Saturday, Aug. 2nd--Visiting Vienna

After spending 12 hours in stations and trains on Friday, we got into Vienna after 11:00 P.M. had come and gone, and for the most part, we were gone.  My last nerve was on a DNR list (Do Not Resuscitate), Kat was limping from racing up and down stairs and my sense of humor was sailing away down the Danube.

We grabbed a cab at the station and tried to convey our hotel name using sign, facial, body and telegram to our cabbie from Azerbaijan who had a total of 6 words he worked with. Coming out of the train station, we passed at least 10 adult entertainment establishments and a lot of large, dark, foreboding buildings - OMG, what have we done?  Anyhow, we made it to our Hotel Bellevue and were pleasantly surprised - nice room, helpful staff, air conditioning, nice breakfast buffet and 96 TV channels - all of them in German.  You haven't lived till you watch 2 1/2 Men in German.  We have seen some episodes so often that we were laughing right along with the German laugh track.

Well the light of morning arrived and with it, our first impressions took a 180.  Vienna is a large city that carries itself well and has a grace and dignity about it.  Both mornings, we walked 1 1/2 blocks to catch the "D" tram down to the Ringe Strasse. We just got off at the first amazing Church and then just followed our nose, or some helpful suggestions from other folks we met and chatted with along the way.  There are several points I would like to make regarding Vienna: 1.) Around every corner, there is an amazing building, fountain or statue or all three - just sitting there waiting for your sincere appreciation - which there was more than enough of and 2.)  Surrounding all those buildings, fountains and statues were these wonderful parks that were made for strolling, relaxing and digesting the wonder that is Vienna.  Also as a minor footnote, Austrians refer to their crown jewel as Wien, not Vienna which initially confused me but I did eventually catch on.

We also found that having traveled so far East, there are fewer English speakers, but in some ways, that is a welcome relief.  We are still listening to mindless chatter, but we don't know what they're saying.  We also have found things much cheaper here.  Our room cost only $98.00 a night and is much nicer than a lot of hotels we have stayed at which cost more Euros/Pounds.  Dining out is also cheaper - a $30 meal elsewhere comes in around $12.50 - and it is 5 star.

So Vienna is filled with long walks, casual dining, ice cream in copious amounts, laughter and a abundance of grins and guffaws.  This maybe early in the game but a future trip may start in Budapest and head South where our Euro stretches further and our standard of living will actually rise.

Checking out the local news

Our station and the D tram

The first big church and park we saw.  We took a chance and got off the tram.

We picked up a sandwich and had a picnic.  It was the Sigmund Freud Park.

Look at the beautiful roof

Then  we went in the church

I love the way the sun shining through the stained glass lights up the floor.

We walked the city hall.  They were having a film festival in the park in front of the building

Every window had a box with red flowers

We stopped for a beverage.  This is a panorama of the view....notice the city hall in the distance

Lots of choices of drinks.  It was Saturday and surprisingly uncrowded.

We continued to walk down the Ringestrasse and came to the Parliament building and lovely fountain

Statue on top of the Parliament

Sun streaming through the fountain mist

Fountain detail

Then walked across the street to the Volksgarten

Surprised to find one of the most beautiful rose gardens I've ever seen....the odor was fantastic

Panorama of the garden

View of the spires of the City Hall building over the trees

Older and newer modes of transportation

We bought tickets to a concert.  The Viennese Mozart players.  Our plan was to go to the Vienna Opera but they were on a gig out of town so this was plan B which was still very good.  We went out to dinner and then to the concert. 

The "Schwarz", fine dining and just around the corner from the music venue, ah we do so love the arts!

The Austrians know how to brew a good lager

So many people with camera's, we are now in over 100 family albums

These guys could play, and all dressed up in waistcoats and powdered wigs

The Soprano, I later asked her if she knew Tony - she gave me a questioning look, bada bing!

Friday, August 1--Taking the Train to Vienna

We had a good breakfast at the NH buffet and got a taxi to the station.  We knew we had a short connection in Hanover, but wanted to get into Vienna a little earlier in the evening.  So we boarded the train in good cheer and got ourselves a "sitting room" all to ourselves.  There were six seats so we could spread our stuff out and a door that closed.  More privacy, air conditioning......it was good.  We felt it was time we took advantage of our first class Eur-rail pass. 

But luck was not on our side.  We got into Hanover 8 minutes late.  The smiling conductor told us they would hold our connecting train, but he was a liar.  We got off the train, found that we had to downstairs, down the hall, upstairs again and catch the train to Wurzberg.  No elevator or moving stairs. So we did the run.  Just to find that the train was pulling out.  Arrrgghhh!

