Day 16 - Budapest to Vienna
Last night was spent deciding whether to go to he thermal baths before we leave. The idea of a 5.30am start kind of put us off. We'll just have a nice bath when we are home instead. We left for the station at 10am, locked up our bags and headed to the main shopping centre for breakfast. We had a little mooch around the shops, and Dee was summoned by a lady selling Dead Sea stuff who buffed her fingernail and made it really shiny. It was all very lovely but we didn't need shiny nails tbh. A lady outside Claire's tried to tell me what offers they had on. The only problem was she couldn't speak English and I can't speak Hungarian. Never before have I seen anyone mime '3 for 2 on hair products' and I never want to see it again.
Back to the station and we boarded our train at 1pm for Vienna. After our not so nice trains on previous trips we were pleasantly surprised by the space age train we boarded. The air con was a welcome relief from the sticky humid air outside, and it had little tv screens and plug sockets at each chair. We were travelling in luxury! I finished reading Jane Eyre for the 4th time on this journey. In going to start Wuthering Heights on the next journey (7th time) and I have Pride and Prejudice to read too (5th time). They are my favourites so I could read them over and over again. I was nearing the end of Jane Eyre, she had just returned to Mr Rochester and I was about to shed a tear of joy, when 5 big burly police men stormed down the train. I think we are being followed...
We arrived in Vienna at 4pm and our hostel is only 5mins walk from the station. It's not as hot and sticky here as Budapest either. To say we were glad to leave Budapest wouldn't be fair, but we didn't enjoy it as much as other places. It was a beautiful place to look at, but the people were not very friendly and we didn't really feel very safe there. Vienna seems worlds apart tho. So far, everyone has been so nice and helpful. Our hostel (Hostel Ruthensteiner - chosen by moi) is lovely, we have our own bathroom again and nice beds but it's a 6 bed room so we are expecting room mates at some point this week. I suppose I'll have to wear my pj pants in bed and boil if there's strangers in the room. There has been a lack of pj pants the last few nights because of the heat. Mainly from me. We started our time in Vienna the same way we have started in every city; with food. The conversation always goes like this:
Me: I'm hungry, are you lot hungry?
Dee: Well, I could eat I suppose
*find a restaurant*
Sarah: What's the local beer?
Katie: I think I'll have something traditional
These appear to have become our catchphrases on this trip and each time one of us says it we all giggle/roll our eyes (depends how tired we are). The highlight of todays meal was desert. It was a sundae called 'Hot Love' and even the waitress laughed when I ordered it. It was in a giant sundae glass and it was vanilla ice cream with a hot red berry sauce. Heaven. Not traditionally Viennese like, but I'm saving the strudel for a cafe on the Danube. We came back and went to the hostel bar, which was full of musical instruments you could play whilst you drink. I liked it there.
There's loads of things we all want to do here in Vienna. Katie wants to see an art gallery, Dee and I want to see the State Opera House, and we all want beer and strudel. We have 3 full days here so that means tomorrow we can have a lie in until 8.30am... YAAAAAAAY!!!! I have had Ultravox on a loop in my head since we arrived here and I took great pleasure before, whilst being confused by a map, to stop and sing 'this means nothing to meeeee, oooooh VIENNAAAA!!!!' I amuse myself so much. We found out this morning George Michael is here in Vienna as well so we are going to hunt him down. I'm going to do my Careless Whisper saxophone impression for him and I think he wil love it, as I doubt anyone before has ever been genius enough to do this for him.
Ps, mother I am missing cheese on toast with beans on. I was going to get some from the supermarket to cook in the hostel but they don't have real beans and they don't have good old cathedral city cheese!