. After I left the restaurant I walked back to the where the hotel is located. I went to the Billa and bought 4 beers for less than 5 Euro and came back to the hotel. I wrote the previous story then this one. I also printed off the bookings for my accomodation in Germany.
Tomorrow I am on the 10:00 train to Munchen (Munich), I will need to leave here not long after 8:30 AM. I will finish the story then collect my laundry and pack my bags. In Munich i will stay in a hostel. Am I worried about safety?... NO. Am I worried some scungy fuck will steal my stuff?... Yes. I have a private room with private bathroom, so I am assuming it will have a lock on the door. Anyway outside of the concerns for personal property, it may present a good opportunity for me to spend some more time with people outside of my own head.
On Thursday, I struggled with the loneliness a little again. Maybe it was a little bit ambitious thinking I could tackle most of Europe on my own. It's been about 2 and a half weeks since I saw my last friendly face in Miss C. Now everybody is a stranger. I will re-evaluate when I get to the UK. Whatever...... Here's to adventure.
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