RIVER BOAT TO VIENNA

BY MY FRIEND MATT W.

My friend Matt took the boat to Vienna and this was his experience: Across the street from Hotel Devin I boarded a Danube River boat for the 2.5 hour trip to Vienna. It was a fantastic idea and a colossal mistake. There are two boats that will take you from the heart of Bratislava to Vienna. One boat company, the Twin City Liner, is located right across from the Hotel Devin, and will take you to the center of Vienna in approximately 1.45 hours for around 15 Euros. The other boat company will drop you off in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, I elected the latter. After a nice cruise up the Danube I found myself stranded in a working class neighborhood on the outskirts of Vienna and quite simply in an undesirable situation. I soon realized there wasn't a phone nearby to call a taxi or a friendly Viennese to consult. I determinedly walked for about an hour wearing the wheels on my suitcase down to the bearings and not having a single idea if I was even headed in the right direction. I soon found myself being accompanied by a pack of American undergrads that were similarly stranded and mystified. Fortunately Vienna has a robust transportation system and I eventually found, with the help from a kind lady and much gesticulation, a subway. To successfully navigate a subway, or for that matter a bus, in Vienna you must understand that every single stop either ends in Strasse or Stradde. Not having figured this out I started to wonder if there was something wrong with my hearing as every stop sounded like the last. Again through the kindness of strangers I eventually found my hotel and foot sore, hungry and road worn. Twin City Liner: Prices vary depending on day and time and run from $15 EU to $25 EU. Reservations and info: Central Danube, Vienna, Tel: 431-727-10-212, 137/ email: OFFICE@CENTRALDANUBE.AT.