Saturday was the day that Cait had to go home, so Mom and I sadly planned to go on without her. Well, happily go on, only sad that she wasn't with us,....and only sad intermittently....sorry Cait. We got up early to catch the first available train to Vienna so that we would have a full day there. That meant, of course, that we were leaving my baby alone and in bed......not that I should worry about a girl who has been all over the world on multiple occasions alone, but still, it wasn't easy leaving her when we really wanted her to come along.
Her plans were to do a brewery tour in Prague and then head to the airport for her late night plan. Her tour was cancelled but she ventured out to some breweries on her own and her overnight in Helsinki was remarkable only because she spent the night in a sleep pod! An experience that neither of us had before....they are small compartments that you lock yourself into for a quite, dark, safe rest in a busy airport. She has rave reviews!!!
Mom and I grabbed our last breakfast at the hotel before we left....and I would be remiss not to finally mention the incredible breakfast that was included with our hotel. Every morning we had fresh pastries, warm and yummy, eggs basted in butter and bacon perfectly crisp, fruit that tasted more like we were in the caribean in summer than Prague in the winter (we still haven't figured that one out) and fresh juices. The girls who worked the breakfast were so delightful every morning, never minding that Mom and I ALWAYS forgot to grab a tea bag before we were seated...and they patiently brought us our tea with a smile. It was just another perk to a great stay.
Our train trip was beautiful....we passed over the alps and arrived in Vienna. The only downside to the train trip was the self appointed train police that was seated in front of us. The train was very empty and so we had kept two of our bags with us, hoping to use the laptop and chargers and a few other things out of them. We put those bags into two empty seats instead of placing them in the overhead compartment. I noticed that he kept glaring my way as I did it, but didn't think much about it. As soon as the conductor came by, the trainpolice called him over and pointed out that our bags were not where they were supposed to be. The conductor apologetically asked us to put them away. No biggie. About 30 minutes into our trip I wanted something out of my bag so I pulled it down and put it on the seat where it had been earlier. Trainpolice turned and barked at me that the conductor had told me that wasn't okay. I smiled and ignored him......which seemed to irritate him more. After I was finished I put the bag away.....a little closer to him that earlier, so that if I dropped it, it might just land on him! Unfortunately I wasn't clumsy this time and there was no international incident. Mom was glad.
Our hotel in Vienna was right on the "ring" across from the Opera House...we couldn't have been happier with the location, especially considering that we took an "express" deal on Priceline, to get an exceptional room at a great price. So we dropped off our bags and went out exploring.
Vienna is beautiful. The weather was perfect. It is such a cultural hub and everyone seemed smartly dressed and stylish. We walked and bussed and walked some more. We happened upon a great festival where they had an "ice skating trail", much like a water park's lazy river, without the lazy part. Families were out having a great time and genuinely everyone we ran into seemed happy. That was the biggest thing I will take away from Vienna.....well......that and the food! I know...again with the food.
We sampled street fair...and the sausage, which seemed sort of normal....was incredible. It was filled with cheese that melted in the grilling process...and stuffed down into a hollowed out fresh roll. We just halfed one, so we could eat more later....but we each could have finished an entire one off easy!
We then went to a local market area and ate dinner....Weinerschnitzel, made with real veal instead of some pork substitute. It was melt in your mouth tender and though looked sort of "meh"....was delicicious.
After a full day of sightseeing and eating we decided to call it a night and plan our next few days.
I have to make a side note here before I go on with the story. I think that when we took Mom on the walk in Spain several years ago and our meals weren't always on a regular timeline, we somehow scarred her. Scared too....but really scarred. When looking for a pen in our hotel room, I opened the drawer by her bed....IT WAS FILLED WITH FOOD!!!! My mom....with her fit little figure and ladylike (usually) demeanor...is a food hoarder! I'm thinking of an intervention when I get home...either that...or I'm just going to eat her snacks!
So...now that I've ratted her out...I'm going to tell you just why I love travelling with Mom so much. We were laying in bed...having both already taken long hot baths. Relaxing as we planned the next few days. Well, the train from Vienna to Venice is longer than we thought...and we were going to spend an entire day on the train. That isn't horrible, but when you have limited days for seeing things, a full day on a train isn't perfect. However, there was a late night train that was leaving Vienna at 10pm....it was now about 8. I didn't even hesitate to suggest to Mom that we get up and rush to grab the overnight train and essentially give ourselves another day of vacationing. She didn't even hesitate to say....lets go! So we got dressed, packed up...left our lovely hotel room....and caught the overnight train. We were happy....and we slept great! What a travel buddy!
So...we arrived in Venice bright and early at 8:00 am....right after our porter gave us our wake up and served our breakfast. We were rested and ready to go...stepped out of the train and realized the weather might not cooperate. It was cold....mid 30s...and starting to drizzle. We were not discouraged and went right out and jumped on the first water taxi, planning to visit all the islands first. Wasn't long before the drizzle turned to rain...and then to downpour. We went to Murano and Lido....but when we got back and started walking through the Market toward the Grand Canal, the wind and rain just flat got the best of us. Our Umbella was useless...our feet wet...and we were not seeing anything.
So...at noon when we found that the weather was to continue like this for the next 5 days.....we regrouped....AGAIN!!! We decided on bailing on Venice and adding Tuscany, where the sun was shining and the weather a balmy 50, to our trip...we waded to the train station, caught the first train west...and now find ourself in Florence, in a lovely hotel with a chocolate festival happening across the street. We wandered the city, ate some great local cuisine, and are going Pisa tomorrow!
Today....when life gave us lemons...we made lemoncello!
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