Day 355, Vienna, Austria
Vienna day. Staying in a family run hotel has its perks, always. The meals are prepared and served by the owner who is a friendly man, always smiling and attentive. We sat down to a typical European breakfast in many ways, bread, jams, cheeses, cold cuts, hot drinks and juice. One of my favorite aspects of travel is having family meals with no time demands.
The metro stop was across the street, so convenient. This is never a coincidence, but always part of Paul’s location picking expertise. The metro was extremely clean. We seemed to be the only ones buying tickets and punching them at the entrance. I don’t know if people have passes or if everyone uses the system free of charge except for those of us who feel compelled to buy tickets. It’s unclear. There were no people in booths or policing anywhere at the stations as far as we could see. Just people walking in and getting on trains unencumbered with tickets altogether. 
It’s interesting coming directly from Budapest, as these cities are very different. In Budapest you have the river, and important buildings are sprinkled about various parts of the downtown. In Vienna, the city center is the main attraction, more compact, and anchored by a few impressive cathedrals. There were ample stores and restaurants on pedestrian-only streets. The girls ended up with a few things they did and didn’t need. Everyone was happy. We were entertained by the variety of dogs, who accompany their owners everywhere, even in the stores. The stores closed at 6 which caught us, and quite a few other tourists, off guard. The whole area just shut down, and on a Saturday night. So we went home.
We had many coffee breaks in Vienna. Whether you’ll eat the food or not, McDonalds always has coffee that is prepared a bit like home. So if no other cute little cafe is available, we’re happy to take a break at McCafe. Here’s one in Vienna.
Turns out our hotel’s restaurant also closed for the evening, since even Captain Kangaroo deserves a night off. We walked a few blocks to the Golden Panda, which came highly recommended for it’s Chinese cuisine. It was a great meal on their outdoor patio, underneath an umbrella of trees. Beautiful, serene setting. They brought out heating plates for our dishes which was fun. At the end they brought out five glasses of an apple aperitif. Interesting how from Italy, Croatia, and now Austria, they always bring out 5—because kids deserve shots, too. That just means Paul gets more to sample.