Vienna waited for me :)

From hungary (on the 14th) we head off to Vienna (which I still keep calling Venice. I'm so confused.)  We met two people in Romania, one guy we travelled with was from Venice and one girl we met in a music venue was working there and invited us to a charity party.  They both offered us there homes.
  So we were to stay at Stevie's home, I think David assumed he had a big TV and a private room for us form the way he talked it up, but (like most places we stayed) we slept in the living room and had to pack up our things when everyone else was up, and leave as they, too, left.  This was a sharp change from our dorm days of doing as we pleased with our very own key!  Vienna sparkles.  It's rich and fancy and so damn expensive I felt like I'd been photoshopped there.  =|
We ate our lunch/dinner in the supermarket or the cheap asian noodle stores (our eyes were peeled for the cheapest food).
  We went to the opera.  It's embarrassing but Ill tell the story anyway.  So we were exploring the city; getting lost and finding treasures, and fell into conversation with someone selling tickets to the opera.  We found tickets to see a big opera production - la traviatta - for thirty euro.  The way it all happened made this price seem really good, and so we bought the tickets and went. Its a special thing to see the opera, especially in Vienna the home of classical music and orchestras.  moreover, we've been couchsurfing and should utilise the money we save on accomodation on truly experiencing the city.  It might sound obvious to you, but when your as stingy as me you forget.
 When we arrived, it turned out you can get standing tickets for just 3 to 5 euro, and after
intermission you find a better seat anyway.  We decided not to let it get to us and went looking for our seats, and simply exploring the magnificent building.  From the top of the arena, David asked which seats I'd want, and (after the VIP seats) we decided on one of the private little rooms along the walls.  we found our seats and laughed and laughed because we'd wound up IN one of the little privtae rooms along the side !!!! It was very exciting, I got David to take a photo, until a man came and told us we were in his seats, and we were sitting behind him in this room where we couldnt actually view the stage without standing up.  We were ripped off by the black market opera ticket sellers. dont let it happen to you.


  The opera was incredible!!! By Verdi, The story was cheesy, and dramatic, and took me into its world, captivating all of my senses with the enchanting music, song and dance.
  I'm also embarrassed to say that I went to see Verdi in Vienna wearing Jeans (which I still havent washed since buying them in Romania), muddy boots and my inuit jacket.  FIrstly, I forgot that I might want to go home first and change, and then I realized even if I had, I had nothing more appropriate I could change into.

  Anyway so one night we went to a circus party, raising money for Burmese children (very interesting, look it up) which a girl we met in Timisoara had invited us to.  We invited Stevie, our host.  The circus was awesome and the people were really cool and creative. we'd found the underbelly of Vienna.  So that night we said thanks to Stevie and moved in with Flavia, our Romanian friend, who lived with a bunch of Germans (who move to Vienna so that they can get into uni easier).  The shared house was so inspiring.  The friends worked like a real team, a real family.  Firstly, they (we) utilised a little thing called dumpster diving.  If your unfamiliar, its where you take the (good as new) food from supermarket dumpsters illegally.  These guys had the key for every dumpster in the city (easy enough to get a hold of if you need it) and by this they got dish washing detergent, fruit, vegetables, soap, chocolate, sweets, everything you could need - all for free.  The reason why its thrown out can be to make room for new and improved stock, or because the use by date is about to finish, or one product from the batch was dodgy and theyre cautious not to be sued.
  So this guys cooked big healthy meals and always ate together, cooked for everyone rather than themselves.  They were also just fun people.  We borrowed bicycles from them and spent the next day riding around the city - first to a yoga class; pay by donation, then to the 'critical mass'.
  Once a month in Vienna, hundreds or thousands of people gather to ride around the city, stop the cars, and encourage the use of bicycles.  The route changes every time so that the police can't find you and there are often themes.
Tonights theme was lanterns, and the long ribbon of bicyclists sparkled as it weaving spontaneously through the busy streets.  Boom boxes were everywhere, playing different types of music, so we sung and David and I saw all the tourist attractions we'd failed to visit.  The after party was at a paybydonation bar, with loads of delicous food and cake and drinks.  You feel so good there (even before the drink) that I'm sure most people were also paying more than usual, thankful for the positive vibes in the bar.

  It was sad to be leaving the next day.  We had not recieved any responses yet for couches in Chzech republic but Flavia arranged for us to stay with one of her childhood friends in Brno, so we felt our fate awaiting us.

  SO far, out of all the people we've met (we meet locals remember, since we havent stayed in any hostels) its the germans who I can relate to the most.  I say this mainly because the young people travel.  Possibly also because their economy is similar to Australias.  This is a generalization but many of them might travel a lot also because since after the second world war, they lack a patriotism and dont feel so warmly towards their own country as other European countries.

Anyway, I hadnt been to Germany at this stage yet, David and I were headed to Brno ! (On the 17th)