Sept 13 Travel Day Budapest to Vienna

Sept 13 Travel Day Budapest to Vienna

As has become our custom on travel days, we have some down time in the morning to blog, pack, and organize for the day’s journey. We had breakfast at the hotel, then back to the room.  Our train leaves at 2:30, but we left the room about noon to get some lunch and be at the train station early. The hotel is fine about us leaving our bags in the lobby and we walk down the block and around the corner to find a restaurant. There is a small sidewalk café called Stephen’s Pizza. We look at the menu and order Calzones. David of course, has a beer. He is enjoying the local beers here. Stephen himself delivers the food  and agrees to have his picture taken. I enjoy my food, but David does not finish his meal. We pass a barber shop and I suggest David get his haircut, but he is too anxious to get to the train station, so we get our bags from the hotel and pull them the half block to the station. We are becoming more experienced at finding the departure boards and figuring out where to go. We double check each other’s understanding to be sure we are at  the right spot. David does not see the platform sign so I point it out to him. While we wait for the train, David buys water and snacks for the trip. He wants some small change to use a golf ball markers when he gets home, as he likes to give these to his buddies as souvenirs. 

The train arrives and we board, but it is very crowded and we cannot sit together. At the next stop, some folks get off and we are able to find a double seat. David spent a lot of time on the internet before we left home making the train reservations with Eurail. We got reservations for some trains, but not others, as Eurail said no reservation needed, but in actual practice, it appears we could have had reservations. We think maybe Eurail does not do as good a job with the Western European trains as it does the for Eastern Europe.  It is very hot on the train—much warmer than outside. We try to figure out air conditioning, but either the train does not have any or it is broken. We have one transfer today at Goyer and are anxious to be prepared for it. We only have a few minutes between trains. At the stop, we quickly exit the train and go to the departure board. It says our train will leave platform 1. There are no elevators here, so we bump the bags down each step and up the other set of stairs. The train parked here is not our train! A man signals to David to check inside the station, and when he does, he findsourtrain is leaving a different platform. So we have to again get bags down and back up the stairs. It is hot and we are sweating and struggling with the bags, feeling pressured for time. David comes back to help me up the last set of steps. I am regretting packing all these warm weather clothes which I have not needed. I could have easily had a lighter bag! We scramble on the train with only a couple of minutes to spare. It pulls out right away. Whew! We are trying to cool down, and appreciate that this train has air conditioning.  We remark at the wide variation among trains and their accommodations. Some have very comfy seats, some are not very comfortable. Some trains have AC, some do not. There are toilets at the end of each car, usually not very clean, and be sure to bring your own paper. Most trains have a dining car. Paying for first class tickets does not guarantee a reserved seat. The train quality and comfort has continuously improved as we have travelled east. (Poland is still a very poor country trying to recover.) So much to learn about all this travel!

Our train arrived on time at the end of the line. We took a taxi to the Vienna Marriott, and once again enjoyed the customer service of a five star hotel. We check in and go to the room to settle in. We ask at the desk about nearby restaurants.     The clerk suggests two and we choose the more casual one. It is about 6 blocks from the hotel. We walk there, enjoying the evening. It is a beer garden type with large outside tables for multiple guests. There is an extensive menu. Of course, David orders a local beer and  schnitzel. I have hot tea and a salad with sliced chicken. It is far too large for me to eat, but it is very tasty. The waiter is a young man, very friendly, with good English. Many of the people who work in the tourism industry speak multiple languages and effortlessly switch from one to the other as they encounter each guest.  We have a leisurely meal and share our table with a group of locals who regularly enjoy this restaurant. They are friendly too and speak English. We are ready to call it a day and walk back to the hotel to sleep in the big luxurious beds.