Vienna or Wein

Vienna
8/30/08
So we come home and I get up at 5am to catch a bus to go to the train station and depart for Vienna (Wein) and I was out at the bus stop alone at like 5:20am waiting. Needless to say I was a little uneasy but finally the bus came and I got to the station. I went inside to check up on the platform and everything and see if I could make a reservation for my trip from Vienna to Firenze. I know that I didn't have to make a reservation but I needed that piece of mind, I didn't want anything to disrupt my plans. So I get a reservation thinking sweet for seven Euros I am going to sleep on the train.

So I get into Vienna and I felt like this one time that I went to a town called Solvang. I had absolutely no idea what to see where to go and much less how to get anywhere. All I had was a map and my handy dandy reliable legs. So I find out that the D Tram takes me to the city centre, but did I get on the Tram oh no because I had time and I wanted to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of Vienna. I just follow the D-Tram line and I stopped at the Belvedere Palace and It was amazing!! It was very well kept and the sculptures were very interesting and full of life. It was swarming with tour groups speaking all kinds of languages.

I thought to myself, what a boring way to see a city. They give you no time to sit and actually appreciate the beauty that lies before your eyes. These buildings say something, they mean something, and should therefore be "read". From there I was on a mission to find some internet with a cup of Chamomile. Then I asked the server man about the city and he told me where and what to do. So I just started to walk but before that I went into a market and picked up some food and then went to look for a place to eat. I stumbled my way to Mozart's monument. I guess this was his school or something. I had no clue as to what I was seeing or what I was doing the whole time I was in Vienna all I could do was make educated guesses.

Anyways, I went across the street when I was done and stumbled onto a square that seemed like it housed a museum. Either way it was amazing and I loved it there were some awesome sculptures with an inscription of what they represented. At the very top of one to the domes there seemed to be what looked like a lady liberty but I wasn't sure. Then I went to what seemed to be a palace, it reminded me of the Louvre in Paris. It again had some awesome artwork!
I noticed that there were a lot of horse drawn carriages trotting around. Around the "Horse Stop" there was an uncovered section of the old town and an old Roman fortress. It was cool to see that next to the palace. Then I followed the hoards of people down this one road and it was the shopping strip mall. All the expensive brands were here and it was cool to window shop, but after Amsterdam... :( window shopping will just never be the same sadly. But on the bright side I did get to see something I have never in my life have seen. The most skinniest person ever. I am sure that I could touch my fingertips around the thickest part of her thigh. She was wearing skin tight black pants and her wait was higher than mine. She reminded me of Popeye's girlfriend Olivia.

After that I went to the town church which was being restored, and of course like most other churches I felt like a shrimp next to a Blue Whale. I didn't go inside or anything and I walked back down to make my way to the train station. I kind of got lost but I never showed it, matter of fact I was asked for direction twice!! I honestly was so excited to be here in Vienna that I momentarily felt like this place could be called home for me. I fell in love with Vienna and I think I showed it in my demeanor. I stumbled across this strip mall of restaurants and farmer's market, followed by a huge swap meet/flea market.

I enjoyed looking at all this stuff that I would normally call junk but for someone, somewhere, somehow this was a treasure chest. I guess that's what makes the world go round. So I finally make it to the station and wait. I waited for a good while because I didn't want to be late or jeopardize my departure for any reason. I read my book and got really close to finishing and I was so into it that I didn't realize that my train would leave in 15 minutes. I kind of felt dumb, I waited all this time and made a reservation to not miss my train that's exactly what I almost do. But I didn't so I get something to eat and then I get on the train. So you remember me saying sweet for 7 Euros I get to sleep my way back to Florence....WRONG. I guess all the beds were booked and I got stuck in one of those regular chairs. I was like whatever I had done it before one more time isn't going to kill me. So I get on one coach and it just outright stuck like sweat!! So I keep going to the next one and it was fine and I settle in. The ticket checker man comes and checks my ticket and I tell him where I am going and he keeps going. Later he comes back telling me that this coach is going to detach and go somewhere else. So I was in the wrong one! Thank goodness I made a reservation otherwise who knows where I would have ended up. Okay, so I move and it turns out that I have to go to the one I originally got on which still stunk by the way. I settled in and called this seat my bed for the next 8 or 9 hours.

I finished my book before sunset which was meaningful because I was told that I had to read this book before I went to Italy and I did it. I then start reading another book and get half way through it and then I start getting tired and fall asleep to be awaken umm lets see about every hour for different random things as...show me your passport, show me your ticket, show me your ticket and reservation, show me your passport again, and show me your ticket. I felt like I was going through a gauntlet. But one thing that put a smile on my face was that when I showed them my passport they just looked at it and said here you go. I like my passport, because they were inspection the hell out of these other ones. The police looked and dressed like normal guys all they had was vest that said police. So I finally get into Florence and I am here at the McDonald's waiting...NOT EATING!!! Just updating my blog for you my faithful readers

One thing that I did notice was that in Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, and Vienna I rarely saw any Asians and usually I see them EVERYWHERE but not in these places. I don't know why. Why do I say this because this McDonald's here is swarming with Asians again. I thought that was humorous, at least for me.

Gratitude:
Having great friends, growing up in Capitalism, and being able to step foot in Florence FINALMENTE.

This is only the beginning!!!!...