FUN-travel: Budapest, Hungary to Villach, Austria
October 3, 2013 by Susan Clarke
Day 16 – Tuesday, October 1 – Budapest, Hungary to Villach, Austria – high clouds w/sun trying to peak thru – warmer than yesterday morn – high 50’s
What I LIKE
View From Citadel
- 7:15 – hot capp in bed
- 8:15 – take breakfast to go
- 8:30 – taxi to train (get more on time bonus pts!)
- only costs 2000 ft – like $9 US
- hotel reserves it
- only takes 10 mins
- nice small station
- 8:55 – board train
- last big city we will be in for rest of trip!
- ready for quaint, charming & mystical
- *use train time to catch up in travel log
- 11:56 – arrive Vienna on time track 8
- departing on track 5
- have an elevator to go down for stairs up to next platform
- 12:15 – board train and get the double facing seats w/table
- can spread out! (last train single man was piggy & took all 4 seats – bad train karma)
- 12:30 – depart on time
- **12:45 – figure out we have FREE WIFI
- the hills are alive w/the sound of music!
- beautiful ride thru Austria – more forested hills & mountains – wispy clouds cling to tops & sides – lots of alpine meadows, little towns dot the landscape
- 4:05 – big lake w/villages & sailboats
- 4:46 – arrive Villach
- staying here instead of overnight train – BI – (brilliant idea!)
- BTDT (been there, done that) – in 1996 from Lyon, France to Venice & got no sleep!
- don’t need taxi
- *** Hotel City Villach literally steps across street
- +5:00 – walk to city center only 5 mins
Castle Hill
- scope out dinner options
- adorable little town w/arched bridge over river running thru
- 5:15 – stiegl beer break
- room R & R
- hotel has umbrellas
- 7:15 – dinner @ Goldenes Lamm – hotel recommends – Hagn Cuvée Colloredo cab/merlot blend – huge mixed green salad w/grilled mediterranean veggies – pork loin w/pepper sauce, veggies & croquettes – (pork cooked medium, 4 pieces 2” by 2” – melt in your mouth tender) EXCELLENT! one of best meals – great service = $60 Euro
What I DON’T LIKE
- *takes a lot of time to write this (working on getting faster & maybe shorter?)
- **intermittent
- ***claims to be 4 star (not sure who’s in charge of rating system) – small room, no amenities (other than breakfast) teeniest bathroom yet! & costs $140 Euro – OUCH!
- + starts to sprinkle & no umbrella
FUN-fact – The Austrian trains are really, really nice and we LOVE not having to deal with airports!
FUN-question to Ponder – How did we survive before TA & hotels.com? (and all the others that followed)