Wien, aka Vienna!

My day in Vienna continued to be enjoyable. I didn't realize how wonderful having fresh clothes would be. Surely, i didn't get the entertainment I usually do when i do my laundry at the beehler household, but it was so nice to put on my jeans and not see the jam stain from the crepe i ate during the tour de france. After I finished, i wanted to get some food because i realized I hadn't ate anything all day and it was nearly 3. I asked at the front desk for some suggestions and the girl said there was an austrian brewery right down the street that had good food and beer. I went for it and it was an excellent choice! I feel kind of like a sleazy tourist because i have no idea what anyone is saying to me and i don't even know how to say hi. I guess i have some homework to do tonight. but I did have a great red beer and quickly learned that a 1/2 liter of beer is a really big glass. Then again, so was the portion of the traditional Austrian (someone I can't remember the name of..) I had too. Despite being hungry, i couldnt even begin to finish all they gave me, but it did taste like a really awesome macaroni and cheese. After I couldn't stuff my face anymore, and...wait for it... It started to rain again(!), I figured I'd explore the town a little bit because luckily the rain shower didn't last long and it was only a little more than a drizzle. I was smart and grabbed my raincoat at the hostel before leaving and i actually didn't even need it. I found a little health and beauty shop so i could take care of my grizzly woman armpits and legs by buying a razor... And thank god they had some! I headed towards the city center and it was packed with retail shops. There was quite a lot of people out walking about. The thing i noticed, though, is that -- well there's two things, 1) people wait until they get the walk sign and don't cross even if theres not a car in sight and 2) the storefronts are kind of lame with neon signs but above these are absolutely beautiful buildings. The architecture is incredible and its too bad you have to look up to see it. But then again, maybe you are considered "special" if you actually notice the beautiful structure above the materialism. I happened to look down a street and saw a green park. I decided to check it out and I'm so glad I did. There was an outdoor climbing gym! I sat down there for a little bit and watched the climbers, definitely made me wish i was climbing out in the Oregon woods with Phil. I moved on and somehow lost my bearings and thought i was continuing down the street but actually was going back towards the hostel. I'm still not sure how that happened. Anyways, I noticed a lot of gelato places so I was getting those cravings again and fell for it. Definitely not the same as the italians. One of the flavors i had tasted like cough syrup, which was alright for my congestions, but definitely not too enjoyable. I learned my lesson. I ended up back at the hostel early and enjoyed a happy hour beer and started thinking about my day tomorrow. I stopped into Vienna Explorers which does bike tours and has a bike tour into the wine country... You get to taste chocolates, jams, apricots, wine, schnapps, and all kinds of fun stuff so i decided I'd try to join in. I mean really,  how much better can it get and it beats being alone all day. Plus, i seriously miss Celeste. i spent the rest of the night talking with my bunk mate daniel who is from sacramento and is thinking about nursing school. I definitely had plenty to say about that situation, and he was really into the conversation although definitely concerned about the whole commitment thing... Absolutely understandable. Anyways, i eventually went to bed and woke in the morning, after experiencing the mother of all Charlie horses, and headed to the Vienna Explorers tour shop to get on board with the tour. Well, just my luck it was booked. When I went the night before they has 2 spots open and i started to book it online, but then got distracted and apparently missed my opportunity. They let me go "standby" and if someone didn't show up, i had a spot. I got a ride to the city center, and needless to say, it apparently wasn't meant to be. Everyone showed up. Luckily, there was an amazing Saturday market across the street so that made it bearable to have a change of plans. Today focal sense was DEFINITELY smell. Half of the market was food and the other half antiques/random stuff no one want in their house. The most noticeable scent was all the spices. It was amazing. All you could smell was the strong whiff of cardamom, turmeric, and the other assorted spices for sale as you walked closely. There was plenty of people walking about and lots of samples... One in particular i enjoyed a lot and ended up buying way more than I wanted for far too much money I expected. Silly me forgot my grams and I ended up getting some rather expensive almond covered deliciousness. At least it was worth it. Even though it was only 10:30 a.m. by that time, the taste and smell of falafel was taking over my senses and thoughts so i got this AMAZING falafel sandwich. I can't even begin to describe how delicious it was... Just take my word for it. I walked around some more at the market, witnessed a grown man put on a metal military helmet and pretend he was shooting a gun, had some hot chocolate, and began to make my way towards some