Adventures in Austria

I'm back, and going back to work yesterday really wasn't too bad. I even got some sleep on call last night, and tomorrow is my day off. So I have time today to sort through the ridiculous pile of mail, do laundry, and update my blog with a lengthy report on my Vienna adventures.

After 3 days in East Tyrol (having a wonderful, relaxing time), I set off on my solo adventure to Vienna for a few days. Mom had helped me to find a cheap hotel in Vienna, which is no easy task! Thanks to Vienna's wonderful public transportation system, I found my way out to the Gasometer neighborhood and settled into my cheap, but clean and safe, hotel. First order of business--dinner. I went to the nearby Gasometer Center and decided to eat at the Bierometer. I sat at the bar, ordered a beer and "Bierometer toast" which ended up effectively being a deep fried ham and cheese sandwich. First Vienna mishap--the waiter made a mistake when charging my Visa, and instead of charging me 11 euros, he charged me 1,111 euros. I'm still working on getting that fixed, but hopefully Visa will take care of it.

Next day: lots of Vienna sights, and lots of Japanese tourists. Luckily I got to Schoenbrunn (the summer home of the Hapsburgs) early, so only had to wait 30 minutes to get in. It is a well-orchestrated affair. They time your entry to the minute, and give you audio guides, so they know how long it should take everyone to get through. It would be very nice, if it weren't for the damn tour groups. So many of them, they would fill an entire room. I eventually worked my way around them, and after walking through the park, I hopped on the subway and headed downtown. There I went to the Hapsburg's winter home, the Imperial Apartments and the Treasury. Vienna mishap number two: when I went to pay for my admission to the Treasury, I noticed I was missing 50 euros. Which given today's lousy exchange rate, was the equivalent of $70. I think I lost it at lunch, when I was trying to pay for my little sandwiches and I was being hurried along by the gentleman behind me, so I didn't have time to return all of my money to my purse. Alas, no souvenirs for me as I was on a strict budget. I was tired of walking at this point, and decided to stop for a coffee and apple strudel. While enjoying my coffee, I became aware of Vienna mishap #3--when I had gone through my bag at the Treasury, looking for my $50, I didn't recall seeing my passport. I believe I must have left it in my room at the hotel when cleaning out my bag the night before, so I scrap my plans to visit St. Stephen's cathedral and head back to the hotel.

And when I got there... no passport. It was gone. Have you ever found yourself in a foreign country without your passport? It is a very disconcerting feeling. And led to a significant change of plans on my part. Which I will tell you about later. I need to go take a nap. Here are the rest of my pictures from Austria. Enjoy!