Day 16–To Wien and adding the 7th traveler

The morning started with a groan as the alarm clock went off bright an early at 6am.  It as soon followed by a flurry of activity, which is the chaotic dance of getting ready, cleaning up the apartment, and finishing packing to get to the train at 9am.  The taxi was coming to pick us up at 8, so there was real pressure to be ready on time.
With some gentle prodding, however, the dance finished on time.  Quick showers were had.  We ate through the remaining food for breakfast.  And after a little stomping, we got all of our stuff in the bags and were out the door.   The taxi was waiting on us at the street corner, perfect timing.
The taxi was the right choice for getting to the train station.  About $12 to take us all to the train station in under 15 minutes (with traffic).  The metro on the way in took us more than 15 minutes, plus another 15 minute walk with all of our bags.
As we were traveling through the city, we all remarked on a common thought.  Our experience leaving is much different than arriving.  The city looked much more clean (at least, for a normal big city), things seemed more friendly and less “scary”.   When arriving, with all the confusion at the train station, sketchy looking underground stations, and noticing all the seedy things around (tattoo parlors, etc), we had this initial impression of it being a stark contrast and less civilized than Munich (which we had arrived from).  Now, however, after walking these streets several times, eating at numerous sidewalk cafes, and getting a little feeling of the Budapest vibe, as we rode to the train station we looked on the city through different eyes; ones which were much more admiring of the town.  An even the train station, which had been a scary “hole” of a place, took on a new light as we could see the large white marble front with proud statues.  One of the great things about traveling is developing these new sets of eyes for the places you visit.
Some decoding and discussion about the departures board provided us with a track number for the Railjet 62 from Budapest to Vienna.  A quick walk and short struggle with the luggage and we were on the train and in out seats.
After the second class overnight train we took into Budapest, the first class seating on the Railjet was a welcome change.  Everyone liked the spacious contoured leather chairs, complete with footrest and power outlets.  There was a little sigh from Sam as there was no Wi-Fi on board, so we had to “rough-it” a little.
The three hours passed quickly and without an real notable items.  The Hungary country side was quite beautiful, filled with field after field of corn, sunflowers and other large crops.  I got the impression that Hungary may be one of the breadbasket areas of Europe.  Noah and I did venture up and down the train once and found the food car.  A few overpriced coffees were purchases for Sara and I, and then it was back to our seats to enjoy the rest of the train ride.

Getting of the train in Vienna was quite shocking.  We stepped off the train to the beautiful, clean train stations.  As we made our way to the subway, we passed into a section which looked like a large American mall.  Nicest train station I have ever been in! 
A quick metro ride dropped us off at the Stephanplatz station.  As we came out of the underground, a second, jaw-dropping site as we enter Stephanplatz and take in all the building, pedestrian walkways, and awe-inspiring Stephandom (St. Stephen’s Church).  I will use the excuse that I was dazzled by all the fantastic sights to explain why I lead us the wrong way, resulting in a 15 minute “detour” from getting to our apartment

We found the apartment building without too much trouble.  As we entered the apartment we were greeted with a third jaw-dropping sight as the apartment was beautiful.  It was very long with multiple rooms all in a line, allowing one to see the entire length of the apartment through the 5 rooms.  One could easily imagine that this was a studio or residence for a some important person in the 1800’s.  Maybe not unlike what some of the famous residents of Vienna would have stayed in at that time.

After some quick unpacking and settling in, a short down time ensued as we collected ourselves, researched our next moves, and excitedly awaited the arrival of our 7th traveling companion, one Ms. Jeanne Ivy.
Shortly after arriving we started receiving text messages updates form Jeanne telling us she had landed, and then was enroute to the apartment.  Finally, a text message said she believed she was outside, but couldn’t find the entrance.  I leaned out of the window a bit, and there Jeanne was, on the street corner, bag in hand.  A quick call and wave got her attention, and Katy and I raced down the stairs.  After greeting her with big hugs, she was quickly upstairs for more hugs and settling in.  The traveling 7 was now complete.
We soon realized that we had all missed lunch, and decided to wander around Stephensplatz and find some food.  We settled on a pizza place called Pizza Bizi.  Food was good and recommended for a quick bit.  While there we met a family from the US who is living in Munich for the next 4 years on an expat assignment from Goretex.  It also appears that they live a few blocks from our Munich apartment.  They were touring around Vienna before staying a week in Croatia.  It was really fun meeting them and talking about our travels.
On the way back we did a little touring around Stephanplatz.  We first stopped at Peterkirche, a beautiful church just off the plaza.  Unfortunately mass had just started, so we were not able to go in.

Next stop was Stephandom (St. Stephens Cathedral).  The church (like many we will see) is just amazing.  The outside was beautiful gothic style.  The inside was also amazing with beautiful stonework and wonderful stained glass. Definitely a must-see if you are here.  We spend some time soaking in the beauty, and decided it was time for another break back at the apartment.

Soon it was dinner time, and we begin another ritual practice, the search for someplace to eat.  This ritual can time some time, and sometimes can been a little tense.  So Sara (iPhone), Jeanne (iPhone), and I (computer) start poring through options, searching for an option that will meet everyone’s criteria (especially the kids).  Set settle on a Italian place around the corner from us.
We arrived at Da Capo to quite a busy place.  I quick chat with one of the waiters and we found out there wasn’t any good seating available for a party our size.  We decided to mosy on down the road to find a less crowded establishment. 
A few doors down we found Porterhouse, which as you can imagine, is a steak house.  It even had plenty of room out on the sidewalk, which had a nice breeze at this point. Everyone found something that struck their fancy on the menu, and soon drinks were in hand and toasting a successful day.

Shortly after we arrived we were greeted by another pleasant surprise, a thunderstorm.  Since it was a hot day in Vienna, the warm summer rain with its refreshing breezes were very welcome.  The sidewalk where we sat was covered by the awning, so it was enjoyable to eat a great meal (the food was very good) and enjoy the song of the rain.
After finishing, as we dashed back to our apartment in the rain, we were all glad that we had chosen somewhere around the corner from where we are staying.
We all readied for bed, being tried from our travels, especially Jeanne, who hadn’t sleep for 36 hours.  I took a few moments to stick my head out the window and enjoy the rain, which occasional distant lighting and thunder echoes.  It was a peaceful way to finish the day.