Day 3: Transfer to Vienna

Tonight, we find ourselves at the Arion Cityhotel Vienna.  It is really quite nice.  The lobby looks modern and the rooms are much more spacious than what we just stayed in.  The kids are all in their rooms; some playing cards, others just chatting, and a few of them actually sleeping.  We will be reminding them of their bed times in the next few minutes.  We have a busy day tomorrow and the weather looks like it is going to make things interesting, but, I am getting ahead of myself....you are probably wondering how we got here.

Coffee, Hot Chocolate, and desserts!!! Yum.

Our wake up call was at 7am again in Budapest. Breakfast was pretty good too.  I made the same mistake as yesterday and forgot to post photos.  I apologize for that...I know some people who read this really like to see the food options available to us. I hope to give you a glimpse of that today.  I had a couple of strange options this morning.  I had Lo Mein and Chili.  Yeah, no typos there.  The menu was eclectic.  Photos would have been amazing, but I am slipping.

Before we hit the road, I ran across the street to a gas station/convenience store.  I was hoping to dispose of my last remaining Hungarian Florints.  I bought a Coca-light and a bag of chips.  The chips were flavored as "Meat and Mustard." I waited until later to eat them.  The kids met their deadline and were all ready to go at 8:30am.  Norbert has inspired them to all be on time and to keep his bus clean.  It strikes me as funny that some of these kids were super quiet when I first met them in 8th or 9th grade and now they can form such a strong bond with someone so quickly.

The drive to Vienna from Budapest is about 3 hours long.  In the old days, you would need to pass through a checkpoint, but ever since Hungary's admission into the EU, those days are gone.  We were told that Austria/Hungary is the imaginary line separating Eastern and Western Europe.  Based on the ideas I expressed yesterday, I can only imagine how long it took to travel between the two cities prior to 1989.  Today, the remnants of the old border protection checkpoints are still there.

The Old Checkpoints in the background.

Traffic is a little lighter than normal because of the holiday, but this line wasn't bad.

Entering the Republic of Austria.

Vienna is closer to the border than Budapest and crossing into Austria helped wake most of us up...You might be thinking that we just started this tour, how could be so sleepy, but it happens.  You are up, walking 10+ miles a day, adjusting to time differences, and struggling to read, hear, and speak a foreign tongue.  It can drain even the savviest traveler.  (I only shut my eyes for a brief time)

We were instructed on some basic Viennese trivia.  Our real guided tour happens tomorrow, on Easter, but Gina did a great job of priming us.  We were dropped off at Maria Theresa Square.  We will have more time there tomorrow, but it is a really large square with museums on two sides.  Kacey came up to me and asked which one was the Natural History museum.  Ever since London, she said, she really enjoys that type of museum.  I have a feeling we will be touring it tomorrow.  It is moments like this that remind me of our trip's motto: One Must Travel To Learn.

Museum of Natural History - Vienna

The group getting instructions before heading into the City Center.

We left Maria Theresa Square and walked through the Hofburg.  It once was the Imperial Palace of the Hapsburg Empire, but now it serves as a National Library.  It was beautiful.

The Hofburg.

Gina's tour today was an orientation of the city.  She is prohibited, by law, of being a "tour guide."  There are differences between "Tour Director" and "Tour Guide," so please don't think that she isn't qualified, lol.  The only restriction is that she is not really supposed to stop at places and tell us about them, but she is a Viennese native and she loves her city...so, I think she might have violated the law a little bit.

Our Tour Director Gina giving us some important instructions.

Today's post is a little different than most because it was a transfer day.  We don't see as many sites, but we still explore.  One of today's missions was to explore some food that is available.  Almost all of us were adventurous and ate something new.  Almost all of us, lol.  There are so many options here in Vienna.  They have many different foods representing the plethora of ethnic and cultural identities represented in the city.  They have sweet desserts and savory entrees.  The kids all had to report back to me about what it was that they tried...even the girls who went to McDonalds...I am forcing them to try some food with me in Prague.  They will learn to eat local cuisine, lol!!!

An example of the treats available was found at the Cafe Leopold Hawelka.  The first photo posted tonight was from there, but here is what we tried. The kids all got Chocolate Cake...it has a special name here and is made from a special recipe.  They said it was delicious.  They washed it down with hot chocolate.  Mr. Jones and I both got Strudels.  Mine was made with cheese; his with apple.  We had dark, Viennese Coffee to accompany our desserts.

