Muriel and I don't roll very deluxe on this grand adventure. Don't get me wrong, there are many, many times when I wished we had upgraded to a nicer hostel. Or maybe even a proper hotel. But, the economics of extended travel just does not afford traveling in the manner we got a little used to back in the day when we both had professional jobs and money was in greater supply than time.
That time/money tradeoff has decidedly switched these last 15 months, and looking back on our experiences and the mindset that we have achieved, I would not trade it for the world.
But damn does this Ritz spa make me rethink some of our revealed preferences. The sauna is wonderful, and the pool just as nice. Sharing it with great friends makes it all the better. We are staying with them through the weekend in Vienna, a city that tends towards the luxurious even for backpackers. Yesterday, I got to take my first ride in a Rolls Royce Phantom of all cars, which only equals about 142x the current resale value of our beloved subi back in the states.
The luxury of the weekend is all the result of my friend from childhood, Kathleen, and her Norwegian husband, Fred. It is super fun and amazing. The night before I arrived in Slovakia, Mu and I splurged for a private cabin on a night train from Poland to Slovakia and Hungary. Before that, we stayed in a perfectly fine hostel in the charming city of Krakow, Poland. The room was nice enough, pretty small and with a shared bathroom down the hall. I will forever remember that room fondly for watching the Red Sox win the World Series from bed on my iTouch, with the game wrapping up @ 4:38 am. But the bed was kind of lumpy, the temperature a bit hot and space on short supply. You know, basically the norm for how we travel.
Now we are holed up in the nicest hotel i have ever stayed. I did show up with a my big backpack, stuffed with clothes and climbing gear. That got a few looks coming into the lobby. The room is huge, with a balcony that overlooks the density of this charming and regal city. On the horizon are churches and concert halls. Back at the spa, I use 4+ towels a visit between the sauna, steam shower, the pool, back to the sauna and then a shower.
The fun of this experience is made so much better for spending it with Kat and Fred. Throughout the weekend, we enjoy that magical spa, walk the city, take in some Rossini at a world famous concert hall (which was a bit pretentious for me, but very atmospheric), eat a street brat, linger in the cafes that recall the fin de siècle empire. Despite a bit of a throat cold, I felt so much more relaxed after a couple nights of Ritz living.
I did find that the city itself seemed to dissolve just a little coming from such luxurious accommodations. All the nice amenities and atmosphere of the luxury had me very eagerly looking forward to returning, having a tea or nespresso and hanging out. The hotel was preferable to those quintessential cafes, maybe even at a 3:1 or 4:1 margin.
It helped a ton to be with my lovely wife and dear friends -- reinforcing that travel is so much better with loved ones. We are excited to have gotten to enjoy a taste of 5 star+ travel in Vienna, which seemed an appropriate city to see in this manner. After we sadly said goodbye, Mu and I traipsed 5-6 kilometers in the city (backpacks and shoulder bags on), walking over to our friends' apartment, and then searching for dinner and wifi so we could link up with them. That seemed more like the travel we have become accustomed to these last many months.
Very grateful to our Viennese friends for hosting us in their very comfortable apartment -- as good a transition from the Ritz that we good hope for. Now it is back to the shared rooms in hostels with no pools. The kind of places we need to stay to make this extendo travel work. We are on to Bangkok and beyond.
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