We went back downstairs wondering what in the heck we were going to do. We found our way to an information booth and the nice man working there informed us he didn't speak English.  But with a little sign language and he figured out what we were trying to do, and gave us a new schedule. We had two, hour-long layovers (Hanover and Wurzburg) and would arrive in Vienna at 11.  Arrggghhh again! 

The German people we tried to talk to were supremely UNhelpful.  For instance, when we got off the train in Wurzberg there were more stairs.  My knee was already aching from carrying my suitcase up and down stairs in Hanover.  I asked an official on the platform if there was a lift.  He said "no lift" and pointed to the stairs.  I said (and mimed)  "how do people in wheelchairs ride the train?" and he said "no lift" and walked away.  Grrrrr!  At any rate, we did take advantage of the first class ticket and had comfortable seats the whole way.

Watching a movie

Selfie in our personal section

Stabbing myself with a fork in frustration and boredom.  No harm was done in to the fork in filming.

Took this picture in Wurzburg while walking to pay 1 Euro to use the bathroom.  It was only .50 in Brugges

The only reasonable place to eat in Wurzburg was McDonalds.....the only time we stooped so low!  You can see Jeff's excitement ( nothing like a cheeseburger Royale, thought I might run into Samuel L. Jackson)

Withholding judgment in Nuremburg

Lovely sunset over Germany from the train window.

Taking the train for 10 hours gave me time to think about the trip so far.  We are about half-way done with our travels.  It is really going fast, as every day is a new adventure:  So, my thoughts so far....

First, traveling is hard work!  We are having a wonderful time seeing amazing sights, but the actual carrying, packing, and walking around is really tiring.  The great thing is that both Jeff and I are feeling stronger each day.  We are walking further with more stamina and energy.  Our schedule is pretty well set.  We get up about 8 and breakfast.  Then spend time in the hotel getting organized and writing and then head out for whatever is on the agenda that day.  We come home exhausted at about 3-5 pm, take at least an hour nap and a shower, do our laundry and go out again for dinner and more wandering around.  We come home at around 11, go to bed at 12 or 1 am and start over again the next day.  On travel days, we pack up the night before and go to bed earlier and get up earlier. 

I am loving the way we are traveling.  We have made a pact that we will avoid museums.  In fact, we have lots of pictures of museums we didn't go to.  Walking slowly around a museum is more exhausting than walking briskly outside.  We like to walk around in parks and gardens.  We like to see and go into cathedrals.  We like to see and enjoy fountains, old buildings and historic sights.  We love to eat new and different food and strike up conversations with other diners and wait staff.  We like to get the feel of a town.....each one is different.  It is a challenge to find out what to see and figure out how to get there, but a fun and exciting challenge.

We have both been careful to take care of each other and our health and so far, we have been feeling really great.  It is hard to sit still on the train or in a plane for long periods, but we know we will be walking around when we arrive.  Jeff is a great companion.  He is adaptable, friendly and easygoing.  So much fun!

The people we have met, have been the best thing about the trip.  With only a few exceptions, everyone has been friendly and helpful.  Sometimes embarrassingly so.  For instance, tonight we were looking for a place to eat.  We were crossing the street with a young woman who was carrying a heavy box and had a brace on her knee.  We offered to help her, but she refused.  As we reached the other side, I asked if there was a good place to eat around here.  She stopped, put down the box and told us of a place nearby.  I asked if she knew if it was open on Sunday, she whipped out her cell phone, looked it up, and found it was closed. We talked for a couple of minutes, then, still refusing our help, she picked up her box and we said our goodbyes.  We found that over and over again, people who were willing to help us, showing the better part of humanity. 

One other thing....it is a real gift to be able to travel this way at this time in our lives.  We are meeting other travelers, but most of them are young.  A surprising number of them have young children also.  It is hard enough for us to get around with just the two of us.  I can't imagine doing the same with little kids.  In Amsterdam and London we saw lots of families traveling together.  There are lots of Asians, mostly as part of tour groups.  There are a few Muslim women in full garb and many in headscarves. In England there were lots of teens in tour groups.  We met a group of young men in Bristol that were from North Carolina.  We saw many young couples, or groups of 3 or 4 college age kids.  We've met people from Spain, Scandinavia, Kent in England, Seattle, Washington DC, Singapore, China, Japan, and all over Europe. It's been an amazing journey so far.

