BLOG POSTING -- VIENNA - Sept 22 2010 plus
http://49th-and-north.blogspot.com
We left the hustle and bustle of Paris by train this morning for Frankfurt. Very large and nice station, and while we travelled 2nd class the trip was very comfortable and enjoyable. Arrived in Frankfurt and immediately were able to get reservations for the next train to Vienna (and retain our 1st class arrangmements) -- beautiful day; fast, quite and very smooth ride; great views of the country-side. Train leave and arrive on time (to the minute), so people don't run late if they're booked on the train. Less than 1/2 hr to our hotel (Hilton Danube -- was originally a corn storage silo and some of the structure dates back to 1913). Discovered the subway only a few minutes from the hotel, so for 1.3Eur each we travelled into 'old' Vienna -- clean, quiet, fast, electronic ticketing machines and no turnstiles -- system operates assuming honesty. Great day in old Vienna. Massive churches and palaces, sculpture and other art is everywhere. A real contrast to London and Paris - traffic is less, vehicles actually have room for parking, very few scooters on the roads/sidewalks, very quiet, courteous, streets are somewhat wider, seats available at outdoor cafes and restaurants, and english is generally recognized (along with german, french and spanish >> people tend to be multi-lingual. Starbucks restaurants -- they have them and some are quite large --- also, they don't charge for washroom access which most places do. Had Shnitzel; for dinner (the largest/thinnest either of us have ever had -- fell over the edges of the plate. Tomorrow, Friday, we plan to check out the area around the hotel, meet up with the tour group in late afternoon, participate in some group touring in late afternoon and then, while in old Vienna, break away from the group and meet up with Richard and Mary Anne (from BMO, Toronto) for dinner; looking forward to another great day.
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