Through Salzburg to Wien

Saturday, July 09, 2016
Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
Once again all four of us were able to enjoy a complimentary breakfast. This one was even better than the last. There was a huge spread to choose from. And plenty of foods that I can eat, as well including coconut milk for the cold cereal. What a treat! Everything was very tasty, and it was so nice not to have to go foraging for food in the morning like we did on our last trip.

When it was time to check out, we weren't sure what the charge for having an extra person (Bethie) in the room with us would be . It turned out only to be the city tax per person of one Euro each! Yay for hotel points!!

On the train ride into Salzburg we were on the Railjet which got up to 230 km/hr (about 140 mph)! Desmond and I walked many cars back to find him a little kids' area. He got to climb the little stairs there (the seating area in front of the TV) and watch cartoons in German. So that was fun. He's been doing very well on the trains so far.

After two hours of train travel we arrived in Salzburg. We stowed our bags in a locker for about three Euro and then Bryan walked us, by memory, over to the Mirabell Gardens. I love these gardens. I loved them last time and I love them still. There were a number of brides getting wedding photos done there today, and what a pretty place to do so.

We had planned to let Desmond run and play at this point, but our little buddy had fallen fast asleep, so we continued on, across the bridge with all the locks, to Old Town . We wandered the streets showing Bethie the sights from memory. It was fun. There were many street performers - most of them musicians and very talented. Floating Mozart was still exactly where he had been last time and was handing out postcards and suckers as ever. We even found the same sausage stand for lunch. Desmond woke up and enjoyed our picnic on the steps of the church as well. The sausages were so good that I went back and got us another. We decided we like them on the plate better than in the bun because then you get the salty roll that goes with them. There is no picture of this, because we were quite hungry and devoured them all before we thought of it.

Desmond was out of his stroller for the picnic and we let him walk for a while. Bethie found a chocolate shop and bought herself some treats. Desmond was mesmerized by the little conveyor belt taking the tasters around the shop.

Next we went into the little place with all the different flavors of Schnapps. Unfortunately Desmond was uninterested in being held, there wasn't room for a stroller, and it wasn't going to be fun to take tastes with him carrying on. We decided we didn't want to divide and conquer on this one, as it is really most fun to sip and try and pass them around talking about what we think of them. And that just wasn't an option so we passed on it. That was disappointing because we've been talking about going back for four years . But go figure, even in Europe it is difficult to take a child into a bar.

We left Old Town and took him back to the garden to play. I enjoyed listening to a trio playing the Libertango as Desmond explored.

Then came more train time on to Wien (Vienna). Bethie was kind enough to let (a very sleepy) Desmond sit in the seat next to her. I took the opportunity to nap for a bit.

A few hours of train and some U Bahn (subway) transfers later we had made it to our Hilton. We got a room on the side that has a view of the Danube River. We'd all decided we'd heard of the Danube, but couldn't recall the significance. The room is spacious and nice. There were complimentary water bottles, apples and chocolates set out for us as well.

Getting hungry after resting a bit Bethie and I set out for a mini mart across the street that turned out to be not open. We then started discussing how tomorrow was Sunday and grocery stores would be closed, and thinking about how little we have in our food bag right now. We looked at the prices at the waterfront restaurant that is part of the hotel and decided we didn't want to spend quite that much tonight (especially since just moments before we were planning on a cheap grocery-shop meal). I used my phone to find an affordable dinner option nearby . So glad that T-Mobile works in Europe so seamlessly!

When we got back to the room to share the new plan with Bryan, he mentioned the executive lounge access he was hoping we would get with our Hilton Gold status. I went back down to check at the front desk and they apologized all over themselves for not mentioning it upon our arrival and yes, we have unlimited access to the lounge on the eighth floor.

We popped upstairs to have a look around. It was happy hour. There were snacks, fruit, rolls, one dinner option, and hot & cold drinks (with or without alcohol). And all of it is complimentary. The main entrée had milk in it, so we decided to follow our plan to walk down along the river to the Burger Bar. But not before enjoying some cold drinks!

Our walk along the Danube was beautiful. The weather was pleasant, and there were swans swimming along beside us. Desmond kept asking insistently to get out of the stroller . He seems to do this the most emphatically just before he falls asleep. Sure enough, he was asleep before we made it to the restaurant.

We turned left and walked away from the river a bit, Siri leading the way, and soon she told us we had arrived at the Burger Bar. Only, we didn't see it. It turned out to be about a block down the road and on the other side of the street. Bethie says that the GPS isn't as reliable here in Europe as it is in the states, and she rarely trusts her phone to get her places anymore. Oh well, it worked well enough in this case for us to find food. And that was what was important at that point.

We enjoyed our dinner. We had a chuckle when we realized that Bryan and I were trying to make do with German menus and Bethie had one in English. Once we switched around we were better able to read what was available. Bryan ordered himself a "medium" cheeseburger which had two patties of beef. The friendly waiter tried to sell him on the concept of baconaise (a house specialty bacon mayonnaise) but of course for Bryan that was unappealing. I went with the Jambalaya and Bethie got curry. Everything was good, though mine was very spicy! Good thing I had a tasty raspberry/basil drink to wash it down with. :)

After dinner there was more walking along the river on our way back to the hotel. We finally used Google to figure out that we new of the Danube from the famous waltz by Strauss . Believe me, you've heard it even if you don't know the name. Desmond woke up at this point, and I felt badly that he had missed dinner. We enjoyed the sunset sky above the river accentuating the Vienna skyline. It was all just very beautiful, and it had cooled off so that the weather was really pleasant. My favorite time of day.

When we got back to the hotel room it was Desmond's favorite time of day: "peanut butter jelly time." After that his sticky hands (not to mention his dust covered little legs still grubby from playing in the gravel at the gardens) needed a bath. But this was not an acceptable course of action in Desmond's book. He has a fear of shower nozzles and began crying loudly as I tried to coach him over to the bath.

I decided it wasn't worth the fight and offered him an alternative of playing in the sink instead. We put soap in it and it was just like his after-meal "bubble bowl"s at home.

Once he was all cleaned up we plopped him in his crib and pulled the thick curtains across the large window. He protested slightly and then was out. Rightfully so, as it was already after 10PM. Bryan figured out the thermostat (which I had mistakenly turned off) and soon we will all be sleeping comfortably in our cool, dark room. Good night! ~ Merilee

In a big city like Vienna using hotel points for your stay can really save you some money. In this case I found us a waterfront Hilton that was a great deal. It isn't in walking distance of any of the major Vienna sights, but we've all been enjoying the view of the river. We got the points for this stay from Citi Hilton card and by transferring Citi ThankYou points to Hilton as well.

This is our first experience with a hotel lounge. I didn't know they existed a few months ago, but we've been getting into all kinds of secret places on this trip. It's like a airport lounge with drinks and snacks, but it also offers a meal in the evenings. This lounge has a great view on the top floor of the hotel. We got access as part of Mer's Gold status. Kinda like first class, you can just book a room with access to a lounge or get upgraded to one if you have status. It's a great deal as cold drinks can be expensive in Europe and we are excited to get them free.

~ Bryan
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Comments

Leslie
2016-07-10

Another great day for the four of you! Love the photos. Mom

Jaynie Roberts
2016-07-10

Fabulous! This is so fun reading about your travels. I look forward to it every day.

2025-02-10

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