I clearly remember boarding the train out of Passau.  I wasn’t sure where I was headed, but I do remember seeing the grassy fields of the Austrian countryside.  Almost eleven years later, my husband and I would take the same route into Austria for a day trip, but in August 1997, I was heading east to meet my friends and wouldn’t be coming back to Passau.  It was a Sunday and there was a handsome Austrian conductor cruising up and down the aisle, checking tickets.  I remember looking at the pretty little chalets as we kept chugging toward Vienna.

I decided to get off in Linz, which is Austria’s third largest city.  Linz is known for many things.  Adolf Hitler was born near Linz and spent his childhood there.  I didn’t know that when I got off the train, though.  I just remember hauling my bag out of the train station.  There was an Ibis just across the street.  To my eyes in August 1997, it looked positively decadent.  When I saw it again in June 2008, it looked like it was a couple of steps above a Motel 6.

I didn’t feel like wandering around, looking for a hotel, so I checked in.  I think it cost about $80 or $90, which was a lot of money back then.  But the room had air conditioning, Sky TV, and a comfortable bed with an ugly bedspread.  I stowed my ugly backpack and started walking around the city.  Most everything was closed, though, because it was Sunday.  At some point, I ended up in a konditorei, which is sort of like a bakery.  I had coffee and cake, because I figured that’s what people did in Austria.  I had shillings, too, because that was Austria’s currency in 1997.

This photo was taken in Linz in June 2008.  My husband and I had been walking around the city and I happened to notice this well-hidden biergarten…  It was a lovely place to drink beer!

A few hours later, I found myself in a book store which had some American titles, including 9 1/2 Weeks, a notoriously sexy and kinky book that was later made into a horrible movie starring Mickey Rourke.  I bought the book and stopped for dinner at a little restaurant, where a very friendly older woman waited on me.  I don’t remember her speaking any English, but I do remember enjoying the meal, which left me stuffed.

I wasn’t impressed with Linz, so I decided to move on after one night.  I hopped on the train and got off in St. Polten, which is sort of a suburb of Vienna… I don’t think there’s much to St. Polten, except it’s close to where Josef Fritzl lived.  Anyway, I stayed there for three nights because I liked the hotel I stumbled across.  It had a single bed with a fluffy duvet, a private bathroom, and a small TV.  (ETA in 2025: I see the Stadthotel Hauser Eck now gets TERRIBLE reviews.  But when I stayed there in 1997, it was a decent place.  Obviously, things have changed since then.)

I actually liked St. Polten, too.  It was a cute little city.  My first day there, I decided to buy a new pair of hiking boots because I figured I’d want something more substantial for my feet.  I went into a shoe store and found a pair of blue suede boots that were made in Italy and had maroon accents.  They were pretty.  I put them on and liked them.  I don’t remember how much they cost, but I had them for the next eight years or so, until the soles finally tore.  They were really nice boots!

I also went to The Body Shop and bought nail and toenail clippers.  I still have the toenail clippers.  They’re very well made.  And I bought two beautiful silk scarves that I have no occasion to wear.

At one point, I was walking around St. Polten and ran across a string quartet playing Mozart’s Eine Klein Nacht Musik in the middle of the walkplatz.  I remember being very impressed by how beautifully they played that music and that I got to hear it for free, just because I happened to be there at the time.

I also remember watching an episode of Trapper John, M.D. dubbed in German as well as a very annoying ad for a cleaning product called Lemon Frisch (or something like it).  It had a jingle set to the melody of “Lollipop”.

I was almost sorry to leave St. Polten, even though it’s not all that notable as Austrian cities go.  But I had to get to Zilina, Slovakia.  If I recall correctly, the journey took all day… I got to Vienna, changed trains to get to Bratislava, then once I got to Bratislava and got some local currency, bought tickets to Zilina.

Stay tuned for the next installment… Slovakia.