Auf Wiedersehen, Europe!

On Wednesday, 10/9, we headed to Mauthausen concentration camp Memorial. Rather than touring as a group, we were given audio guides to explore the grounds on our own as we wished. As you can imagine, it was a pretty somber experience. It was horrible to learn about the details of how people were treated here, how some tried to escape and how the Nazis lived it up (so to speak) in their respective quarters. Really puts things into perspective. I didn’t take pictures while there because I felt it would be in poor taste.

Vienna, Austria

After Mauthausen, we headed to lunch, then on to Vienna. After checking into our hotel, a small pension that we believe was a former apartment building and a bit run down, we did a brief walking tour of the area with a fun local guide.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria

While the buildings/architecture in Vienna were cool, I felt the people weren’t very warm and friendly compared to the other areas we visited—they were pushy and hurried. It’s also the only city where I saw graffiti during the entire trip.

The next morning, we visited the Third Man Museum, owned by the same man who gave us the walking tour the night before. Cool place of movie memorabilia, WWII Vienna history and (of course) a gift shop. As I learned on this tour, there’s always a gift shop.

After that, and given it was our last full day of the tour and the group was about to tour a library and treasury (sounded uber boring), I opted out and headed to the Sacher Hotel for a slice of their famous Sacher Torte and a cappuccino. The tour was very hurried and structured, and while it included free time here and there, I was just done with the tour. From there, I visited the Albertina Museum, took a nap, walked around some more and found a Geocache—with a bit of help with some drivers of horse drawn carriages parked near the cache site.

History of the Sacher Torte

Diet Schmiet!

Stairs up to the Albertina Museum

One of my favorites from the Albertina museum

One of my favorites from the Albertina museum

Leaving Seattle

On Friday, I ate breakfast with the tour group members who were still around, then headed to Vienna International Airport to start my long journey home. Vienna to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Seattle, Seattle to Portland. Here’s what I learned during the journey: Vienna Airport security staff is very nice; in Frankfurt, if the departures board shows your plane is boarding and it’s over an hour until your flight departs, don’t panic—they are likely just checking passports. I didn’t know this and freaked out, running from one terminal to another, somehow quickly getting through another passport screening and running to my gate. I was sweaty and disgusting by the time I got there (Thanks, Condor!). Luckily, Condor redeemed themselves with their in flight business class service and crew.

Happy to be back in my own bed and with my shower....plus, I really missed this little guy!

Buster Rhymes Knucklehead

Items lost: One earring