First Day in Vienna

Today was a lot of fun. In the morning I stepped outside to have a smoke and was asked by a couple of people that I talked with the prior evening about what my plans were for the day. When I told them that I really had none, they invited me to join them. Their plan was to rent some bicycles and tour the city. As my plans included touring the city, I figured it sounded like a great idea. We made our way to the bike rental shop, and for 12 Euros we each had a decent bike for the entire day. The lady at the bike shop was incredibly kind and even made us a little map of where to go and what to see. Among that list was a place on the Danube River that was open to swimming. I explored the first half of our map, then decided that it was necessary to go back to the hostel and grab the things that would be necessary for swimming. We also stopped by a market and picked up some things for a little bit of lunch. We set out for the river, stopping along the way to check the map and marvel at the wonderful buildings here in Vienna. After about an hour of cycling, we made our destination. The four of us removed the extra clothing that we would not need and dove into the frigid, but refreshing waters of the Danube. We spent the remainder of the day relaxing and swimming on the banks of the Danube. I find it incredibly difficult to rank the days. There have been so many wonderful days on this trip, hiking in the Alps, exploring buda and pest, the F1 weekend...it is amazing. Next I will be off to Zagreb Croatia and the Plitzvice Lakes, but first I have another day to explore Vienna...