sights. I had mapped out a rather long walk of the city that hit most of the cool spots around town. I went by a number of beautiful churches and buildings that had just amazing old architecture. It's hard to describe their beauty in words.. Especially when you've walked about 7 miles, been traveling for 2 long weeks, and can't wait to go to bed... The words just don't flow as easily, you know. i happened across one of the many green parks called Stadtpark. There were ponds with lots of geese and a tons of benches lining the walkway. I was a little tired, so i decided to take a nap on one of these benches, and i must say it was quite lovely, and exactly what i needed! I continued on my walk and the sky looked like it could erupt with rain at any moment. Story of my trip...haha. Speaking of the weather, Today it felt like fall outside. It was rather windy and a bit chilly. I walked down to Prater Park expecting just another park with this big ferris wheel and was SHOCKED when i found out it was like a mini Disney world! There was a ton of amusement park rides and games. The majority of these gave me heart palpitations due to my last experience at Silverwood, especially the one that i thought was just another big, fancy monument. No it was a mix between the swing ride and the panic plunge, minus the panic... Well for normal people. Both of these types of rides were very bad experiences in my life and ones I'd rather not go through again. After i walked around for bit and laughed when i saw a lot of American-esque rides and murals, including one that just about killed me: in the same painting, Michael Jackson, one when his skin was black, the other when he went white. Fantastic. After being a little overstimulated, i continued on my walk and came across this massively beautiful, you guessed it, church called Stephansdom. I gazed at that for sometime and thought I'd check out Mozarts house which was incredibly anti-climatic and so terribly boring. There was absolutely nothing special about it in the slightest way and i actually had to really convince myself that it was it. So I promptly moved on. There were a ton of high end shops like versace and, my favorite (only the name really) Marc O'Polo. Which brings me to a point, there have been such a lack of puns during my European adventure, it's quite upsetting. Anyways, I walked all the way down to Sigmund Freud park which is in front of another amazing church and then i saw some mountainous terrain far ahead that got me really excited. I thought i see if i could get a better view, but after about a mile or so of walking, the view was gone and i figured i should probably continue on my jaunt. at some point, I decided i really wanted coffer and an apple streusel so i stopped into a cafe and indulged. It was such a great cultural experience because there were a bunch of old ladies chatting, and going "yah, yah, yah" a lot. I just sat there, taking it all in, knowing they could be potentially be talking about that English speaking girl who probably doesn't realize we're talking about here. The road i chose to walk down had a ton of parks amd more amazing buildings like parliament and a few different museums. As i walked along, i saw what seemed like a big party (fact: autocorrect just change my misspelled party to orgy in that sentence... Awesome) and when i got closer it was actually a film festival. The film wasn't playing until 9 and it was only 7 and it was actually started to rain so i didn't really feel like sitting outside to watch the film. Also during this time, my camera batteries became overly exhausted and officially died on me. After nearly 10 hours of walking, I found it time to go back to the hostel and take a load off. I stopped for another falafel sandwich (which wasn't nearly as good as the one I had earlier) and a beer. Needless to say, my day in Vienna was actually really great. I took in a lot of the city and had, honestly, the best day I've had in the past 2 weeks. The city was quiet from tourists for the most part, the weather held out for most of the day, and i got to enjoy a LOT of parks. There is such a cultural diversity in this city and you see it in their food choices especially. A range from italian, greek, middle eastern, and German. Another refreshing site was to see the acceptance and openness of sexuality throughout town. Girls holding girls hands and boys kissing boys without any fear that someone may view them as "ungodly" and be scolded for their lifestyle. It was great. Also, the sounds of old men playing accordians in the streets and parks made me really feel like i was in austria. As i near my last week of traveling, I find myself starting think about all the things i have seen and done and it's really overwhelming. I think I'm finally at the point where karma has caught up with me and i can look forward to the next small cities I'll be visiting next. I'm finally past the black hole of tourist ridden cities and for the first time am not itching to get to the next place. I feel content with where i am and can finally sit back and enjoy the scenery. It may also have to do with the fact i finally feel clean. It took 2 razors, but i no longer look like a manly woman. I also don't smell like someone who's has been living off the streets. Tomorrow i leave for prague and I'm REALLY looking forward to exploring this city. Until then, enjoy!