VIENNA

oh my god. WE LOVE VIENNA!

The coach journey from Prague, was long (7.5 hours) but somehow bareable, we sat at the front like good girls and the view along the way was great. We realised that pretty much everyone backpacking across Europe is an Aussie!

Luckily for us, we managed to find someone to host us for couchsurfing in Austria and it turned out to be literaly oposite the drop-off hostel, so couldn´t be easier to find. When we buzzed up to Clara´s appartment, she sounded quite confused and confessed to us when we walked into her (amazing) appartment that her internet had broken and she´d completely forgotten that we were coming (so thank god she was home.

She lives in a really cool central area (like living at one of the ends of Oxford Street or something)and we even had our own bedroom!! (she´s had about 70 couchsufers already) Her friend Niaomi was also visiting from Holland and they had spent the day crashed out in pyjamas (as Niaomi was really ill and had even been to the hospital in case she had Swine flu! - which luckily she didn´t) They made us Spaghetti Carbonara and we spent the evening chatting like we´d known each other for years! It was SO SO hot and sweaty, until later on when the was the most crazy storm - torrental rain, ice, thunder, lightning, gale-force-winds...it was all on the news the next day and people had even died!

The next day was lovely though - perfectly sunny and hot. We walked down her long street and into the city centre to meet her lovely friend Kiri, for lunch and this side street organic cafe, where we sat outside and ate wholegrain crepes with egg and tomato and cheese and everything and fresh juices and we chatted and they smoked away like typical Europeans...and Scarlett and I sat gauping at the gorgeous architecture and the huge church all lit by the sun...it was amazing.

They then took us on a tour of the whole city - all the main attractions, the Museum Quarter (very very cool - very arty and modern) and the churches and cathederals and main streets and horse drawn carriages...and the BEST most beautiful H&M shop with one of those old-fashioned gold lifts that has the pull over door! (like in Titanic!)
Later went to the supermarket to buy dinner and wine and had another lovely evening all together eating and chatting and listening to their favourite singer Regina Spektor.

Today Scarlett and I went off to be complete tourists and had a brilliant day. We walked everwhere (again) and stumbled across a traditional brass band and sat on to of a large monument to watch them as they played Viennese Waltz and famous songs, it was like we were in a film! We then done some more wandering and found a little traditional coffee shop and drank Malange (like Cappuchino) and had propper Apfelstudel! We sat there chatting and peoplewatching for 2 HOURS and they never bother you to hurry up and leave!
Some ice cream and ´Mozart chocolate´ (mmmmmmm...kind of like Forrero Roche but without the nuts and with green pisaschio stuff) later and more wandering (and trying to shelter from the random rain showers) we had a slow walk back to her appartment where she cooked us a fantastic curry and homeamde Strudel with Viennetta! (she loves Jamie Oliver and is a really great cook!)and we sat and talked about everything and anything as ever!

Im now in an in internet cafe oer the road ust checking up on stuff (and writing this) and just thought I better check our couchsurfing for Munich - which the girl has canceled!!! arrrghhh so hopefully we´ll get in a hostel OK...

So I´m off, back to the girls for our last night in Vienna. Can´t express how much fun it´s been and how beautiful this city is! (a gazzillion times nicer than Prague, including the people!) It´s been great to practice my German (I remember so so much more than I thought I would - Miss Vincent would be proud!) and I really want to take it up again when I get home and learn more Spanish!
Clara and her friends are so generous and kind and I hope to keep in touch and see them in England one day (but they are off to Stockholm and Paris for a while to live). I would recmommend Vienna to everyone. The hills are indeed alive with the sound of Music! hahaa

Roll on Munich - fingers crossed we get in somewhere to stay!