Like all good things, our trip has come to an end. After a long day of touring, Tara led us on a trek through old Vienna to a small restaurant for our last dinner and last night together with our new friends.
We ate in the restaurant's dimly lit, cozy basement that was carved out of walls and arches built in Roman times. It was kind of eery eating with these guys watching us but everyone enjoyed the atmosphere, the meal, and the company of new friends who, after sharing two eventful weeks together, were now good friends.
Tara ordered a special Viennese meal for us that included a delicious soup, tender boiled beef, special dipping sauces, vegetables, something that I would describe as a rice dumpling, and dessert.
After dinner we all gathered around Tara to thank her for a wonderful trip.
We had noticed that she loves scarves so we found some to give her as gifts. We also gave her a lady bug Christmas ornament (or toy) for her daughter, Poppy. (Lady bugs are very popular in Bavaria.)
Then, since we were in the city where so many classical composers and musicians had performed, we serenaded her with two songs: one we had composed to TheSound of Music tune My Favorite Things, and another that I had modified from our Turkey tour, the Buddy Song. We sounded almost professional while singing, even though we hadn't had time to practice, and Tara seemed to appreciate our impromptu concert.
Here are two of the verses we sang.
Alpine horn blowers and Swiss BBQ Neuschwantstein Castle and Salzburg Cathedral Trier’s Basilica and Munich’s beer halls, These are few of our favorite things.
Fast sliding luges and hiking down mountains Big German breakfasts and windows with flowers, Choosing a buddy then forgetting who they are These are a few of our favorite things.
Tara surprised us with gifts, too: a wooden tree Christmas ornament and a packet of recipes that included many of the foods we had eaten during our tour.
Finally, it was time to say a reluctant good night and good bye. Tom and I left our hotel at 5:30 am the next morning to catch an early flight to Frankfurt and another flight back to Texas. Some of our new friends stayed on for another day in Vienna then headed back to the U. S. Others continued their vacations - going on their own to places like Prague, Berlin, London and Paris.
As Tom and I walked through the nearly deserted streets of Vienna back to our hotel, pausing to admire the historical buildings and monuments bathed in soft, amber lights, we concluded that the whole trip had been fantastic... then we began discussing options for our next Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door vacation.
Remember - You Only Live Once! Get out there and see the world.