It’s another dreaded night train. A long wait in the cold after the station services close for a sleepless night in a compartment with total strangers. Where am I now? On a train to Budapest, Hungary from Salzburg in Austria. Wait, what?! Last time you heard from me I was in Germany. I need to fill you in don’t I.
The night in Munich was rather eventful. After navigating a drunken Itzel and tipsy Simon back to the hostel (a bottle of wine each at Karolina’s) reminding them to be quiet as we entered the hostel room because last night, for the first time, we had a stranger in the room with us in a dormitory of 4. We had locked our computers and taken our passports and Global Passes with us just to be safe, but it turned out he probably had more to fear from us! Sitzel burst into the room and turned the light on, wondering loudly if the stranger was there. A rustle and groan from the top bunk answered their question. After making sure the lights were off so the poor bastard could sleep, it wasn’t long before we were all passed out.
After waiting for the nerdy stranger to finish showering and parading around the room in his underwear and leave us in peace the next morning, we got dressed, checked out and headed to the BMW Headquarters, the part that is open to the public. It is called BMW Welt, and it was a great experience!
Now, we were both pleased and surprised to find out that admission to BMW Welt was free, but as soon as I got there I knew why. It was all one big advertising stunt – but a damn good one! It was a beautifully designed interior, showcasing the range of BMW models, and much more. You could see the full range of chassis colours and interior designs, try out the Connected Drive system, as well as learn about the hydrogen fuel process through interactive games. Of course you can also request to test drive BMW cars, but I’ll wait until I can afford to buy one before doing that! However, I definitely left the place more inclined to buy one in the future if I earn enough money. I always knew I’m going to choose a German car, so it wasn’t much of a turning point in my life, but it was great fun!
We quickly checked out the Olympic arena (or what we could see of it) before heading to the train to Salzburg, Austria for country no 3, and the next phase of our great trip.
The sun had already set by the time we arrived (about 5) and Itzel and I barely managed to check out the Mozart museum before it closed. There are two buildings dedicated to the famous composer in this city: the museum we went to, which was at the house where he lived from 1773 – 1789, and the other house, which was where he was born in 1756 and unfortunately we could only see that house, not enter it, as it was a Sunday evening in January, and not much was open.
My brother, Sam, had visited Salzburg a few years ago, and I remember he recommended that I visit the ice caves there, should I ever go. I enquired about the caves, but again visiting in January proved to be a disadvantage. We weren’t too fazed though. After another Wi-Fi session in McDonalds, we went for a meal at the Sternbrau, a restaurant which was established in 1542, with the intention of trying authentic Austrian food. While Simon opted for the goulash, Itzel and I tasted veal schnitzel with parsley potatoes. It wasn’t cheap, but it was delectable! I accompanied this with some Kaiser beer, a local brew.
After that, we decided to go to a bar to pass time before the night train. We looked on the map that the lady at the tourist info desk at the station had given us, and we found that there was a bar that was once a monastery. What?! We can drink at a monastery?! That would actually be LEGENDARY! That would definitely be one to tell the kids. “Hey Hayley Hermione and Norbert Dentrassangle, did I tell you daddy once drank beer at a monastery?” Wow…..
So we began our pilgrimage for the local beer hall, and found it up a hill. What an experience this was! We walked down a stone hallway akin to some of those we had seen in the religious areas of Italy and the Vatican. There were statues, stone walls and marble floors, and then a kebab shop on the right hand side….. Okay.
And then we saw it: shelves upon shelves of stone mugs, and a few people in yellow t-shirts flanking desks and an old-fashioned bar with a big barrel. We paid only €2,90 for a half-litre of this local brew, Augustinerbrau, had it poured into the mug and slid across the bar retro-style, and drank it in a large hall, surrounded by crucifixes and pictures of Jesus. Apparently in the early 17th Century the monks of this monastery had started brewing the beer, so it’s okay religious people! We weren’t breaking any rules, just being at an amazing beer hall with much older people drinking the delicious blonde brew whilst having a cigarette (there’s no smoking ban in Austria. For the first time in years, I was asked ‘smoking or non-smoking area sir?’ at the Sternbrau!), and what a time it was!
On the way back down, we took a diversion and ended up seeing a view to rival that of the Forum Romanium. Again my shitty camera couldn’t capture what I tried to make my eyes capture, but it was stunning! I could see the mountains proudly haunting the distance, a castle on the right hand side guarding the valley, the spires of various churches beamed in their eerie artificial light, the lit bridges that glided over the smooth Salzach river, which hummed its way downstream. Again, I wanted to be up there for much longer than I was. It was a beautiful view of a beautiful city.
We finished with a night-time stroll around the city, seeing the cathedral from the outside, as well as a statue of Mozart, before making our way back on foot to the train station. The Austrians we met weren’t as helpful as their German counterparts, but damn don't they live somewhere beautiful! We managed to find a kebab place near the train station to wait for the train that should take us to Budapest. We passed the time with an episode of How I Met Your Mother or two.
But now, on the night train, I am a lot more comfortable. There’s an extremely intelligent German businessman in the compartment with us, and his optimism and interest in our trip has made it all the more fun. He has even given me his details! Networking through interrailing – never thought it would happen like THAT!
So I’m waiting for Hungary. Am I nervous? A little. I know little of this country and its economic and political situation. It could be poor and horrible, or wonderfully wealthy. Only tomorrow will tell.
For now, gute nacht!
Rant over
Ollie
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