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Published: November 3rd 2005
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On the train
This was my roomate from Rome to Vienna. I planned about a week and half or two weeks ago to spend my long weekend in Austria. I booked train reservations and hostels and gave anyone the option to join me. Originally a trip to Venice was scheduled this weekend but that got cancelled, so Sam decided to join me for the Vienna leg of the journey.
Then on Wednesday Tricia and Megan bought tickets.
Last minute, right?
No. Ryan didn't buy his until Thursday afternoon.
So, Thursday evening Megan and I run to Totis for train snacks and run to meet everyone at the Quinns. The 5 of us headed out to Termini and got on our train for Vienna.
Tricia and Megan ended up in the same car and Samantha, Ryan and I each in different couchettes. I was with a nice older man who was born in Spain and raised in Germany and now lives in Austria. He spoke English, Spanish and German. He showed me how me practiced English. He said "I understand English but don't speak it well because I have no one to speak with. I practice with this." and hands me a WWII US Army issued Bible. He
St. Stephens
The gothic Cathedral in central Vienna. reads a few chapters every day to practice English.
After chatting with him I joined Tricia and Megan in their then-empty couchette and found Ryan. Sam ended up somehow in first class and we couldn't get to her, so the four of us enjoyed our bread, chocolate, olives, apples, and wine. Then we went off to get some rest.
The train made some stops and somewhere in the voyage I got 2 more roomates who didn't notice me up on my bunk and threw their luggage on top of me for a minute. I was half awake then anyway.
We got off in Vienna and Ryan had info on a Vienna card that covers transportation and lots of site discounts, so we bought that and headed to the hostel. We left our bags and the hostel and went in search of food. We got a snack at a cute Backerei by the hostel and walked down the Marienheilfenstrasse - a street with a lot of shopping - while Trisha went in to see a furniture museum (she's an interior design major and loved it).
Then we went back to the hostel to put our bags in
The Jewish Museum
A little boy looks an an exhibit. our room and then we went to a Turkish restaurant and ate a really good lunch. After relaxing we split group and Tricia, Megan and I went to the Jewish museum which had a really neat exhibit of holograms. We walked around the old part of town and saw St. Stephens Cathedral.
We also had good treats and hot drinks (coffee and hot chocolate) at a little cafe called Aida.
That evening we met back up with Sam and Ryan at a nice little restaurant and ate another good meal. Then we were exhuasted so we went back to the hostel to catch up on sleep.
Saturday we got up and went back to the little Backerei for a tasty breakfast. Then we all went to the Freud museum. I got to see Freud's couch. That was a fun place. Then we ate lunch next door at the Freud cafe. The food was cheap and delicious and this one sweet Austrian lady cooked it all herself.
Then Megan and Tricia and I went off in search of the Opera house and Sacher Torte cake. The cake lived up to its reputation. We got 3 seats with
Freud Museum
Freud's couch. a short wait at the bar and each ordered Sacher Torte and Sacher Tea which were actually delicious in combination.
Then we headed next door to a chocolate store for "Mozart's Balls" which Matteo recomended. A little chocolatey treat. Then we wandered that shopping area until near dusk when we headed to the Danube tower for a wonderful but cold evening view of the city.
On the way back from the Tower we stopped in an odd little church we found. It was an insanely modern Catholic church. The stations of the cross were modern sketches, the building had an unusual shape, a slit in the ceiling, and circular windows of different sizes covering the walls.
Then we stopped at oddly enough an Italian cafe for a drink while we waited for the others and mostly to warm up. We met them and headed to the restaurant in the Avertine (sp?) museum basement. Megan and I split some kind of amazing cheese and herb appetizer.
Then Tricia and I headed back to the hostel where I gathered my stuff and left for the train staiton. More on Hallstatt in the next blog.
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