Vienna, oh Vienna! You hold so much promise! As the stomping grounds of Mozart, Schubert, Freud, and Beethoven- you cannot bore me a bit. With over 20 museums in the downtown Vienna area, and over 30 in the metro, there seemed endless amount of opportunities to be astonished, amazed, and in awe, once again. But as we quickly re-learned, things that are of great desire often carry a steep price tag.
We arrive in Vienna around 7:00, are have planned to camped along the Danube river at Camp Neue Donau for a couple days before moving on to Croatia. As we step off the train at Sudbahnhof (southern train station), it becomes clear that I haven't fully prepared us for the trip to the site.
1. We don't have any Euros for transportation.
2. The money exchange in the train station is closed.
3. The U-bahn and S-bahn go to the same spot, which to take?
Solutions take some time, but come eventually: the ticket machine takes credit cards and we would like to see Vienna before we head to bed. And it's getting dark. Yes, father, I know, you never want to set up your tent in the dark. And trust me, we didn't. It was a fun game.
We board the U-bahn, and instantly regret our decision. You see, when you're tired, you don't make the best decisions, especially under duress. And not making the connection between U-bahn (underground) and sightseeing (non-existent), we both smile, chuckle, and brush it off. Oh well... now to get there. We arrive at our stop, step off looking like sleepy deer- timid and suspicious. There was supposed to be a bus stop around here... Okay. After a look or two, we finally track down a stop, which thankfully is packed with people. There's nothing worse than arriving at an empty bus stop- it usually means the bus just left or isn't operation anymore. Of course, these are assumptions I've made based on the public transportation in America. In Europe, however, the earliest buses stop running at midnight, and start no later than 7:30. Praise!
We hop onto the bus, doe-eyed and shaky, as backpacks and buses as we've learned aren't that stable. After a quick conversation with some Australians who happen to be lodging in the same site, our confidence returns, and relief sets in- until I realize the reception closes at 7:00 and it's already 7:30. We quickly hop off and truck it up the short driveway to a dimly lit office, which, from all clues, is already closed. Then, a head pops up! Ignoring the guilt associated with holding the receptionist, we pound on the door. It's unlocked. We quickly introduce ourselves, and our anxiety is met by calm and respect- she is one nice lady!
The tent. Oh the tent. Initially we planned on setting up the tent at my house, that way we knew what we were doing IN CASE WE HAD TO DO IT IN THE DARK. But somehow, we convinced each other it seemed simple enough to get things going- so we abandoned our well thought our preparations. Bite in the ass is what comes to mind now. After struggling to get it going, Becki figures things out while I prepare dinner... sandwiches! Mmmm. All things settled, we make our encampment on the edge of an area reserved for campers- the rest was RVs, which is apparently what "camping" really means in Europe. No other place have we seen more campsites that barely accommodate "tenters" as we decided to label ourselves.
After a couple beers, we settle in, ready to call it a night- but there are more surprises. Without a pad, I am fine. It is a well known fact that I have a superpower that allows me to sleep anywhere, at any time. Unfortunately this ability is not imbued in every common man and woman. Becki rocks and rolls inside our tiny tent like it's a prison blanket party, until finally I get her to settle down and pass out. Crisis averted for now...
Sleep!
Sam and Becki
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