We love London!  It has an energy we both appreciate and it is so easy to get around!  We started the day by heading down to Leicester Square to buy tickets for the theater.  We will be seeing “39 Steps” based on an Alfred Hitchcock film that has 4 actors play 130 characters.  It is obviously a comedy and has some very good reviews.  

We walked down to the banks of the Thames River to walk along its banks and enjoy some of the street performers.  It was VERY crowded since it was a Saturday, so we only stayed for a little while.  Still, the views from the bridge were amazing and we really enjoyed wandering around.

Of course by then we were pretty hungry so we hopped back on to the “tube” and went to an amazing Spanish tapas bar called La Tasca (we had eaten here on a previous trip, so we knew where to go).  Great food (and several excellent mojitos) rounded out our afternoon.  We are now putting up our feet (and drinking some alcoholic ginger beer) so we can enjoy a walk about town, a nice pub meal and the play tonight. 

Tomorrow our journey finishes.  We head back to Canada and our own bed.       

 

View of Thames River from Walking Bridge

Does this need a caption?

Today we decided to take a cruise around the Danube to see Vienna from a different angle (and give us a break from walking).  The water of the Danube Canal was surprisingly brown, not the blue promised in the famous waltz (Straus was from Vienna, so we had certain expectations).  It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, but there was not that much to see.  We went through a couple of locks, which were very exciting for a lot of the passengers but not so exciting when you are from the Lift Lock city of Peterborough.  We wouldn’t really recommend this part of the trip to anyone.  Afterwards we had a lovely lunch at a restaurant called “Kren Kren” (named after a type of beer) which we would definitely recommend to anyone!  Yum! 

After collecting our bags from the hotel we jumped on the subway, then onto the CAT (direct train to the airport).  What an efficient way to get around!  (Toronto could learn from this).  The airport in Vienna is HUGE.  We walked a long way to get to our gate, plus we had to pass through a police check station after we had already gone through airport security.  Luckily we have a tendency to go to the airport early so we had plenty of time to do everything we needed to. 

London, here we come!

Schonbrunn castle and the attached zoo was the goal today.  When you first arrive the size of the castle is striking.  The inner courtyard would cover a 2 block by 3 block area.  We will post a picture, but I doubt the scale of the whole thing can be imagined without seeing it.  We decided not to go inside the castle instead we wandered the grounds for awhile and enjoyed the amazing gardens. 

Within the castle grounds is one of the best zoos in Europe, so we decided to take a look.  It was really impressive too, a great set up for a zoo with various levels and a well thought out plan.  Below you will see a picture of the Dalmatian Pelican which was really huge (the sign says up to 15kg).  Here is your travel tip for the day, if you ever decide to visit Schonbrunn castle make sure you buy your tickets at the zoo, not the front gate.  At the gate the line would have taken 2-3 hours, there were only 10 people lined up at the zoo.  Show up early however, there is a LOT to see!  (The zoo includes a beer garden, I love the Austrians!)

We did try one of the weirdest treats ever at the zoo.  When we saw them we thought they were ice-cream cones (like Dairy Queen), but they were incredibly light.  We had to find out what they were (our German is not good enough to read the signs) so we tried it.  Turns out they are fluffed marshmallow dipped in chocolate.  What a sugar rush!  Yikes!

Tomorrow we finish exploring Vienna and then fly to London in the evening.  Don’t expect a post until Saturday!

Schonbrunn Castle Main Courtyard

This is NOT ice cream!

Giant Pelicans!

Monkey at Schonbrunn Zoo

Vienna is definitely different from a lot of places we have visited before.  For example last night we walked by a woman playing a piano in the streets (classical music of course) while her friend was selling a CD of her music.  A piano in the streets is not normal in most places, but here no one blinks an eye.

This morning we did the “tourist thing” and went around town on a double-decker bus with an open top.  The bus included an audio track that explained the surrounding buildings and their historical value.  It is a great way to familiarize yourself with a city and you get to see a lot of sites that you might not recognize on your own.   We took lots of pictures along the way, mostly of the architecture. 

At the end of the tour we stopped at the Sacher Hotel to taste the Sachertorte (a famous Viennese chocolate cake).  It was first made in 1832 for the Austrian prince at the time.  Vicki had to try it due to the fact it was a chocolate cake and her birthday (December 5^th) is national Sachertorte day!  Colin had a very nice apple strudel instead of the cake. 

