Road Trip Part Four: What a bunch of Weiners!

Hello everyone! Dateline chris here. Jen tells me that I'm using that wrong, but hey! I'm never one to let correctness stand in the way of tradition, so...

BigBus upper deck Wein touring like a BO$$

(DATELINE CHRIS!!!11)

I'm in to hit cleanup on our Otis Birthday Celebration Road Trip! Already, we have been to Plitviče, Ljubljana and Budapest - all that's left to go is our two nights in Vienna (aka Wein, which I can't believe I didn't know) and then our slog through Austria and Slovakia to the Bratislava airport, destination Athens (where I sit, writing this post).

Schönbrunn Palace looking good, no time for a tour

Two things overall about our stay in Vienna - first, it was the most American city we've been to on our trip so far; second, it was COLD. Like, "I think I saw some sleet" cold; like "Dada, why did you tell me not to bring a coat on this trip?" cold; like "Ugh" cold.

Bundle up! Otis rode in the heated lower level like a sensible person

We'll be glad we didn't bring our ski parka when we're in Thailand, now? Not so much.

We stayed in a pretty cool hostel that was about halfway between the oldest part of the city and the Schönbrunn Palace. This sounds convenient, but it was actually a bit of a nowhere land. We were close to the metro, and there are streetcars all over the city, but I guess we weren't that intrepid about figuring it out because all we did was walk from our hostel to the Palace to catch our Big Bus to tour us around the city; any other option was too much work and too little temperature for our tired little family.

Definitely look into Sixt rental upgrades if you're picking up in Vienna.  A rental BMW i8.

I made this delicious sandwich from ingredients I picked up at the Vienna Train Station grocery store: French bread with brie, golden delicious apples and gherkins. GET TO KNOW ME!!

Our hostel came with a bed in a bag so you were sure you had clean bedding; Jen really appreciated this

After a circuit of the city, we were dying for lunch. We had just gotten off the bus and Jen had a restaurant in mind, but it was two miles away. I had a backup suggestion but it was a bit of a walk as well. Me: where shall we go? Jen: the closest place. Fortunately/unfortunately, that place was Tian.

TFW you realize your lunch is going to cost €100

So what happens when tired, cold and cranky Americans spur-of-the-moment walk into a Michelin Star Restaurant? We get a fantastic meal at a fantastical price; the service is lovely and shockingly  non-judgmental; we tell Otis that we cannot play any card games at the table; we leave €100 poorer.

Jen's appetizer: "It was tasty!" in the background is my coconut soup and the test tubes of oils from different regions to accompany our bread. Loved that bread!

my coconut soup

Jen's entré, I don't really know what it was, but I think it had a lot of wood ear mushrooms in it

Jen and Otis's entrés, Otis had the mushroom risotto; the servers couldn't believe he didn't finish it!

TFW you just finished eating a €100 lunch

The rest of Vienna was basically getting back to our hostel (after stopping at a third cat café), cooking all our leftover staples for dinner and making our way to Bratislava, Slovakia for our Ryanair flight to Athens.

Café Neko in Vienna

Here's how we did it - $7 Uber to Vienna Central Train Station, €1 bus from Vienna to Bratislava, ~ €6 bus trip from Bratislava Bus Station to Bratislava Airport, arrive three hours early for our €56 (per person) flight.

Strutting into Vienna Central Station

Posing in front of Bratislava Airport

Killing some time before our flight

Bratislava was the first place we had been to that really looked like it was dominated by the Soviet Union not so long ago. It was a bit unlovely, they had some statues and parks we didn't get a chance to see, and they had a glistening new hockey arena.

This was my first Ryanair flight, and since we were warned that they will take a pound of flesh if your carryon is too big or heavy, we upgraded to Leisure Plus Class, which included priority boarding, one checked bag and the right to choose your own seats. Given that, getting on the flight was easy and hassle free. I might even be brave enough to try Spirit when I'm back in the states.

Get ready Greece!