SteveWhittythoughts1965

April 13, 2013

Wombats City Hostel Vienna – The Base, A Review

For my stay in Vienna I chose to stay at the Wombats The Base. Wombats have several hostels across Europe including 3 in Vienna. This was the original Wombats Hostel in Vienna.

The hostel is located on Grangasse which is close to the Westbanhof railway station. The hostel is located in a quiet part of the city away from the main tourist areas. There are plenty of supermarkets and cafes nearby.

I arrived early in the morning long before the advertised check-in. The staff on reception offered me the chance to purchase breakfast which was gratefully taken. Breakfast itself was an all you can eat buffet which costed €3.80. It consisted of cereal, cold meats, fruit, salad, toast with juice, tea and coffee. This is a perfect opportunity to fill your belly before the day ahead and it represents good value for money.

The dorms are comfortable. Entrance is by key. There is fresh bedding for you use. You just bring it down to reception when you check out. There are also lockers available to store your belongings. It is operated with a key which is on the same fob as my dorm key. You leave it at reception every time you leave the hostel. My only gripe would be the lack of plug sockets. There was one for six people to share. We were lucky that somebody had brought a multi-plug with them.

There is a small rest area in reception. You cannot miss this as there is an old-fashioned British telephone box in the middle. I believe the phone inside still works. If the rest area gets full you can always sit in the kitchen or bar to use access your email using the free wi-fi.

The kitchen was a popular area. All the equipment you needed to cook a good meal was provided for you. Otherwise you can purchase cooked from the bar. The meals themselves were basic but again represented good value. The bar offered plenty of drinks. I thought the bar was a little quiet but I was staying in March. During the day there is access to a roof garden from the bar.

All the staff were friendly and helpful. This always adds to the experience. While the hostel was not the best I have stayed it does represent good value and is a good base to explore Vienna. Overall you get everything that you would want in a hostel.

Wombats City Hostel Vienna – The Base, Grangasse 6, Vienna

Tel: +43 1 897 2336, email: office@wombats-vienna.at, http://www.wombats-hostels.com/vienna/the-base/

This hostel was booked through Hostelworld.com. The views represented are my own.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

April 11, 2013

Photo of the Week – Statue of Imre Nagy

This weeks photo is of the statue of Imre Nagy.

Imre Nagy was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Hungary at the time of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. He was executed in 1958. The statue is located in Vértanúk Tere (Martyrs’ Square). It has Nagy looking towards the Parliament Building.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

April 9, 2013

Naschmarkt, Vienna

One of the most famous attractions in Vienna is the Naschmarkt.

Originally established in the 16th Century it sold milk bottles. In those days these bottles were made from Ash. The German word for Ash is Asch and this is how it took on its name. From the 18th Century it started to sell fruit and vegetables. On Saturdays a flea market also takes place. The market is both popular with both the local population and visitors.

What I liked about the market was the number of stores and the variety of goods sold. Many of the vendors were more than happy to offer samples for customers to try. Olives and vegetarian fritters were particularly popular during my visit. One of my highlights was the unusual way a vendor sold vinegar. You bring a bottle to fill with your favourite flavour.

I was lucky to visit on Saturday when the flea market was open. There was a vibrant atmosphere in the market. People were trying to sell whatever belonging they may have. To be honest a lot of the stock was broken rubbish but that did not deter a lot of people looking and buying. I spent a lot of time flicking through LP’s. A reminder of my youth. It is a good job I travel with a rucksack otherwise I might have been tempted to buy some.

The best time to visit is Saturday morning. You get to experience the flea market and food stalls before it gets too busy. There are plenty of bars and cafe to stop and eat. Even better if the weather is good, stock up on meat, cheese, bread and fruit and make your way to one of the parks and enjoy a picnic.

Until the next post, stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

April 7, 2013June 17, 2013

City Walks: London – Hoxton

You may remember that I was going to carry out 50 city walks of London. This was based on the walks put together by Craig Taylor. Last October I managed to complete the Greenwich walk. Due to Christmas and my recent trip away I had been unable to complete another walk until now.

