It's the land of milk and honey - no, make that coffee and chocolates!
And guess what? I had just one of the former and none of the later!
The weather Gods weren't smiling on us, and a motley bunch led by Rad made our way to the Gyori Railway Station for a day trip to Vienna. By the time one of party got some cash (he had no access to an ATM, and we found the correct booth in which to buy the tickets (3,061 HUF for a day return - approximately$20 AUD), we found our way to the platform to wait for the 10:38am. Well, almost! The platform was, as Monty Python so eloquently put it, an -ex-parrot. We weren't going to go anywhere a from this pile of rubble.
We waited on the adjacent platform, and hoped that all was correct as the most spunky railway guard put her cap jauntily on her head and waved the trains away. After seemingly unseasonably hot and humid weather, it changed as we walked down to the railroad, and on the line to Vienna, to a cold, blowy, and ultimately, wet day. None of us had sufficient clothes to either keep warm, or dry. We arrived in Stephenplatz around 12:30pm, and I was struck by the sophisticated, cosmopolitan nature of the people. We split up briefly, while CC and I explored the most magnificent Viennese delicatessen and cafe, whilst walking around the buildings and Cathedrals.
[edit: Miss, the dog ate my blog. Most of the Sunday in Hungary, and then this. Drat]
Unfortunatley, it was an increasingly cold and windy day, with rain which made it difficult to see too much. We did a couple of circuits on a trolleys around the Ring, gawking at the museums and palaces which had a scale and majesty that I could not have imagined. Thankfully, Bob and I shall be returning for around 5-6 days in June before we depart back to Australia and shall get to know it much better.
Missing the second last train (17:52) from the Westbahnhof, I sort to warm up in the Shopping concourse by studying maps and newspapers. I bought a map of Belgrade city district and one for Budapest - our next destination after the race.
Is it possible to buy some of the local produce (ie, chocolates) and bring them back for me? Sounds great, I'm so jealous, lol!
I don't know what you can read at the momemnt - but the half marathon went well for all concerned, the PRB did a happy 1:52, Geoff did some incredibly fast time of 88 mins or so, Strewth came in under 2 hours and loved it although she wouldn't admit it, and I backed up after a bad run the day before to be just a bit slower than last year, but really happy with it. (1:42:23 or so).
Remember...Viennese chocolates. :)