Day 46 from Nepal – Vienna, Prague and Driving into the Night!
We slept late in the warm embrace of the Austrian student dormitory. The stress level had somehow dropped significantly for the whole group, and everyone enjoyed peaceful sleep. After a sausage breakfast, we set off driving north towards Vienna's center.
The weather reminded us of the wonders of Europe. For the first time in two months, I didn't see the sunrise, just gray cloud mass everywhere. Austrian radio channels were full of classical music and German-dubbed evergreens. There were bike paths alongside the roads that didn't have stalls set up on them, no cars driving on them, and weren't full of trash.
I had been in Vienna in July with my wife, which didn't help with homesickness at all, but it was somewhat useful for navigation. We went around the city taking photos, enjoyed some Wiener Schnitzels for lunch, and negotiated with local police about whether you can jump on top of a car at significant landmarks. Apparently, there was no clear legislation on the matter, so no fine was issued.
On the Road
We left Vienna heading north towards Czechia and Prague in the early afternoon. The road to Prague is a long stretch of smaller two-lane road that winds through hilly terrain under the cover of deciduous trees. In autumn, the view is quite impressive when the trees are in all colors from green to red. The road passing through small, timeless villages was a nice breath of fresh air in our otherwise highway-focused European travel.
Soon, however, we were on the highway again, and now we were surrounded by heavy fog that actually continued for hundreds of kilometers to the German border. Before our Germanic conquest, however, we went to Prague to explore the city a bit. The detour through Prague was one of the best decisions of our European journey. The old part of the city is one of the most beautiful in Europe, and in the fog, we got incredible photos!
Time to Sleep?
According to the day's original plan, we were supposed to spend the next night in Berlin, but staying overnight in Prague looked like a very attractive option. We searched online for the best value hostel and went to check out the situation. The hostel on the edge of the center was super clean, its customer service was excellent, and there were only two other people in the sixteen-person dorm. Yet the accommodation choice wasn't easy. The parking would have been a fifteen-minute walk away, and somehow 36 euros still felt like a huge price per night to us! The final decision about where to stay was made by a coin - heads was sleeping in the car somewhere along the way, and tails was in a warm bed. Mr. Ataturk landed right-side up after the Turkish lira's flight through the air, and we jumped in the car.
We drove and drove until we reached Dresden. We went to a multinational gas station chain's premises and went inside to ask for some more information. The helpful cashier directed us to another location of the same multinational gas station chain, which had amazing services. About fifty trucks were parked in a circle, and in the middle were free showers, toilets, and a 24-hour café. We retired to sleep in the back of Heffalump for the first time on the return journey. It was still warm when falling asleep, but the morning feelings will be left to the next text. Good night!