I didn't think I'd find myself back in Vienna again but it's nice to be in a somewhat "familiar" place for the first time on this trip. Don't get me wrong, I don't pretend to know the city at all, but at least I was here 7 years ago during spring break 2005 with my awesome study abroad roommate.
There was no direct connection between Zagreb and Bratislava so I had to go through Vienna anyway, and luckily my host in Bratislava works a couple days a week in the Vienna office so our schedules worked out well. I arrived on Monday by train and met him at the office so we could drive back to Bratislava together - it takes only about an hour. Then he had to go back to Vienna again on Tuesday so I tagged along and spent the entire day in Vienna revisiting the old sights and taking in the grandiose buildings - Stephensplatz, Karlsplatz, Museum Quarter, Schonnbrun, etc... I also stumbled across a Vietnamese restaurant and got all worked up about the possibility of having a bowl of pho, but then when I saw the price, my eyes rolled so far back that they actually came around. 9 euros for a bowl of pho? For that price it better be served in a basin.
I don't know if anyone recalls my post from a couple of weeks ago, but I met my Bratislava host, Roman, in Dubrovnik when he crashed the motorbike. Mare and I "took him in" and we exchanged contact info with the intention of meeting up in Bratislava again. I love these mini road reunions :) When you travel for an extended amount of time, everything and everyone is new - a new city, new host, new currency, new language, new transportation system - so it's comforting to know what to expect for a change.
Despite having spent the last two nights in Bratislava, I have yet to explore the city. So that's my plan for the next couple of days.
Remembered we had pho together. Take care! -Dan
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