Sept 17 Anniversary travel day Vienna to Prague

Sept 17 Anniversary Travel Day Vienna to Prague

We finished packing and worked on the blog, then went to have breakfast. We took the laptop to the lobby to access internet and send emails a post the blogs. The hotel called our taxi who took us to the main train station. This is the nicest station we have seen and we easily determine the platform, use the elevator to get our bags there and wait for the train. David chats with some local women also waiting for the train. He asks if they know which direction the train will come into the station and they do not know. We have first class tickets and the first class cars usually follow the engine. If we knew which way the train was arriving, we could move to the end of the platform closer to the engine so as to save boarding time. Since we do not know, we decide to move to the middle of the platform. At least that way, we will be closer to either end. When the announcement is made in English, she says first class and the dining car are at the end of the train. No worries-we are in the middle, so pull our bags along the platform toward the end of the train.  There are many people boarding and we wait our turn. There are luggage racks along both sides of the car above the seats and some shelves for larger bags at the boarding end of the car. But the first boarders have put their bags there, so those of us at the rear have no space on the shelves. A couple of women try to jointly hoist a large bag onto the rack overhead, but it is obviously too much for them. David and another man rescue them and get the bag on the rack. But they have another large bag for the second woman. The other man says jokingly, “Only the first bag is free” as he and David put the second one overhead. The women apologize and sit down, but there are others still boarding. One of the early boarders comes to take his smaller bags from the shelves and puts them nearer his seat in the upper racks. I take a chance that not all the seats will be occupied and put my larger bag near a single seat. If someone comes for the seat, I will need to move it, but no one does. Finally everyone is boarded and the train pulls out. We move more slowly as we go through Vienna, and there is even another in-town pick up point, but as we pull away from the city, the train picks up speed.

We have reserved seats and are disappointed that they face away from our direction of travel. This does not work well with my motion sickness problem. There are empty seats facing the right way but they are farther down the car, so I get on my knees in a seat so that I can face forward. This works for a while, but eventually I want to sit down, so I lift up the armrest on the seat and sit sideways. That seems to work OK. This is the classiest train we have been on. We even have a female train attendant who is a waitress and brings first a free drink of water, coffee or tea, but later will bring anything from the dining room. She wears a light-blue military type uniform, with a pencil skirt and jacket over a white blouse with a blue kerchief tied around her throat. She has a military type hat which folds open like an envelope to sit on her head. She is back and forth from the dining room often, always with a smile.

A couple in their 80s sit in front of David and the man chats with us. He is a local and heading back to visit the small town where he and his wife were born. They grew up as neighbors and married. He is puzzled that we have visited Russia and Poland, says he has no desire to go there. He gives us information about Prague and says not to use a taxi there. This is what the guide books say too. Taxi drivers are notorious for ripping off tourists.

We are relieved when we arrive in Prague, as even David has found riding backward a bit uncomfortable.  We unload our bags and David waits with them while I walk around the terminal to locate the ATMs and tourist info stations. The metro info kiosks are closed, as it is 5:30, and I begin to worry that I will not find an English speaker to help us, but I do finally find a tourist info kiosk with a most helpful young man who gives me a map, says we can walk to the hotel, even with luggage, and draws the route on the map. We could get there on the metro too, but would need to walk to the station which is almost half way to the hotel. Given our warnings about taxis, walking begins to sound like a good option. David has pre-purchased a Prague welcome card, and the fellow tells me how to find the place to redeem our voucher for it. I pick up the cards and the woman there agrees that we could walk safely to the hotel. By the time I get back to David he has begun to wonder if I was kidnapped, as it has taken me 20 minutes or more to sort all this out. Now it is my turn to stay with the bags while David goes to the ATM for local currency.

Armed with our trusty map, we pull our bags out of the station and turn right. It turns out to be about 6 blocks to the hotel, but we stay on course, there curbs are ramp-shaped at the corners, and the locals do not even give us a second look. In fact there are many people pulling luggage from the metro stop to the train station, so we do not look all that unusual. We spot the hotel and check in. She says we have paid in full, that breakfast is included, and that wi-fi is free in the rooms. David says “I like what you are saying so far.” He locks our passports and extra cash in the safe and we go up to our 4^th floor room. It is small but looks clean and comfortable. We get settled and since it is now 7, decide to find dinner. The hotel clerk says “old town” is to the right, and in fact, the hotel is only a half-block from the square. We walk down to look around, finally select an outdoor place and order. I ask for goulash, expecting a stew, but the meal is served on a plate, with cooked roast beef in chunks in a thick sauce and boiled “dumplings”. It is tasty but not what I expected. David again orders schnitzel and beer. We split a piece of chocolate torte to splurge as an anniversary dessert. On our way to the room, we pick up tour and concert brochures in the lobby. We ask the clerk about the monetary exchange rate and she says 17.98 crowns to the US dollar. So now we have a better idea of what things cost. We talk some about what to do tomorrow. We call and talk to my mom, having tried earlier today, but I was confused about the time a called her at 4 am her local time. OOPS! David watches TV while I blog and at 11, it is time for bed.