I have forgotten how to say thank you & excuse me. I mean I haven’t forgotten my manners but my brain has switched to Turkish and I keep saying sağol and pardon to everyone! I am writing this post after my Budapest leg. In hindsight, I must admit I didn’t give Vienna the time it deserved and also very naively thought that Budapest would be on par with Vienna. Certainly, it is not.

Prior to starting this Europe trip, I had to set some ground rules for myself. Number one was budget, budget, budget! I had to establish that my budget could only cover Central European countries and I possibly only could do 4 countries. Secondly, I wasn’t going to go all ninja-travelling (as I usually do) and try and cover all the places the guidebooks had written about. Motto is go slow, linger and drink the wine (because its cheap and the last 4 months have been pretty dry!)

Motto is go slow, linger and drink the wine…

I got a hostel very close to the Westbahnhof station which was great because trains to Vienna depart from there. The hostel was actually a real school hostel which was closed for holidays so they let it out tourists! I found it very hospital-like. I started my day with St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the surrounding area and finished with the Ringstraße train-ride (7 euros) which is short and takes you through the necessary important landmarks. This is a great option if don’t have enough time in Vienna.

Finished the day with some good wine! Next day caught the train from Westbahnhof to Budapest.