Austria, May 2009 - Last day

Had breakfast, packed and met Troy in the lobby for the ride to the airport. The airport was very crowded, we had to use the check-in kiosk. The flight only showed three seats available, all middle seats. After everyone boarded I was able to move over to the aisle seat. Moreover, I was on the row behind business class so I had lots of legroom. We ended up stuck in a holding pattern for 30 minutes before we landed. They were checking for the swine flu via inferred cameras. I was second in line at customs, which was great. After we got our bags, the driver met us and we headed home. One block away from the Guesthouse a car ran into the backside of the van, no real damage.

Austria, May 2009 - First trip to Salzburg

Salzburg - A long drive but worth it, again. We arrived around noon. Our guide stuck with us all day. We pulled off the main highway and drove through the Salzkammergut landscape with its mountains and lakes to a Lake Fuschl and Lake Wolfgang. We arrived at Salzburg then went to the old city for a few hours. We visited the old Bishop's Seat including the Cathedral, the Festival Hall, St Peter's Abbey Church and its graveyard. Then the guide gave us 2 hours to explore on our own. Troy and I caught the tram up the hill to the Fortress Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. Took many pictures of Salzburg, we wondered around to the backside of the castle to a beautiful view of the Alps. We came across an outdoor café. We stopped for a few brewskies. After a long break it was time to head back down to the rendezvous point. We walked along the water and crossed over a pedestrian bridge then to the bus. Headed back to the hotel.

Austria, May 2009 - Schonbrun Palace

Another awesome day in Vienna. We planned to meet for breakfast at 8AM, but I ended up going upstairs because of a miscommunication with the host. I ran into Troy around 8:15. He was waiting for me. I sat with him during his meal. Took a cab to the Opera House then caught the Hop-on/Hop-off Green line to Schonbrun Palace. We stayed for 2 hours roaming the grounds and taking pictures. We jumped back on the Green line to the Belvedere Palace. Not as massive as Schonbrun, I was burned out after Schonbrun. We hoped on the bus a headed back to the Opera House. I continued looking for 1516 Brewpub. Could not find it. We ended up at Atlwiener Restaurant in a secluded back street. The first waitress did not speak English so another came to our table. The food was excellent! After, Troy and I went walking and exploring, killing time until the next bus. Load and behold, we found a brewpub called 1516. I had been looking for this place since I arrived in Vienna. It was in a different part of town and a different name. They had on tap an IPA; Marzen; Weisen; a great natural cider and HOP DEVIL from Victory, brew on location. The appetizers were great. Headed back to the hotel for a break then headed back downtown for a steak dinner at Steakpoint. We sat outside, the steak was perfect and had a good bottle of wine with the meal. Went back to the hotel and had cocktails in the bar.

Czech Republic, May 2009 - Prague first trip

Prague – A long drive but worth it. We arrived around noon. Our guide took up to the Praguehe Prague Castle. Great views of the city. Was saw the changing of the guards, and crossed the Charles Bridge. Troy and I were looking for the HRC the entire tour. On the old city side of town, we found it on our tour. We saw the Astronomical Clock ring on the tour. Once we found the rendezvous point. Troy and I headed back to the HRC for lunch and souvenirs. This is the largest HRC in the world.  It is five level with a center opened to view the main bar at the bottom level.  There is a large Les Paul shaped chandelier in the openning.   It started raining while in the HRC. It continued while we went to the rendezvous point. I stopped when we started heading back to Austria. We arrived back to the Opera House around 8PM. Headed back to the hotel and went to dinner. We tried to find a local restaurant but ended up back at La Koliba were we ate the first night. This time however. It was not as good as the first night. Bad seats and the beer was not as good, the food was still great

Austria, May 2009 - Walk about through the heart of Vienna

Vienna - Troy and started with breakfast in the hotel. We walked to the inner loop of Vienna. Troy wanted to take a cab but I said let’s try walking the first day. It was a long so we will go via cab or tram next time. We made it to St. Charles Church and the Ressel Park near the Karlssplatz station. We wondered around, I was trying to find the Opera House because that’s where all of the tour originate from. Eventually, we found it then decided to take the Hop-on/hop/off red tour around the city ring. The tour took one diversion to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The tour lasted about an hour. We got off at the Heldenplazt and started looking for a place to eat. I had noticed an outdoor pizza café on the tour so we started walking in that direction taking many photos along the way. We made it to the café by 2PM. We were both thirsty and hungry. They had Budvar on tap, the real Budweiser! That was delicious! The pizza wasn’t bad either. We were there for about and hour and a half. Started walking towards the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the middle of town. We went inside, I took many photos, this place is awesome. We made our way back to Heldenplazt then across the street to the History museums. Then back to the Opera House area. We started looking for a place to sit and have a drink outside. I found an Austrian bar with outdoor sitting. We both had a few brews and hung out a while. We went to the souvenir shop across the street and picked up a few items. Decided to head back to the hotel and rest a bit. Around 7:30PM we headed back to the city and walked around some more checking out the early evening activities. We ended up at an outdoor café called BarBar in the middle of a square. We had few beers and just hung out people watching. We made one more stop for dinner before calling it a night. Got in around 11PM.

Austria, May 2009 - First trip to Vienna

Left work for the airport. I was in the last seat on the back of the plane. I had an obnoxious kid in front of me that should have been hit with a hammer. Enough said! We arrived on time and met our driver at the met and greet area. Troy and I got settled and met for drinks before dinner. We headed out for dinner. I insisted that we walk to downtown. However I was disoriented and we walked south for a KM before I realized where we were. We head headed back and had a killer pork dinner at a restaurant next door to the hotel called La Koliba.