As you know, my best friend from the States, whom I have known since I was 5, was in town visiting me in Budapest for the first time. Since she hasn't really seen much of Europe, we decided to hop on over to Vienna for a day so she could get a taste of Austria. As a natural born leader, and Aries, I planned out the entire day. I bought tickets for both the train and the Schonbrunn castle in advance, I printed out maps with drawings and circles indicating places we would see while we were there, and I wrote out all possible metro combinations so that we knew exactly where we would be going at all times. The first half of the day was filled with walking around the beautiful Schonbrunn castle and absorbing the vast history that the country entails. We went into the castle itself, taking an audio guided tour of 40 different rooms, each of them magnificent in their own way. We walked outside to the gardens and all over the green areas of the castle, which I imagined was a place that the royal inhabitants very much enjoyed, holding all their secrets and beautiful treasures. 

The second half of the day was spent in the downtown area of the city, eating their famous Sacher cake and cheese-stuffed sausage off the street, while walking around the Stephanplatz and staring at all the beautiful buildings, shops, and people. As my itinerary suggested, we were at the train station to go back to Budapest on time. We waited patiently for our train to arrive so we could hop on. On the monitor, our train said "Platform 9 a-c". So we proceeded to Platform 9 and hopped on the section "c". We realized only after the train started moving that the train had split in half and the part we were on was not headed to Budapest, but instead to the Vienna airport. Panicking, I quickly tried to look up train options on my friend's phone who had a little extra data left on her international plan. No luck. We arrived to the airport, knowing full well that the last train to Budapest from Wien Hbf train station (where we just came from) left in half an hour. There was no train leaving from the airport to get there. A nice American girl was with us, who did the same, and the three of us Americans tried to figure out a plan. We decided our only option was a taxi, running outside of the airport doors and flagging down the first taxi driver we saw. We tried to explain to him that our train left in 20 minutes and we need to get to Wien Hbf fast. He didn't really speak English, but said "he go fast, fast". We made it to the train station at 7:35 (train leaving at 7:40) and sprinted as fast as we could to the train, after throwing the taxi driver a wad of money, probably more than we would have given, due to not wanting to waste time with change. We caught the platform number on the screen, and raced over to the train. We made it. Barely. An hour later, and a new friend under our arm, we rode back to Budapest happy and satisfied (myself a little frazzled) after our adventurous day in Vienna. #dianasays

Oh the taste and smell of those cheesy Viennese sausages served with dark rye bread right on the streets of every corner across Vienna. The best fast food you will ever have on paper plates. The image brings back great memories while we were still living in Budapest. Vienna is only a couple of hours away by car, so consequently a city we visited quite often. When I was in my late teens, the difference between the two countries was huge, a real reflection of a Western country versus the Eastern Communist one I grew up in. Vienna was not only about the history, beauty and sightseeing but also about shopping. It opened up new possibilities for us, to venture outside of our country more often, with Vienna being so close, and acquire goods that were not available for sale in Hungary or were cheaper in Austria.

Of course, throughout the years we familiarized ourselves with the history of the city, visited all the major tourist attractions and then some. I think I have been in the Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens at least 5 times already. But there is so much more to see, for example, the Opera House, St. Stephan's Cathedral, Hofburn, Belvedere Palace, and of course let's not forget about all the different museums and exhibits with their historical, modern and contemporary art you can visit on any given day. What is really amazing is the fact that you can drive only a couple of hours from your home and you find yourself emerged in a completely different culture, despite Hungary's tight relations with Austria and the Habsburg Empire throughout our history. People speak a different language, dress differently, behave different. You see shops you have never seen before. They use a different currency, yes before the Euro, it was the Austrian schilling. Since many countries in Europe converted to using Euros, I do miss the different and colorful paper money that came with traveling through several countries of the old Continent.

Due to the fact that we live in the States now, our trips to Vienna have become less frequent. It is a bit further of a drive. :) Few years ago though we had the pleasure of spending 3 days in this fun city to make up for lost times. To top the experience off and to my kids delight we ended up being there just in time for a Pitbull concert. Yes, I actually got the tickets in advance before we even flew out of San Diego, planed out the entire 3 days. I guess Diana learned from the best, being an Aries myself. But taking them to this crazy concert came with terms. Sightseeing terms. I sure know how to make my kids happy. Life is about compromising. Concert for a stroll through the rooms of Schonbrunn Castle. Iced coffee and apple strudel for a tour of the Opera House. The sausages I just threw in as bonus, I am so generous and fun, right? Anyways, if you ever travel through Europe, among other favorite cities of mine, Vienna should be a definite must on your list. We might just have to take a day trip this summer while I am back in Budapest. Stay tuned for travel updates from us, exciting plans are underway. #mommydearest