Lunch consisted of a traditional cheese fondue, so we took a really long walk around town before having dinner.  Unfortunately it started raining again while we were eating, so it was a early night!

Streets of Vienna

Oldest Ferris Wheel in the World, Vienna

St Stephen's Church, Vienna

We met Daen for lunch today before heading to Vienna.  We were definitely ready to go since we had seen everything (twice we think)in Valtice.  The cab driver we had used the last few days drove us.  Unfortunately it was raining steadily when he pulled over and told us he couldn’t drive us any closer to the hotel.  He then told us which direction to walk in.  So, there we were wandering in the rain dragging our luggage behind us with no clue as to where we were going.  Colin went into a store to get directions, which was a brilliant move since the driver had told us to go in the opposite direction and clearly pulled over to let us out when he realized he didn’t know where the hotel was either!  We did get here safely in the end (even if we were a little damp). 

Tonight we went for a walk around the area before dinner.  The streets are narrow and the architecture is unbelievable!  It was still raining, so we didn’t take any pictures, but we will make up for the lack of photos tomorrow.  We stopped at a local “pub” for dinner where we tried a few Austrian beers and Vicki had a Weiner Schnitzel the size of a dinner plate (this is not an exaggeration, the fries had to go on a layer underneath since the meat covered the whole thing).    

Our hotel (the Am Stephansplatz) is located right in the centre of the old part of Vienna across from St. Stephen’s Church.  It is an old building that has been completely renovated (apparently everything is “green”).  We just closed the electronic metal blinds that are located outside, but are lowered using switches in the room.  Very cool! 

Tomorrow we will explore Vienna!

Yesterday we went to the neighbouring town of Ludnice to see the castle there.  It is much more complete and the grounds are still in the original condition.  Daen and his teaching friend Steve came with us.  The gardens were absolutely beautiful and very extensive.  There were several lovely fountains.  You could picture the royal family wandering around in their period costumes waving themselves with fans.  It was VERY hot in the sun so they would have been very uncomfortable back then! 

Daen and Steve decided to walk around the lake to see the tower on the other side (they ended up disappointed since it was under scaffolding and not open to the public).   Colin and I spent that time lying in the grass in a shady area eating ice-cream and people watching.  A couple of beers were necessary afterwards to deal with the heat before heading back to Valtice in a taxi. 

Colin and I had a late dinner at a nearby restaurant.  They ignored us for a very long time (we think they believed we were Americans) until we finally waved down a waiter named Michael.  When he found out were Canadians the service became very fast.  Michael is leaving on Saturday to become a waiter in England so he was thrilled to practice his English with us, so we ended up having a really nice chat.  Our advice...if you come to the Czech Republic make sure you clearly label yourselves as Canadians.

Today Daen had to interview students in the afternoon and then do lessons tonight so we only saw him for lunch.  Colin and I decided to have a lazy day since it was Sunday and not much was open.  We went for several strolls, had coffee outside at our hotel, enjoyed an afternoon nap and then ate an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant.  We have been very impressed with the Hotel Salety, friendly staff and good service.  Like most hotels in this area it could do with a clock and sheets instead of comforters for the summer, but the people make up for any shortcomings.  

Vicki, Steve & Daen at the castle in Ludnice

Castle in Ludnice

We said goodbye to Poland this morning (really early this morning).  We really enjoyed this beautiful country which was also incredibly affordable.  A few hundred dollars went a VERY long way on this vacation.  We were very impressed.

We flew to Vienna via Frankfurt (it you look on a map you will realize this is ridiculous but it was surprisingly cheaper).  Daen took a different flight so we met him at the airport.  One of the other teachers, Steve, arrived today as well so we all drove to Valtice together.  Valtice is located just across the Czech boarder, about 1.5 hours from Vienna.  After checking in to the hotel Daen forced us to go to a wine cellar for a tasting.  They give you a glass and then they let you loose to try as many wines as you can in the time allotted.  It started off with white wines, which Daen was fine with but we didn’t appreciate very much, so Colin & I skipped ahead to the reds.  I (Vicki) probably tried a few too many and was really feeling it by the end.  Dad would have LOVED it!!  (I tried to do you proud).  We stumbled our way to the nearest restaurant for a nice dinner when our time was over. 

An early night tonight, then we will wander around town tomorrow.  This is a fairly quiet little town, so we will also get a chance to recover from all of the walking we did in Krakow.