So, Katie and I left Monday for Vienna. We left with a couple backpacks, a couple tourists books, and our passports. We had virtually no plan at all. Our only real goal of the trip was to end up in Switzerland. Yes, just anywhere in Switzerland...we had kinda set Geneva as the tentative goal. We arrive in Vienna, check into our hostel, and start walking around. I had an appointment with the Czech Embassy Tuesday morning, so that was the only thing we had to do. We see most the city, and it's starting to get dark, so we figured we head back to the hostel. But, on the way back we stumbled upon this delightful winter festival. It was beautiful! Complete with an outdoor ice rink. We knew we had to do it. Before we headed to the rink we wanted to eat. The only requirement we had on the trip was to eat at least one traditional meal from each country we were in, and try their beer. SO, we had our Austrian meal, and then headed to the rink. It had a couple different rinks connected with these trails, and you could skate to each one, makin this large circle. It was super cool.
Tuesday morning I made it to the visa office (of course I managed to get lost along the way), and survived the process with minor cuts and bruises. I did end up in tears at one point, but they dried eventually. Just f.y.i; the visa process is not a fun one. And you have about a 2 hour window to get it done when you get there. Ok, so our next stop is the car rental place. A friend of mine had given me the link to a place you could get a smart car for around 10 euro a day...we thought it sounded perfect. And how fun to drive a smart car!! Well, to make a long, long story short, it wasn't a good fit. We could only stay in Austria, and had to return it in Vienna. So, we asked for alternatives, but the only one that seemed promising was to head to the airport. We took the 6 euro, 25 minute bus ride to the airport knowing 1 of 2 things: we either flyin out of here or drivin out; no trains. After checkin on some last minute airfares, we decided to do the car rental thing. There were roughly 6 car rental company options. We headed for Hertz first, and let me tell you I never thought I'd hear Ford Fiesta, 3 day rental, and 350 euro in the same sentence. Are you kidding me? 350 euro....for a Fiesta!?! Um, we'll pass. So, we checked literally every rental place with no luck. Finally, we had Avis left. We split up, Katie went to see what she could do to lower the prices at Hertz and I headed for Avis. I walked up, said I want the cheapest thing you got for at least 1 day, if not 3. The words that followed were music to my ears..."We can get you 55 euro a day." Sold. Sign us up, we're in. I immediately tell Katie to come over, I think we found a deal. I was kinda nervous what kind of car we'd be getting, and definitely didn't want to ask. As he's talking (thick German accent in tow) I thought he said what our car was, but figured I must be mistaken. Nope, he said it again clear as day...an Audi! I'm sorry, did you just say an Audi? Oh wait, it gets better. He proceeds to give us details, and I ask if they happen to have a map of Austria we could have..."No need," he tells us,"It comes with navigation...and leather, heated seats." Good gracious! Are you serious? Needless to say, we all became instant friends. I did ask if the navigation could talk to us in English, but unfortunately it couldn't. A little sad about that, but what can you do? Impressed with our luck, we started thinking we were going to be more than alright.
So, we hit the road, heading for Salzburg. We arrived in Salzburg with no problems, AND we didn't get lost! I had been to Salzburg before, and loved it. This time was no different. We found a great place to eat that night, and rested up for the Sound of Music tour the next morning. We figured we'd finalize plans on what to do next along the way. We finished the tour, and decided to head to Zurich.
The wonderful Sound of Music Tour
Our "Map" for the trip
The drive was pretty amazing. The Alps were beautiful. We tried to get some shots along the way, but I'm not sure the pictures do it justice. We made it to Zurich without getting lost. (so proud of us) We even got to drive through the small country of Liechtenstein. You can click and brush up on your Liechtenstein knowledge if you feel so inclined. Zurich was great, but incredibly pricey. Ridiculous actually. Reminded me a lot of London. Brutal. We both got the feel it was more of a summer/spring city. It's right on the water, with a beautiful little harbor. Maybe I'll try and go back again one day. OH! Almost forgot...the Swiss people were so incredibly nice!!! It was so refreshing, and something I don't experience here in Prague. Another sidenote, the men were beautiful in Switzerland. We were walking around, and I finally said, "Is it just me, or is every guy incredibly good looking?" She said she was just thinking the same thing...amazing scenery ladies.
So, next stop was Munich. We figured we'd head back towards Prague. For some reason, I just have never really had the desire to see Germany...not really sure why. But Munich was a pretty nice city. The city square was beautiful. But this is where we made our one fatal mistake. Apparently our rental car and eastern Europe aren't compatible. We literally found this out less than 2 hours before hitting the road. Huge change in plans. Now, we had to figure out where the nearest Avis was, return the car, and figure out train schedules. It all worked out, and we were back safe&sound in Prague that evening. Needless to say, we were a bit exhausted.
Yes, that is about 125 mi/h.
So, we took it easy...woke up Saturday and walked around Prague, took some pics, bought some souvenirs, and got ready for my birthday celebrations. It was such a great great gift having Katie here. Katie, I am SOOOO glad you came, and will love thinking back to all the memories we made...especially jam sessions in the car!! Can't wait for your wedding in June!!! Love you!
Hope you enjoy the pics and videos...thanks for takin the time to read, or at least look at the pictures.
Here's some of the fantastic jam sessions Katie and I had in the car. I hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed making them!!
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