Austria > On the way to Villach

We were supposed to be woken at a quarter to seven, but of course, we didn’t see or hear anyone. Luckily, we woke up on our own in time. Our confidence in the wake-up system wasn’t very high to begin with. At half past seven, we set off for the bus. The bus takes us to the station. The train is already ready. As we’re about to board, we find out it’s a EuroCity train. This means an extra surcharge. We accept the surcharge without complaint. In Vienna, we have to change trains, but at a different station. We take the tram from WestBahnhof to SüdBahnhof. We consider the tram a kind of train and simply mark the ride on our Interrail cards. We’re not sure if that’s allowed, but we’ll see. Without any checks, we arrive at SüdBahnhof.

Austria - Eating in a restaurant in Villach

The train is already waiting there as well. Onboard, we find a compartment with air conditioning—nice and cool, since it’s quite warm outside. Ron quickly goes to buy a few bottles of cola (ƒ5 per person) at the station. Sandra had been looking forward to the cola, but drops the bottle, spilling some over herself. She doesn’t find our amusement over this very funny. In Villach, we arranged to meet Fred around seven o’clock. We arrived a little earlier, so we wait on a bench in front of the station. Shortly after, we see Fred walking toward us. Raymond, Carina, and Herman are also there; they had arrived earlier from the Netherlands. When Fred goes to get his car, something breaks on his gear lever. The car can now only drive in first gear. Slowly, he drives to his house. He brings us to the campsite in a company car. We set up the tents and then eat schnitzels at a restaurant. After that, we’re ready for the festivities. There’s a fair in Villach, so it’s a big party. We stay in the center until half past midnight. Raymond drops us back at the campsite, while Fred and Ron continue the night together.