I’m feeling ok about only getting about 22 hours in Vienna. Vienna is a very beautiful city with plenty of sights to see, but it’s pretty easy to get to see them all in just a couple hour hike, which is what the afternoon was used for. The city is very elegant, in tribute to its rich musical past. The touristy areas were full of street performers dressed as Mozart.

I was staying with a friend who was also hosting 3 Barcelonian guys, who were quite the comedians. They also spoke Spanish rather than Catalonian which made it possible for me to somewhat be able to follow and participate in the side conversations. However, most of the talking was in English. Spain won the Euro Cup this summer and the final was in Vienna, so I hiked with them out to the stadium, which was in the middle of a huge park.

On our way back, we saw one of the most amusing sights I’ve ever seen. We were waiting for the underground train and when it pulled up, the door opened and two dogs walked out, leashed to each other. It really appeared that one dog was taking the other dog for a walk and it wasn’t apparent that they had an owner. They just walked off to the exit and up the stairs. The Barcelonians and I just stared at each other in amazement and a “did that really just happen?!” look. It was just classic and I still can’t believe what I saw.

That evening, the Spanish trio fired up a delicious traditional Spanish dinner and we engaged in a fierce game of Uno over a couple of Austrian beers that night. Since it was a Sunday night, it was pretty quiet in the city, so it was nice to just hang out and joke around.

The next morning I got up very early, about 6am, to take another hike around the city before getting on my train to Prague. The Belvidere Gardens were a great destination, void of tourists at such an early hour and full of plush green lawns, white statues, and elaborate fountains. It was a perfect morning and well worth the wake up call.

Now I’m on my way to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. I keep hearing people on the train calling it Czechoslovakia, a country that hasn’t existed in over 15 years. Not calling a country by the right name is a sure fire way to let everyone know you’re a tourist, something I’ve been trying to avoid as much as I can during my travels. Its more to feel somewhat like a local and also prevents any dodgy merchant from trying to take advantage of you.

A friend of mine gave me a great book as I started travelling, called Behave Yourself. It has 2-4 pages on about 50 different countries, complete with a rundown on the cultural differences between each country. The sections are divided into Meeting and Greeting, Conversation, Eating and Drinking, Out and About, Dress, and Gifts and Tips. Its perfect reading on the train rides as it gives you some of the basic sayings in the local language, how to properly greet someone, tipping, customs, and much more. It has been fun to have each of my hosts read it and comment on how accurate (or inaccurate) they find the book.

The section on the US is pretty good and accurate. It talks a bit about how hospitable and welcoming Americans are and that the question “How are you?” is more of a greeting rather than an inquiry into someone’s well being. Some interesting common statements in the central and eastern European nations include deflecting compliments rather than accepting them and that walking around with your hands in your pockets is less of a sign of being laid back and communicates that someone is timid and unsure of themselves.

I’ve also been reading a great book that was given to me by a good friend in London, called Yes Man by Danny Wallace. It’s ironic that I was given the book out of the blue because it’s a bit reflective of my attitude going into my time in London and a big reason why I’ve really enjoyed my time. I highly recommend the book and will be interested to see the movie which is coming out a week before Christmas. I wasn’t thrilled to hear that it will star Jim Carrey, but given the story, I think it can overcome the lead actor decision.

I’m pretty content with the decision to bring along my laptop. The decision was made official when my coworkers gave me the outstanding leather bag as my going away gift. It perfectly fits my laptop and I figured that was a sign. With the long train journeys, it provides me an opportunity to document my trips while they’re still fresh in my head. I had a great music swap with Tilman in Zurich as well. Wireless is sometimes available in the flats and cities I’ve been staying in, that it helps me with keeping up with everyone else. As nice as it would be to just go the next couple of weeks forgetting about the world outside of the one I was experiencing, I think this is better. Plus it gives me a way to upload and organize my pictures so I can keep space on my memory card. And one of my siblings, who will remain nameless, conveniently hocked my iPod charger while helping me pack for London. So I can keep that charged as well.

Its also great for storing my travel info, rather than having to print everything and ending up with a huge pile of papers in my luggage. When I get the chances, I research and save out as many web pages as I can about my future destinations to be able to review offline. My laptop is light enough that I don’t feel it’s weighing me down while I hike around.

Anyway, I’m going to try to catch a little bit of sleep along with enjoying the view. The train ride from Vienna to Prague has definitely been the most scenic so far. The Austrian and Czech countrysides are just very plush with wooded hills in the background and the ocassional rolling through a peaceful little town.