Eastern Europe 2007: April 11/12 -- Day 1 (travel to Vienna)

The flight schedule for today is STL->JFK->LHR->VIE. (I realize this isn't written real-time but I'm pretending it is for the sake of the blog...)

I dread air travel. Since 9/11 but really before that to some degree, it's become such a grinding hassle as to almost make it not worth it. Almost...because there's no other reasonable way to get overseas until teleportation becomes viable.

So the first ride is on the packed-full regional jet to JFK. Took off and landed on-time, surprisingly. Too bad I'm going to miss the NRA convention in StL. Lambert had signs welcoming the gunslingers to the city.

Lambert actually looked pretty good. There are a number of new stores, the flat panel LCDs made it look as though it's been updated in the last decade, and the bathrooms were....well, we have a way to go.

JFK is proabably the worst airport I've been to, save for maybe Oakland. It's sprawling, dirty, confusing, and despite my generally good impressions of New Yorkers, not filled with pleasant people.

I chose the route on purpose because of the transatlantic 777. The importance of the at-seat personal TV can not be overstated. In 10 years this will likely sound quaint, but for the time being, it's luxury. The flight was basically full, save for maybe a couple seats. But I did not win the empty seat lottery. I was in the aisle next to a business-type Englishman. I think we both watched "Major League" but then I fell asleep for a little while. It was just over six hours, which really isn't that long. It took off nearly 45 minutes late (we were 16th in line on the runway, among other small glitches), but we made up the time in the air...

At Heathrow, they warn you to not ask about your departure gate until one hour before the flight. Forty-five minutes prior, the screen still didn't show it, so I sheepishly asked. They were cheery about it, as Englishmen usually are.

Vienna had a nifty airport train to take you to the train station, where there was also a metro stop. Very convenient. First impressions indicated that Vienna was tidy, modern...and as usual, was quite easy for the monolingual English-speaker to navigate.

We are lucky to speak English. It's not that we're smart for doing so, as most of us had no choice in the matter. But English is the common language of Europe, and the world. When a German visits Paris, or a Spaniard goes to the Czech Republic, the very first words they may speak to a clerk or other person is, "Do you speak English?" Most signs in Vienna of the informational type were wirtten in both German and English, and occasionally other local languages.

The U-bahn or subway is very handy in Vienna. Although the city is great to walk, the U-bahn stops are so close together that it does make sense to save your feet whenever possible and hop on. Most trains arrived with frequencies of 3-5 minutes, astounding by most standards.

I got off at Zieglergasse station. The pension/hotel/guesthouse was called Pension Hargita, and was right at the exit. I noticed an ice cream shop about a block down, and was happy. That's one thing we need more of around here -- nothing beats the pleasure of strolling around with no care or responsibility, eating an ice cream cone. Turns out Vienna is a very good ice cream city!

The pension was as usual found upstairs, its entrance at the back of a dark, drab hallway. Because they are usually just a tenant in the building, it's no indication of the quality of the place.

The room was extremely clean and tidy. The TV carried CNN which is always a relaxing touch at the end of a long day. I went with the bathroom, although it appeared that there were only two rooms that shared the hall bath, a pretty good ratio. It would have saved money, but because this was a freebie (miles) flight, I splurged a bit.

After some general walking around, I went to St. Stephen's cathedral, and was lucky enough to get there right as an English tour started. The tour guide was very casual and led us around on a few interesting sights. I rarely go on formal tours, mainly because I'm too lazy to schedule around them, but it was interesting.

Then I took the Rick Steves tram tour around the city. One line does a circle around town, and it really did help to get my bearings on the city.

One of the questions I had was whether or not to visit Slovakia on this trip. Really, the only reason I was inclined to was to add another country to my list, and one that I wasn't likely to visit soon otherwise. Slovakia is half of the former Czechoslovakia (the other half being the Czech Republic). It is generally considered the poorer, less interesting, more run-down half -- though many find this to be a reason to go.

Anyway, its capital, Bratislava, is only about an hour away from Vienna by train. I originally was going to book it on the way to Prague, but felt the complication of getting the tickets and making a connecting train after sightseeing would be too much hassle. I tend to overthink things sometimes. Still not sure, I instead got my onward ticket to Prague for the day after tomorrow.

At the train station, the Prague ticket was about 40 Euro. Looking at RailEurope right now, it's $74 plus $18 handling fee. I won't book on RailEurope again, unless it's critical to get a sleeper or some other situation like that. Only one train I've ever been on was even remotely full, and that was in 2005 from the Netherlands to Luxembourg. Worst case, the first class car was pratically empty, and that still winds up way cheaper than RailEurope.

I'm always looking for something to do in the early evening besides the requisite walking around or drinking beer. The Haus der Musik fit the bill nicely. It was open until something like 10pm, which is rare as most museum-type places close at 5:00 or 6:00. It was great! At first I thought it would be mostly a "music museum" but was a very interactive place that explored sound as well as music. There were lots of video displays (all multiple languages). Toward the end of the exhibit there were rooms dedicated to each composer, with an audioguide that I didn't use very much. Finally, you could use an electronic baton to conduct the Vienna philharmonic...I didn't do so well as all the musicians started yelling at me. Anyway, the Haus der Musik is highly recommended.

After some more strolling, I decided it had been a long, long day, and went to bed after planning for tomorrow.