Travelling 101: Arriving........

I'm at Vienna!

Despite being told to wait until we've stopped, there is a mass unclipping of seat belts which sounds like a herd of paparazzi clicking away, and almost before the plane has come to a standstill, there are queues in the aisles as everyone is impatient to deplane. Being the sensible soul that I am, I wait patiently for the stampede to pass before lugging my heavy backpack down from the overhead locker and chasing after the throng into the terminal....... I follow the masses through more polished corridors until the crocodile of grumpy travellers suddenly disperses into a vast hall filled with baggage carousels, and I deduce brightly that I AM in the right place after all, as Slutty comes bounding out to meet me. No doubt the baggage handlers have been taking the mickey out of my suitcase-for-a-slapper, but I’m pleased to see that Slutty hasn’t bust a gut, and his bondage restraints weren’t needed after all! I’m inordinately relieved to see my case again - mainly because my essential medication is contained within, but also because Mini-Marek hasn’t gone AWOL...... Slutty and I trundle through to the exit where I spot Gusti lying in wait with her camera, and I grin cheesily, but wearily before being enfolded in a hug! I cling on in gratitude that there is SOMEONE here that I know.....

Gusti insists on a taxi back to her apartment, and I sink gratefully into the back seat while Slutty is stowed with reverence in the boot. We chatter non-stop all the way back, interspersed with Gusti rattling on to the driver in German - which seems very odd, as I think of her as English! One of the sights en route is an oil refinery, and it turns out that THIS unlikely industrial conglomeration was the “Swarovski” effect I saw from the air! It doesn’t smell quite so lovely though........

I do a double-take as we drive down one street - there are Ladies of the Night plying their trade by the roadside! Very glamorous leggy girls, wearing skimpy clothing - one is presenting a somewhat cheeky appearance as she struts her stuff wearing just a jacket and a thong......... Once again, my jaw hangs open in amazement. By the time we reach Gusti’s building, I’m exhausted and barely notice my surroundings as we squish into a cubicle that purports to be a lift, too tired even for my customary claustrophobia! She warns me her apartment is small, and she wasn’t joking! but I envy her the compactness of her living arrangements compared to my sprawling pile...... I’m so glad to have actually arrived in Vienna that I throw my arms around Gusti and laugh hysterically!

After depositing my gear, we’re off out again as Gusti wants to show me where I’ll need to catch the trams/buses/trains....... My aching feet protest at being squashed into high-heeled boots, which I’d worn simply because my best jeans are too long without heels. The leopard print top was a joke, so I’d co-ordinate with my case, but it turns out I’m the height of fashion, as animal prints are de rigeur right now.... The first time in my life I’ve been fashionable, and it was unintentional!

We reach the station seemingly in no time at all as we’ve been gossiping all the way, and Gusti teases a ticket out of the vending machine; this will allow me to use any public transport ad infinitum for the duration of my stay. To my relief, we head back to the apartment where Gusti then imparts the most crucial piece of information of the entire trip....

The password to her W-LAN network, so I can connect to the internet via my laptop.....

It’s far too late to test it out now, as it’s already WAY past Gusti’s bedtime and she has to work in the morning. I send her off to bed with assurances that I’ll be fine and will probably sleep through her departure tomorrow, although I know I’ll probably wake up at the slightest noise......


I never hear her leave next morning..........