We bought some little sandwiches f for the train ride and headed back to the hotel to get packed up and check out. They charged us to use the phone - which we used to call the front desk. Seriously? Whatever, it was like 5 cents.
We got on the tram to head to the train station. Took that to the metro. No major problems there. Phil wasn't kidding, there are some long, steep escalators in Budapest. The transit police love to check you ticket as you get off the train. I guess they have issues with that.
The ticket office at the train station was DMV-slow. We thought we were going to miss our train, but it worked out.
The train ride was easy. Nothing too scenic. Some Europeans with bad b. o. But everything else was fine. Our wine and sandwiches were delicious.
Got to the train station and took the U-bahn to our rental. We got a little turned around trying to find it, but not for more than 10 minutes.
The owner is something else. She's nice, just kinda scattered brained and her English isn't great. The apartment is fine. The wifi sucks and one of the bedrooms is filled with junk, but I think it will work out. The location is good and it's 250€ for 4 nights. Not too shabby.
We did some walking around Vienna. Saw st Stephens church and hofburg palace. I actually thought st peters was prettier, at least on the inside. Stopped at a cafe for dinner (schnitzel) tried to find grocery store and got back to the apartment fairly earlier. We need to get our bearings straight for the rest of the week.
Early return in Vienna is that it's very nice. Clean, safe, good public transit, coffee, beer, sausage, and pasties. There are food carts with sausages and beer. Way never eat at another restaurant.
Vienna is clearly wealthier, cleaner, newer, and more stylish than Budapest. Budapest was still running soviet era trains while the u-bahn was smooth, stylish, efficient, and automated. I saw more men in business suits in the first 5 minutes here than I saw the whole time in Budapest. No offense to Budapest. It's still a city finding its legs. It was a lot of fun. So far the historical sites at Budapest seem better than the ones in Vienna. I have seen gaudy churches and an enormous palace here. Rich bastards.
Oh, and maybe this city isnt so safe. While I was screwing around trying to use Starbucks free wifi to launch a blog post, some drugged up weirdos approached Shannon. I'm not sure what the wanted other than money and/or drugs. Maybe they to steal her purse. I saw what was going on and interjected myself into the situation. Just walked up to Shannon, grabbed her arm and walked away. No harm done. I'll have to be more attentive.
P.S. yes, they have freaking Starbucks in Vienna.
P.S.S. my phone auto corrects for Starbucks. WTF
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