This walk was around Hoxton which is in the borough of Hackney. I started from Old Street tube station made my way down Old Street until a left turn took me into Rufus Street. This took me to Hoxton Square. It is an area that is home to art galleries and bars. The area gave off that arty vibe. The square itself is typical of the squares that are dotted around London. Somewhere to escape from the bustle of Old Street.

After returning to Old Street I carried on down until I reached Kingsland Street. This took me into the Shoreditch district of London. I made my way up the street until I reached the Geffrye Museum. Free to enter the museum traces the history of domestic living rooms dating from the 17th century until the modern-day. It is popular with families and there is plenty for children to do. Looking at the website it encourages educational visits.

18th Century Parlour Room from Geffrye Museum.

I was lucky that the Herb Garden had reopened for the summer. The weather was good and it did remind me that spring was making its way after the long winter months.

While walking up Kingsland Road I passed St. Leonard’s Hospital. There is a brown plague dedicated to Edith Cavell. She was a nurse at the hospital. She is famous for being executed in World War One.

To complete my walk I made my way back down Kingsland Road looking for somewhere to eat. There were plenty of Vietnamese restaurants but I did not fancy anything too spicy. I did come across an establishment that looked like an American Diner. The Love Shake calls itself a media cafe and seats 35 people. It must because it offers free wi-fi. Always a plus in my eyes. I decided to order a hot dog with fries and a chocolate milk shake. On their website it states that milkshakes are made with either organic or soya milk. It tasted delicious. Somewhere I would definitely recommend it to you. It was a great way to end the walk.

The Geffrye Museum, 136 Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA. http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk

The Love Shake Cafe Lounge, 5 Kingsland Road, London E2 8AA. http://www.theloveshake.com

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

April 6, 2013

When Things Do Not Go To Plan

During my travels I have been lucky not to experience many problems. Sure, there have been some narrow escapes but nothing that could have been catastrophic. This was until my last trip to Budapest. The scenario being I was going to return to Vienna by coach on Friday 12 March. Ticket had been booked for some time so there should not be any problem.

Reality however, proved to be different. Snow had fallen during the night and with the day being a national holiday in Hungary the police made the decision to close the roads in and out of Budapest. This meant my coach was cancelled. While a little shocked I was not unduly worried. I did not need to be in Vienna until Saturday for my coach back to London. My coach ticket was changed free of charge and I could book another night at the hostel. I saw this as a bonus.

Saturday came and the snow was thawing. Surely no problem. However, I was proved wrong. Without an explanation why all coaches to Vienna were cancelled. I was told my best bet would to take a train instead. The only problem I had, was where was the train station. Nobody at the coach seemed to know which I found to be odd. Eventually somebody told me which stop I should head for.

My heart was in my mouth as I was hoping I had enough money for a train ticket. Fortunately cost of rail travel on mainland Europe is a lot cheaper than the UK and I managed to board a train to Vienna and caught my coach back to London. For an hour though I was travelling by the seat of my pants. I was not in control of the situation. This was the first time something like this had happened to me. Though I suspect it will happen again on my travels.

So what will I learn from this situation:-

Do not lose your temper at the staff. They delivered the news and are not the cause of the problem.
Take 5 minutes to assess the situation and weigh up your options. They might be staring in front of your face.
Research your destination. Find out where all the transport hubs are located. The more options, the better chance you have finding a positive outcome.
Ensure you have access to emergency funds for this type of situation.
Chalk it down to experience. You have something to tell your family and friends about.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

April 4, 2013

Photo of the Week – Herb Garden, Geffrye Museum

This week’s photo is of the herb garden at the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch, London.

I was there on Tuesday. While the weather was cold the sun was shining. It is a sign that Spring is on its way.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

April 1, 2013April 2, 2013

Statistics – March 2013

Here are the stats for Midlifewanderlust1965

The Blog

Posts 15

Views 460 (A New High)

Comments 11

Followers 82 (+13)

Twitter

Total Tweets 10,715

Following 1,797

Followers 1,125

It is going to be a quiet April. There will be some day trips while planning ahead for September.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

Posted with Blogsy

March 31, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Days 10 & 11

Well the day has arrived, it is time to go home. I worked out that I will be spending nearly 36 hours travelling before I arrived home. This is going to take a lot out of me. Spent my final morning in Budapest eating breakfast, shopping for supplies and chilling out making sure my gadgets were fully charged.