Jeff here - I am in full agreement with what Kat just said.  Travel is an education, sans the classrooms, books and midterms.  We learn about history, struggle, ideas, visions, humor, art, architecture, love, hate, joy, sadness, kindness, rudeness, the human condition and self.  Self meaning how to take care of oneself and each other in a foreign environment, when to be strong, when to say enough or to just take a break.  This has been a truly wonderful experience, I am truly blessed to be able to not only do this but to be doing it with my best friend.  A friend who has energy, drive and can read me like a book, (a long book like War and Peace)

Tuesday, Wed. and Thur., July 29, 30, 31--Amazing Amsterdam

We are really finding our groove with getting in to the swing of traveling on a long basis.  We launder our clothes on almost a daily basis so it never gets to be a horrible chore.  What is really nice is that most of our clothes are designed for travel where washing them at night and hanging them up and most are dry for wear or packing the next day.  Turns out that even though we brought a minimum amount of clothing, we probably should have cut that down by half - live and learn.

We are packed the night before and after breakfast, walk over to the train station and are soon heading North.  Initially, lots of graffiti and inner city neighborhoods which thin out and give way to pastoral settings of farmland surrounded by small villages whose names are filled with too many consonants and not enough vowels so I will be unable to list some of the spots we passed - let's just say it was picturesque.

We got in to Amsterdam before 1:00 and asked directions from some train conductor types.  He pointed out where our street was and commented how the hotel was not far.  Well it made sense as the address was 282 and the numbers started at one.  Going on my rational thinking and American  experience, the hotel should be about 3 blocks away.  Well, American know-how is not a good fit in Amsterdam as the numbers went 1, 3, 5 and I know you see where this is going.  Well it's only 28 degrees but unfortunately, that's Celsius, not Fahrenheit which means it is in the 80's.  Our luggage is light but dragging it a mile and a half begins to fray the steadiest of nerves.  We do pass through shall we say some colorful neighborhoods and finally make our way over to the NH and find our room more than adequate for our needs.

We are in a neighborhood where the word "alive" is an understatement.  Restaurants of every cuisine imaginable are just outside our door. Shops selling every kind of ware, coffee shops, great architecture with houses boasting lineage back to 1677.  There are more bike riders than we have ever seen.  There are also motorcycles but most cars we see are taxi's.  The people are amazing.  They all seem content and happy - they all have an easy laugh and smile and the word "stress" is not found in their lexicon.

We had a wonderful lunch of delicious meatballs in a thick rich brown gravy sitting on a hearty wheat bread that could have been a meal, just by itself.  We chatted with two Chinese students that came from far away Chicago and are studying at the University of Georgia.  We got some valuable insight on where to go and then headed out.

The whole city is divided by working canals that are constantly filled with boats of every description.  It is an amazing stroll, dodging bikes, watching people that are very willing to show their bodies off in a very unconscious manner, old Churches, buildings which lean into one another due to being 600 years old and built on water or land reclaimed from water.  The sights, smells, colors and sound become a sweet symphony for the senses.  The people we meet are all very real, very interesting and also very interested in us as Americans (They really like Obama!) wanting to know where we are from, what we think and believe. And most of them speak flawless English which is good because Dutch is incomprehensible!

After a nap, we got some dinner and took a walk around our neighborhood canals, stopping at the local church.

Canals ring the city and bikes are everywhere

Water everywhere

Menu in the "coffee" shop

Panorama of our resting spot. 

 And as the evening settled in, and the city quieted down, we enjoyed dessert and some lovely scenery.

None of the buildings are straight.  All lean to some extent.

The next two days we walked all around the city, exploring almost every nook and cranny.

Jewish Historical  Museum

I was so glad to visit the Museum gift shop where I found a Yahrzeit candle.  My father's  yahrzeit is coming up - (the anniversary of his passing) and it is a Jewish custom to light a candle that burns for 24 hours in their honor.  I find it a nice custom as it gives me pause throughout the day to see my Dad's candle and think back on some warm memories.  I am now prepared.

Painting in the museum

The Synagogue

Panorama of the Royal Palace and square

The main shopping street packed with people

The Royal Palace

Inside the Cathedral next to the Palace--the organist was playing.

National Monument in the square--notice the pigeons outlining the sculpture

Jeff (always) talks to strangers

A building called the "Waag"  (whatever that means)

Boys outside the "coffee" shop

The stairs are too narrow to rescue someone--this is how they get them out and to the ambulance.

Checking the map.  We only got lost about a dozen times.

We bought some bulbs

At the flower market

A pub where we had lunch

The pub's cat

We caught a tour boat to see more of the canals

The largest canal--used to be the Amstel River

Our last dinner in Amsterdam

Goodbye and we will be back.....what a great place to hang out!