Day 68 - Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a very classy city. It doesn't have the flash of Rome or Istanbul, but it is very comfortable and the people aren't as pretentious as advertised.

We are staying at what must be one of the best hostels in the world. I'm not really a Tracy Chapman fan, but her pianist is staying here at the hostel. It's been really nice having him here because he never leaves the piano. So nice to have world class music accompanying your breakfast and your beers in the evening.

The guests staying here are a fine example of the ladies and gentlemen of our generation. Everyone is so polite and social, creating a very warm atmosphere. We also me our friend Fraser here by chance. He was staying at the same hostel as us in the ghetto of Athens and we walked by each other on the street yesterday, then we ran into each other at the hostel here in Vienna. Very strange. I guess if you wander Europe long enough you're bound to run into some of the same travellers.

My wife is hilarious. We met a solo traveller from Korea, a young lady about 20 years old. Sue noticed that she was wearing a ring on her left hand. Sue proceeded to tell her that she's too young to wear a ring and that she should be sleeping around with all the men in Europe who are probably better than her boyfriend. Sounds rude, but she took off the ring immediately.

On a tip from my mother, we realized that there was an art exhibition displaying Art from North Korea. It turns out that this is the first time in history that the art has been taken out of Pyeongyang, so it was a unique experience. Making the viewing even more special for myself is the fact that I can read the Korean propaganda on the art and Sue can explain the significance of some of the messages. Some of the works were stunning in their beauty but horrifying at the same time. Images of Kim Jong-il and his father playing with smiling children in the sunshine; sometimes we can only hope that Hell exists.

We're off to Slovakia today, then we fly to Paris Wednesday!

chad