Before Sunrise

"Yeah, right, well, great. So listen, so here's the deal. This is what we should do. You should get off the train with me here in Vienna, and come check out the capital." 

- Jesse (Ethan Hawke), in Before Sunrise

There's a bunch of Germans in the lounge and they're waiting for something. They wheeled in their bags in a moment ago and are now standing around a tour guide, waiting a bit expectantly. I thought for a minute that it was a Busabout group, but I kind of doubt it - not enough Australians for that. 

God, I'm tired. Spent the afternoon walking around the Museum Quarter munching on a raisin loaf and worrying about Cyrillic. If I want to go to Transylvania and meet the vampires, I'll have to learn the alphabet. Inconveniently, I'm about to come across a populace that won't speak English. 

I put up the quote because I remember watching that film when I was a kid. The premise goes that an American guy bumps into a French girl on a train to Vienna. He's got a flight out of the city in the morning, but they agree to spend the day walking around the city. It sounds pretty mundane, but when I first watched it, I couldn't think of a finer think to do. And the city looked wondrous at night. 

At that time, Europe seemed so far away, and those cities were more sounds to be savoured than places to visit. There was something magical about names like Prague and Vienna and Budapest - probably because I never thought I'd ever get there. But now that I'm here, I'm very jaded. One you've seen one awesomely majestic, once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, you've kind of seen them all. And I've had my fill for a while. Anyway, after a while, all you really want is to sleep in a bed for more than four nights in a row, and a lounge room that doesn't pump out industrial music and ply drinks to hyped-up backpackers. 

The Germans have gone, and I probably should go as well. It's actually a really nice day outside. I should enjoy the sunshine while it's still around. Maybe have a walk around the ring road. It's a nice little tree-lined avenue with trams running through it - much like Royal Parade in Parkville. 

In Arsenal news, we're severely depleted going into the Fenerbache match. And van Persie firmly believes that losing winnable games against weaker sides is damaging for our campaign. He's a sharp one, that van Persie.