So there you are....stuck at the Vienna International Airport...OVERNIGHT...now, one could logically just suck it up and curl up on one of the big circle couches in the terminal and wander around like a zombie. But getting in at 1000 AM and your flight doesn't leave until like 1000 AM the next morning....yeah, I'm much too old a bunny for such shenanigans! Being something of an experienced international traveler, I knew this was not going to be an option for me. So after clearing Customs, my buddy and I decided we'd get something to eat and drink and see what the goings on were for lodging options. We found our way to a really great Austrian Style Airport Pub, made some connections with our Bartender and started asking questions about where to stay. He was very knowledgeable regarding the SERIOUSLY overpriced options near the Airport. Since we did not want to have to ask the EU Bank for bailout money just to afford an overnight stay, we chose to go get a map from the Visitor Info Booth (they also recommended the more pricey, closer to the airport options) and see what we could see. The great thing about those visitor info maps (maps are like these paper Googlemap things! ;)) is they show the hotels in the local area as well as the estimated daily rates in Euros. So, after hitting the ATM for a budgeted 250.00 EUR withdrawal, I began a map search for the cheapest place to lay my head down that was close to the Airport. Working outwards in concentric circles, and not being a big fan of the overpriced chains I found what appeared to be a great family owned, mom n pop (or mama und papa) Hotel-Pension and the price was DEFINITELY right! Now, as with all travel stories, a little rain must fall, and here was my one rainy day incident. Cabs are pretty expensive in Vienna as they are in most major cities, if we'd had more time to stay, and weren't already dead tired from our previous leg of travel, I'd have opted to take the train to this Puzwidu. It's a cheaper option than cabs (especially if you are staying for a while) but takes about an hour and I think there is a train change involved somewhere on the route? So we opted for the cab, what SHOULD have been a 25-30 minute ride turned into a 40 minute plus ride because the cab driver had no idea where this place (or he was "taking us for a ride", I suspect that he was genuinely lost) was and navigating by GPS, and the GPS did not account for local road construction projects. That was a 50.00 EUR ride, which we split but he did manage to get us to Puzwidu in one piece. QUICK TRAVEL TIP: Austria is NOT Germany, I have traveled in and through Austria many times, and the quirky thing about the place is Austrians are VERY Austrian! The immigrants there may not speak allot of English like they may pick up in Switzerland or Germany, locals tend to be expecting that you speak some form of German. Why? My personal observation is that for one thing, it's AUSTRIA they speak Austrian German. Second, there is no occupation force still in place like in Germany (all Germans, at least West Germans, had to learn English in School) so not allot of exposure to having to speak English. That being said, I speak Yiddish, and can butcher some High German, I've learned to at least try to use it when in Austria, generally after an Austrian figures out that I'm at least making an effort and they happen to speak some English, they will make the effort to try English. If you happen to be proficient in any other language, give it a try! You might be surprised! So we rolled up, totally unannounced (we actually should have called ahead to see if they had rooms, but hey, it's just how I roll) and Mama was manning the desk, she was not an English speaker (see above) but with the aid of some Yiddish and sketchy German she figured out we needed a roof for the night and a hot shower. She of course called Papa (he spoke a little English, which we did not find out until later) and he saw us to our rooms, we asked for a cab at 0700 AM and wake up call at 0600 AM, both were done the next morning on the dot. Now the layout here is a little odd, there are two buildings, this used to be a school and the family remade the place into a hotel which to me felt like I was staying at a European relatives house. Mine was a double (2 beds) and as is always the case in Europe, the room was immaculate. It should also be noted if you have a rental car, there is gated parking off the street on site. There was a gas station across the street where I could pick up some snacks and beers. I had an enjoyable night watching Eurosat TV, a great hot shower, and before we left in the morning, a very hearty complimentary breakfast (common in European Hotels). If you have to stay, this is the place. On checkout I paid 56.00 EUR, the cab was 80.00 EUR round trip roughly. We were refreshed and had a great overnight stay in Vienna. Much better than sleeping on a Terminal floor and we were generally treated like family! read more

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