Helmut thinks Pilsner is sehr gut!

Drink up buddy!

Helmut busts a move

Helmut on the dance floor, all 70's style!

Where in the world has Helmut been?

I must admit, the warm weather in Vienna and the lack of free internet access put a slight damper on Helmet's activity.  Since he lives in the pocket of my raincoat, he did not make it out of the hotel the past few days.  I'll try to remember to bring him out for a tour of Budapest tomorrow.

But, for you Helmut junkies (ahem, Ryanne) here he is in front of the Miniature Museum in Prague.

Sunset in Budpest

At this very moment, I am enjoying the most beautiful sunset in Budapest from a rooftop terrace over looking the Danube, while enjoying Hungarian wine.
This evening we arrived in Budapest, the final stop on our adventure. I have to admit, I am not a fan of Hungarian trains on Earth Day or any other day for that matter (Refer to Stacie's post below).
Looking forward to seeing Buda and Pest tomorrow, including Parliament, the castle, and the synagogue.

Cheers!

Beautiful...wish you were here

On train to Budapest

We just changed trains in Gyor. As we crossed over from Austria to
Hungary, it was as though we stepped back in time. We walked through
the first 2 cars of the train and the overwhelming stench of cigarette
smoke was unbearable. We did find seats in a nonsmoking car, but when
the conductor came through he made us pay 9 euro (about $14) more to
upgrade since these are reserved seats. Well worth it to avoid the
smoke filled cars.

Amy came back from the toilet with a frightful look on her face as I
was attempting to deal with the conductor. She advised against using
the restroom, but I could only hold out for so long. When I went in I
realized the full message she was trying to convey. I noticed a sign
on the door that said "please do not use toilet while train is parked
at station.". I discovered the reason why was, just as Amy had told
me, because the "waste" in the toilet empties directly beneath it onto
the railroad tracks!!! Huh? As a RR employee, I am so glad that our
lavs are emptied elsewhere. Ugghh

On another note, I'm fairly certain that I won't get off this train
without first coming down with a nasty case of tuberculosis. The guy
in the next aisle has not stopped hacking since we got onboard. Ick.

Blogging on train, take 2

>
>
>
> This morning we saw the museums, parliament, St. Stephans cathedral,
> the Demel chocolatier, and had lunch at the Oberlaa cafe, where we
> sat outside and enjoyed some Austrian fare.
>
> On the advice of Mercedes, the not so helpful concierge at the
> Hilton Vienna Executive lounge, we ran halfway across the city with
> luggage in tow only to discover that the ticket counter at that
> particular train station would be closed until June. This caused us
> to miss the only direct train to Budapest. Oh joy.
>
> And so began the adventure of dragging our luggage back across the
> city, while plotting the tortuous acts that we would like to subject
> Ms. Mercedes to. 3 subways and 1 tram later, we made it to the
> other train station and purchased our tickets to Hungary. The only
> concern is that we
> Will need to switch trains in Gyor, which is God knows where.
>
> Now that we're on the train, the stress level is going down & I have
> a feeling that the fresh macaroons will be just what we need to
> offset the turbulent chain of events that occurred today. Good
> thing we each bought a box of 6 at Oberlee. That should be just
> enough to have us smiling again.

Happy earth day from Vienna

After touring the city all morning, we are on the the train about to
depart Vienna en route to Budapest.