At around 12pm it was time to go. The sun was shining and I was expecting no problems travelling today. I made my way to the coach station. Once there I thought I better make sure that the coaches to Vienna were running today. To my horror they had all been cancelled and if I wanted to travel then I would have to make my way to the railway station. When I asked about where I could find the railway station the reply was they did not know. I stunned at the apparent lack of help towards my situation. Next, I asked at the information desk. Again, they appeared reluctant to help. Eventually they produced a metro map with the stop for the railway station marked out. I only hope that I had enough money for a ticket otherwise I would be stuck.

Getting to the railway station was easy enough I just had to find the ticket office. I was relieved to find out that I could purchase a ticket. Must remember not to judge other countries railways by the UK’s. A train was about to leave the station. I managed to board it and as I was storing my rucksack the train pulled out of Budapest. At last I was on the road and would be in Vienna with time to spare.

I arrived into Vienna Westbanhof Station later in the afternoon. The best thing for me was to make my way to the coach station and check to see if the coach to London was running. After initially scaring me the staff confirmed that my coach was running. I explained the situation with the coaches to Vienna and the kindly refunded half my coach fare. As I had plenty of time to spare before I left Vienna I caught the U-bahn to St. Stephen’s Cathedral for one last look. Took the time to enjoy a Bratwurst and take one last photo.

Final photo of St Stephen's Cathedral — Final photo of St Stephen’s Cathedral

Finally the time to leave Vienna had arrived and the coach pulled out of the station. My heart felt heavy and sad. To comfort myself I listened to some comedy on the i-pod and started to read up on the places I would be visiting in September. Always have something to look forward to.

The coach journey itself was unspectacular and I slept through a lot of it. I did arrive back into London almost an hour earlier than expected. Took the opportunity to have something hot to eat before boarding the coach back to Birmingham. I had forgotten that today was St. Patrick’s Day. As soon as I arrived back in Birmingham I was confronted with the sight of drunken people who were looking for a fight. During my trip I had not witnessed any anti-social behaviour. Was I glad to be home?

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

March 29, 2013

Vienna & Budapest – Day 9, 15 March 2013

It is time to leave Budapest today. Sadness is filling up my heart as it is the start of my journey home. I will spend a night in Vienna before I finally leave for home.

I checked out on time and thanked the hostel for a wonderful experience. This has been one of the best hostels I have stayed in. As I left I noticed that it had snowed during the night and left quite a covering. Today is also a national holiday in Hungary celebrating the 1848 revolution so everything seemed quite but there were plenty of flags flying about.

I arrived at the coach station and everything seemed alright. There were people waiting for their coach. There was also a reporter and camera crew from the local TV station. I was hoping that they might ask me for an interview. Sadly, my quest for stardom was thwarted.

I had began to wonder why there was no information about coaches to Vienna. So I went up to the ticket office and ask about the check-in times. It was there I was told that all coaches to Vienna had been cancelled for the day and I would need to make my way to the railway station. Taking this news in I was a little concerned on what I was going to do next. Being stuck in Budapest was not the worst situation to be in. After weighing up my options I decided it would be best to stay in Budapest for an extra day. After getting my ticket changed free of charge I went back to the hostel to see if I could book another night there. To my relief there was still room and at €10 it worked out cheaper than staying in Vienna.

After spending a couple of hours in the hostel I checked in. This was my opportunity to explore Buda which I missed out on the previous day. It was cold outside and being a public holiday there were not many people outside. Staying in the warm and drinking Pilinka was a better idea. I did get the chance to explore Buda. It just felt strange not seeing people about on a Friday afternoon. Normally, I would be working public holidays back home.

View of the Parliament Building from Buda.

I treated myself to a warming cup of coffee and a large slice of chocolate cake. From there I made my way back to the hostel. This was my chance to do some washing. It will save me from doing it when I got home. I spent the evening relaxing in the bar with a couple of beers before going to bed. Despite what happened today I considered it a plus. Staying in Budapest was a bonus as I had become rather fond of the city. Also the next two days were going to be spent on the road.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

March 28, 2013