"...the train kept a-rollin' all night long..." -- Tiny Bradshaw

 Part of the plan for this trip is to get as familiar as we can with the railroads across Europe. Travel is cheaper that way, though there are certain sacrifices to be made when covering longer distances. All you have to do is do a search for rail travel schedules and you can quickly become mired in schedules, transfers, rate classes, overnight interruptions and a host of other crapola that can make it an adventure or a huge hassle.

Our first experience with it was today's daytrip from Vienna to Bratislava -- the capital of next-door Slovakia. It's only about an hour, it makes several stops and we figured it would be a good entree to all this and it was. We left 45 minutes early and got back about three hours early because the train wasn't crowded and we could essentially board and get off when we wanted. The only issue was we didn't realize the train travels in a circle between the two cities, so we got off after thinking we were headed in the wrong direction leaving Bratislava. Turns out the platform information and everything was right but it took about an hour of self-questioning to believe it.

We're getting very used to the German and the patterns of things here in Vienna, so crossing into Slovakia was an adjustment. Not only is the language different but the pace and feel are also a marked change. It was clear when we crossed the border, as railroad infrastructure changed from automated to, well, something out of the 1964 Burt Lancaster movie The Train -- very clunky and manual. Overhead wiring became complicated and reminded me of so much of New Orleans -- a mass of wires (some long since inoperable) exposed to the elements and periodic collapse.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia split beginning January 1st 1993 after years of political back-and-forth in the wake of the breakup of the Soviet Union. It has been generally friendly and remains so, despite a difference in language, history and outlook between the Czechs and the Slovaks. I haven't been to Prague (I hope to go while we're here) so I can't compare the two. But we had some decent kolache-like pastry from the train station and also saw a couple of cool buildings like the presidential palace.

It was hot and we got hungry and there seemed to be a dearth of places to eat (not gonna chance Korean in Slovakia) so we just decided to head back home early. Despite our delay, we wound up late-lunching at a neighborhood place and arriving back home in time for the afternoon mojito (for Denise) and old-fashioned (for me). I'd ideally like to give Bratislava another chance after doing a little better research. But the train experience was highly valuable, given that Vienna's main depot is only two Metro stops from our apartment and gives us access to anywhere in Europe. Denise wants to go over to Switzerland and I think it'd be great to pack a bag for a few days and do just that. We have the time. Rail is also a major part of our planning for the UK the last quarter of the year.

While the heat isn't as bad here as it has been back in the 817, it'll still get to the upper 90s on Wednesday and that's hot enough. Given that air conditioning isn't A Thang here, we plan to hide in a thermal spa Denise has been eyeing for several months and, again, is only a couple of stops away. It seems to be a popular spot with the locals and it'll be nice just to sit in some water for awhile.

 OH -- we were crossing the Danube in the train today and it was remarkably clear and some naked dude dived off a ledge. I wanna do that.

We keep up with the news a little -- just enough to remind us why we're here. Not all Websites and links are available but there are usually workarounds if we're really interested. I normally don't read the comment sections (they're like Twitter on speed) but when I do it's just so grossly evident how far out of touch a third of the US electorate is when it comes to pretty much anything. Particularly in Texas and the South, but really everywhere. We knew that before but I tell ya -- it's more magnified when viewed from here. Throw in a Ted Cruz and a Jim Jordan and the Nutbar Twins in the House and folks here have their jaws clanked to the floor like in a Tex Avery cartoon.

There are indeed a few things we miss. In my case, it's proper cleaning products. I am not known as a clean freak (my clean is not Denise Clean when she gets on a roll) but a bottle of Dawn detergent and a spray bottle of 409 would do wonders to get on the grease. I know there are alternatives and Lord knows the Euros are big on them and their water sources are nine kinds of clean and good for them and all that shit.  But damn. Denise wants her Diet Dr Pepper and is still adjusting to the lighter sugar content in desserts and pastries. Just today she was saying the only sweet thing here that tastes as expected is a Snickers bar. 

We're getting along fine without ice and a/c. We've yet to jump on the local buses and trams, though that's coming as the Ringstrasse tram is supposed to be the best way to see the most historic parts of the city. We just want to wait until the tourist crowd subsides a little. From what we can read, we're in better shape here than over in France. Our Paris trip is coming -- but we want things to calmer a bit. Or as they say here, sich beruhigen -- simmah down.

We're developing a good pattern. We don't want to go out and pound the streets seeing everything every day. Today's adventure was about six hours from leaving to returning -- plus the getting up 90 minutes ahead for a leisurely breakfast and getting dressed. We walked five miles. Except for a brief grocerying sojourn for me tomorrow (well, maybe a little more), we'll kick back. Then the spa day Wednesday then we dunno. We're sixty-freaking-eight years old and just glad to still be reasonably mobile.

The train's still a-rollin'. Maybe not all night long anymore. But maybe we just need the proper motivation, right?