There's a Difference Between A Fine Whine, and A Good Wine

And I had them both last night.

There always comes a point in the trip where I want to wrap my hands around the neck of my travel agent and squeeze (chill alert: I've never actually done it, and never actually will).  Last night was that point.

We arrived in Vienna at the train station, and were totally confounded by the lack of information.  There were exactly zero signs for taxis.  I wanted to take the subway (U-bahn), but the maps were not clear at all.  So we picked a random exit via which a lot of people were leaving (mostly so they could get outside and smoke a cigarette).  Nothing in sight but buses.  I'm not opposed to buses per se, as long as someone else is riding them.  (Plus, I wouldn't know which one to get on).

We had asked our travel agent to arrange a transfer (usually by minivan or the like), but she breezily said, take a taxi.  Except there were no taxis.

So we went back in, dragging our wheeled luggage behind us, and I was ready to blow a gasket (that famous Bolger temper).  The man at the information desk pointed, said turn left, then turn right.  So we did.  And that took us to train platforms 2 & 3.  So, we were outside, but nowhere near where we needed to be.  I went back to the gentleman, and explained we were looking for taxis, not trains.

To give him credit, he popped out of his booth, and walked us over to where he meant (it was a little alleyway past the first turn, and led to an elevator).  It looked like the part of the train station where locals send tourists just so they can get mugged.

He also said the taxis were 50 meters away from the top to the right.  Well, as a swim fan, I'm well acquainted with 50 meters, and this was not 50 meters.  Dragging our luggage behind us, we went the 300 meters to the cab stand, where immediately the last taxi filled up with people and left.  Finally one came -- except we wouldn't fit.  Plus, the driver didn't know where the hotel was, even though we are on a main street in Vienna.  Stuffing random Euros into Carol's hand, I sent Julia, Maddy, and Carol off to their fates.  Torie and I grabbed the next cab to come along, and at least the cabbie knew the hotel and the city.

We probably lost a good (actually, a bad) 45 minutes trying to find our way out of the train station and to the cab stand.  Nice signage, Vienna!

Walking into the hotel was an immediate, and pleasant relaxer.  The woman at the desk was immediately friendlier than anyone we met in Prague.  I think in Prague they are not as friendly because they deal with tourists all day long -- here the people we've met seem genuinely happy to see us, as opposed to it being part of their job.

After a bit of time in the room after the long train trip, we headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner --Glacis Beisl (don't worry, I can't pronounce it either).  It was clearly not a tourist place -- I'm betting we were the only non-locals there. The service was good -- the waiter was friendly, and the food was great -- Maddy and I had Viennese Schnitzel, Carol and Julia had the beef goulash, and Torie had, as usual, the  most expensive thing on the menu.

Mrs. Iron Tourist and I shared a nice bottle (not a great one, but a nice one) of Austrian Pinot Noir, which tastes like Burgundy with a little water added.

The only mistake was that we choose to sit outside.  That was an error not because it was cold (we were suitably dressed), but because people seated out in the pleasant garden area smoked.  And, we were seated near the area where the people inside came out to smoke.  Even outside the secondhand smoke was annoying, disgusting, and distracting.  Later in the evening, the smoking ranks thinned out and it was more palatable.

I also made the mistake of asking our waiter (who was clearly proud of his decent English) about what to see in Vienna.  He summoned two other waiters, and we got this long dissertation that made little sense, but they were clearly excited to be asked, so we let them ramble.

Speaking of rambling, the hotel in Vienna, Das Tyrol, seems perfect for us.  The hotel in Prague, the U Pava, had a great location, but the reviews on Trip Advisor were so mixed our expectations were very low.  The place was fine -- since we were on the main floor, the constant smoking in the lobby did not drift up to our rooms (but it drift up to someone else's room), and the clerks were all as non-friendly as advertised.  But, the rooms were fine, the breakfast did the trick, and we were in between Old Town and the Prague Castle area -- both short walks away.  I wouldn't recommend the hotel, but I also wouldn't recommend against it.

Btw, if you can't tell from this post, you are better off with a good wine than a fine whine.