On our last evening in Vienna Paul and I went on a run downtown to the large park and ran around a little bit in the interior of the park and around the outside. We brought the camera for any last minute photos of the area. It was a really pretty run and good time getting out of the hotel room. That evening we sat back and drank a glass of wine while watching TV. Obama was on live broadcast over here delivering his national debt repair plan. So we had a sip of wine every time he said “America” and had two sips every time he said “American People”, cheap entertainment, haha! Paul washed out a few more sets of dirty running clothes in the sink, and we ate the rest of our snacks for dinner. Paul bought some pizza-bread earlier in the morning and had the second one for dinner with Canadian bacon. I had a yogurt and my Museli that we bought from the grocery store next door. We had a great time in Vienna, it was a beautiful city, and a relaxing stay.
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| Drinking from the Vienna lion... sort of. |
The next morning we were up early to pack our bags and load them on to the bus. I ran next door to grab another pizza-bread pastry for Paul while he was hovering outside McDonalds to snipe some free internet access and download the daily USA Today and some podcasts. It was going to be a long day on the road, so we were prepared for it!
On the way to Venice, we stopped for lunch at a very nice scenic overlook of a calm lake in northern Italy. The buffet was steep, but we really enjoyed ourselves sitting outside on the deck and eating what we bought at the grocery store that morning. Paul had some more of his snacks and I ate more of my yogurt and Museli. On the way out Paul stopped at the Burger King and bought a plain hamburger. We found out that you have to buy the ketchup separately for 0,30 Euro, so he bought the curry flavored ketchup and enjoyed some fast food. In Italy, they have a different system of purchasing items. You have to know what you want (coffee, sandwich, etc) and order and pay first. After you pay, you bring the slip to the food or coffee counter and get your items, then you’re able to head right out the door after grabbing your hot food. It’s a different system, but it seems to work fine. They make sure to be paid, and this way you’re out the door right after you grab your sandwich.
On the way to Venice, we stopped for lunch at a very nice scenic overlook of a calm lake in northern Italy. The buffet was steep, but we really enjoyed ourselves sitting outside on the deck and eating what we bought at the grocery store that morning. Paul had some more of his snacks and I ate more of my yogurt and Museli. On the way out Paul stopped at the Burger King and bought a plain hamburger. We found out that you have to buy the ketchup separately for 0,30 Euro, so he bought the curry flavored ketchup and enjoyed some fast food. In Italy, they have a different system of purchasing items. You have to know what you want (coffee, sandwich, etc) and order and pay first. After you pay, you bring the slip to the food or coffee counter and get your items, then you’re able to head right out the door after grabbing your hot food. It’s a different system, but it seems to work fine. They make sure to be paid, and this way you’re out the door right after you grab your sandwich.
Our first night in Venice we went next door to go shopping at the supermarket. We found the cheapest wine yet. We didn’t buy a bottle over 2 Euros, and there was wine for as low at 0,90 Euro. It must have been decent wine because the locals were picking up the cheap bottles without flinching. We loaded about 6 bottles in our cart to take with us to the next few cities. We have a feeling that Rome and Florence are going to be expensive, and access to a grocery store will be limited until Paris. We also bought a wine opener to save Paul from future embarrassment. While we were in Austria, Paul went down to the bar to see if he could borrow their wine opener. The first thing they asked was “Do you know how to use this?” Of course Paul replied confidently that he did, and proceeded to screw it down, then attempt to use brute force to pull the cork up (instead of using the tool for leverage). The bartender came rushing to his assistance and said, “no, no, no….” Hahaha! So we bought a wine opener for ourselves. That way we can remove the middle man and not have to show the bar that instead of ordering a glass of their wine, we are drinking out of the complimentary plastic cups in our room.
Once we were done at the grocery store, Paul and I made turkey sandwiches in the room and had a little hotel picnic; the sandwiches were great! We noticed however that our room was giving off an unpleasant smell. When we first checked in and went up to our room, it smelled strongly of cigarettes. It was so strong that we were concerned about all of our clothes and luggage smelling like Camels.Paul went and politely asked the front desk if we could change rooms, and they were able to switch us, thankfully. Unfortunately the next one smelt like sewage, haha, we kept the door closed to the bathroom and that seemed to dampen the smell. We had our first bidet in the bathroom... I'll just leave that note at that!
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| View from the bus, beautiful alps! |
The adventures are still coming on fast, we are really enjoying ourselves!
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