Day 22, June 22, Vienna

Rest Day, Summer Solstice

What a grand city and a great day. The skies are clear and temps are forecast to be 90 deg. We should be biking today instead of in a hotel. If the bed was a little hard, I didn’t notice. It was heavenly. We are in a ultra modern hotel with plastic bathrooms made for cruise ships. Word is that hotel and campsite quality will start to go down hill as we move eastward.

First things first…must wash cloths, so I have clean biking outfits for the next two days. The hotel only had one machine and there are no laundry mats in the neighbourhood. I gave up at 11:00 pm, so I got up at 5:30 am only to find I was second in line. Apparently some were washing all night. It is hard to compete with a group of Type As.

I went with part of the group to Catholic mass and concert at Stephan Cathedral in the old town. The only word I understood during the entire 1 ¼ hour service was “amen.” The rest was either German or Latin. However, the service was awesome with a world class choir and organ. The acoustics in the huge cathedrals are amazing – like a concert hall.

The downtown was packed with soccer fans. The place had the feel of the Olympics. Italy is playing Spain tonight, so the streets were filled with fans all dressed up in their team colors. Of course, there were lots of police around too.

I visited with several Scottish gentlemen who are in town for the European soccer championship. They said that in the old section of town is a huge tourist zone where there are bands, and beer/food tents. They wore their kilts and stayed out until sunrise partying. Last night Russia beat Holland in overtime.

Today is the first day of summer. Yea…hot weather. Along yesterday’s route we found huge piles of wood and signs advertising “fire party”…a Pagan ritual that is a perfect excuse for a beer party!

I met Don and Terry coming back from town on the subway. Don was managing with the broken collarbone, but his bad karma continued…he had his pocket picked on the subway and lost his wallet. Now he has to get home in several days and we have to figure out how he pays for his hotel and travel. Live can be complicated.

Tomorrow is a new week and time for a new country…on to Slovakia.