Nein cash? No problem!

Last day in Europe! We’d gotten into the groove of planning our days and being ready and knowing what to expect in terms of wait times, walking distances etc. We knew the day was going to be a big walking day covering long distances. I think it was a good thing it was our last day because I was not sure my feet could take much more walking. I think my blisters had blisters and were bruised and needed a rest.

We wanted to check out a few little stores before starting our day but were up and out before anything was really open. We decided to go to a café to have coffee with the locals. We were a little surprised when we went to pay and they told us they only took cash. Luckily we still had a few euros with us.

We headed to Schönbrunn palace for the day. We’d booked the grand tour. It was so impressive and interesting. The only photos we have of the day however are outside and of the gardens as there were no photos allowed inside.

We were headed to another social housing project after but first we needed lunch! We took the subway out from the palace. We were surprised when we arrived as the location we’d selected turned out to be a tennis club. A private tennis club. And it appeared there was some sort of tournament happening.

Lunch was yummy and perhaps we should have been a bit prepared before we started eating, especially considering our experience at the café that morning, but we weren’t. When we went to pay we were told once again that they didn’t accept card, only cash. Problem was, this time we did not have enough cash. And to make matters worse, we were kind of in the middle of nowhere.

I left my handbag with Kris, grabbed my phone and started walking. I wasn’t really sure where I was heading as the woman at the club had said to go one block up and then turn right and keep walkIng. How far I would have to walk, she hadn’t been sure. When I asked if it was far, she kind of smiled and said yes.

I walked until I came to a small stretch of shops. I saw a woman with a baby so stopped and asked her where the nearest cash point was and she pointed me towards the grocery store. Of the various options (including reload phone and pay taxes) there was only one English option that sounded reasonable so I chose it. Luckily money came out and my card was returned.

I hadn’t thought about plotting the tennis club on the map on my phone when I left as I’d been in such a hurry. It was fortunate I recognized the pizza place that had been our option #2. I turned left and headed back to the club.

Kris was there waiting. He looked relieved when I walked back in, as did the woman who’d taken our order and was waiting for the bill to be paid. I was a bit flustered and Kris suggested we just head back to town. It was late by this point and the idea of walking another 30- 40 minutes was not appealing. He reminded me this would make a good story- a good story for the blog. After all this was the second time in one day that we had been taken by surprise about places being cash only.

We headed back (grabbed some curry wurst) and relaxed and planned our trip to the airport. In the evening we decided to have a kebab at the local shop on the corner. We had missed them the previous few nights because they closed as soon as they would sell out of stuff. We were fortunate because this time we got there just in time. Shockingly, when we went to pay, they only accepted cash. Luckily I had taken out enough earlier in the day. We were fine.

We made a quick breakfast in the morning and then we were off. We’d received an email warning us that there might be technical difficulties impacting our flight. We were offered the option of changing our flight and staying up to 3 more days. We decided to take our chances and headed out. 3 additional days sounds great when you are planning, not when you are at the end with no where to stay.

And just like that, our European adventure was over! What a great holiday! So many wonderful experiences and adventures- definitely a holiday to remember.