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Inside the Cafe Leopold Hawelka...sorry for the awkward selfie, lol.

For lunch, we mostly tried Kebabs and Giant Hot Dogs.  The report from all of the kids was that this street food was really tasty.  I am a huge fan of Kebabs and the one I had for lunch did not disappoint.  It was plentiful and delicious.  The kids who got hot dogs (bratwurst) really raved about them...even at dinner.

Jeremy, Bianca, and Jenna (along with Mr. Jones) having some lunch.

My kebab!!!! (It was chicken)

Many of the kids went shopping too.  They bought gifts for people at home, expensive souvenirs for themselves, and the latest trends in Austrian fashion.  The St. Stephen Square is like the many common shopping areas you can find in Europe. It was really busy today and it gave the city a life of its own.  Others toured the Haus of Music, the MozartHaus Museum, and other points of interest.  It was a full day and we were once again gathering for dinner.

A family owned restaurant!

The decor really set the mood.

Our main course, Wienerschnitzel, was amazing.  We had a medley of steamed vegetables and some delicate pork tenderloin.  As I understand it, from watching Chopped, you beat the pork into a flat patty, coat it in breadcrumbs, and fry it in a pan (I am sure someone will post an actual recipe in the comments below).  Whatever else they did was magic.  I really enjoyed it.

After dinner, we walked to a street that had so many different ice cream shops.  I was too full and didn't partake, but I did walk with some of the girls who wanted to check out the Danube Canal.  They did a photoshoot or something, lol.  I watched from a far as to not mess with their creative energy.

Norbert showed up after everyone ate their ice cream.  We boarded our bus and headed to the Arion.  Check in happened without a hitch.  We had our nightly briefing.  The kids have been so great. They are engaged in the tours, asking questions, and paying attention when required.  I am so hopeful that this continues throughout the next few days.  I am looking at the weather and it looks like it will be less than ideal, but with a positive attitude, we can overcome it.

I went up to my room to rest for a minute.  I was a little tired and wanted a fresher mind before trying to write. It was only 8:30pm or so.  I laid down and watched some German language dancing show (Think, Dancing with the Stars).  I remembered the bag of chips I bought that morning and thought they'd make a good snack.  Tomorrow is Easter.  I am 40 and I am not religious, but Easter is still a time where I get together with family.  As a kid, we had lots of strange traditions in my family.  It was customary to watch a cheesy horror film over my cousins house.  We all still joke about it now.  I am bringing this up, because the chips reminded me of Easter Dinner.  Salty ham and mustard.  I chomped away at the chips and reflected on the prospect of kids missing their families tomorrow.

The notion is as intense as the chips were.  It has become habit for me.  I miss lots of holidays.  I haven't been home for the 4th of July in three years (and will miss this year too).  I once drove out to Buffalo to watch the Patriots during Christmas weekend.  I have missed Easter on tour several times.  My family still misses me, but they are even getting used to it.  Tomorrow might be a little difficult for some of the kids...and some of their parents.  I wanted to let you know that I will do what I can to make the day special for them.  It is important to me.  Family is important and I often look at a tour group as a mini family.  We bond together and help each other.  Tomorrow will be no exception.

Now, a couple of house keeping items:

I've been trying to add photos online at Facebook.  The album should be public.  You can access it here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156023851350760&type=1&l=83a2ab00ef

Another item, for those with students who haven't traveled and might be thinking about a tour in the future.  We have three tours scheduled for next year.  I am leading the tour to Ireland, Scotland, and England.  I am hopeful that I can gear this tour towards the people who first settled Saugus.  I like to try and make connections to our home town (it is hard in Central Europe).  I will host a meeting shortly after we get back, but I wanted to put the info out there for folks to think about.

http://www.eftours.com/1944686ws

The following video isn't exactly our tour...instead of Glasgow, we would see London, but I wanted to give you a visual...

I will make sure to announce when our meeting is, but please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading tonight.  I have received a few positive comments via Facebook and I really appreciate it.  If you haven't yet shared this page, or the Facebook album, to family and friends, please do so.

Mr. Lavoie, wishing he could understand a word of the German Dancing with the Stars...or at least that he could recognize one of the "stars."