It was about 6:00 in the morning when I woke up from what I called the Jaroměř sheep song (a song about how sleep is in high demand, but very low supply), and to wake up in a train station in the middle of the Czech Republic was an experience that will leave an important mark in my glorified Metal travel years (both before and the many misadventures that will come in the not so distant future). The first order of business I had was to get myself on the first train that took me back to Prague. As I got to my seat, in front of me was an empty seat that awaited it's occupant, and that person came in the shape of a lovely Ukrainian lady who I managed to share a good conversation about Metal Music, the Brutal Assault Festival, and even the Metalheads Mission Festival which she has attended previously and gave me a ground zero perspective. When the train came to a stop at my destination at the Prague train station, it was the ever continuing saga of saying goodbye to another awesome person I had the dignified pleasure of sharing great company with. Hopefully I can catch up with her in the future should I ever make it to the Metalheads Mission Festival or the Global East Rock Festival. From there, I waited a good 5 hours in the Prague train station doing nothing but twiddling my thumbs (more like playing Nintendo DS games, listening to my 160GB iPod (thank Odin for this device capacity to hold a tanker freighter load of music) and reading Lemmy's autobiography for the 5th time during this trip) and waiting for the next train that took me to Vienna (a train ride of about 5 hours). This day saw the last leg of my tour and leaving the Czech Republic knowing I won't be back for a long time left me with a quote I have heard countless times: "tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all". Mark my words, my return to the Czech Republic will happen in the future, and when I return, I intend to slam more fine Czech rum that I can possibly handle (and that's a lot).
When I got off the train in Vienna, the fun part of finding my way around the place began. I6Z6A6N's HEAVY STEEL TRAVEL CLIFF-NOTE: when you travel place you have never been before, this is where the fun part of the trip occurs. As I made my way around and spoke to the locals about how to get the hostel I was staying in, one of them, either through bad judgement or being a intentional prick, guided me in the wrong direction and as a result, got lost in a city I have never visited before. As I walked around aimlessly, I came across an Austrian couple with their kid who saw a huge foreigner sporting a Metal t-shirt with an equally large camping backpack filled with Metal goodies, and I asked them if they knew where the taxis were. At first, they pointed in a general direction and I attempted to find the chariot of rescue, and as I continued further, the same couple came back to me and called one of the taxi companies for me and gave my exact location. I gave them my gratitude by shaking their hand and giving them the \m/ HEAVY \m/ thanks. The taxi managed to get me to my next destination, the Westend Hostel. 
One thing about hostels you have to keep in mind is that they are like their hotel counterparts. Meaning, you might find some good hostels and some bad ones. This hostel had the right idea of having location and even amenities that made the stay very comfortable.
Once I got settled in (as in taking a much needed shower and a good shave and reorganizing my camping backpack (as in getting rid of the dead weight to lighten the load)) and took a breather (as in a quick nap on a real bed), I got up and started wandering around the city for a bit to soak in the town and it's atmosphere. To say the feel of Vienna's presence matches its artsy name would be like saying Buckaroo Bonzai is one of the most weird movies created, meaning, the truth lies in the experience.
Time to take a ride in the urban submarine, aka the subway. 
Artifacts like the one below are littered throughout the city, hence proving the artsy statement from earlier. 
And with the artifacts, you got buildings that look like they came out of a movie, which coincidentally is where such films are shot at.
Thanks to the folks at Metal Travel Guide, I managed to locate a Metal Specialty Store called Totem Records, that's the good news. The bad news is that they were closed, and it was due to a national holiday that I wasn't aware of until I showed up in Austria.
As you will see, just from the looks of the window from the outside shows they probably had a selection of goods a Metal fan could've taken advantage of.
What sells Black Metal album covers? The axe in the CD pamphlet.
With my trip to the record store put a grinding halt, I decided to continue soaking in Vienna since I was going to be here for only 1 full day, I decided to continue wandering around, and coincidentally (maybe not so?6?6?6?), there was a Gothic Shop by the name of Nexus down the road from where the Totem Records was, and like the Metal shop, it too was closed due to the holiday in question.
As said many times before, you need to take advantage of your new found surroundings and try new foods/beverages/cultures/etc., and this was no exception. I managed to slam down this can of Ottakringer at the local Doner Kebab stall near the record shop, and it was really good Austrian beer.
Some more of Viennas artsy vibe rising around me.
Not that I need encouragement, but this is one way to convince someone to slam down a cocktail.
This section of Vienna had a bunch of these plaques on the floor with people hand and foot prints. It seems I was in the city's walk of fame.
As mentioned earlier, the Metal Travel Guide gave me my compass of HEAVINESS and I decided to go with the Escape night club, which was a quick tram ride from my hostel. They also had a small stage in the basement of its bar.
The place was as Metal as you can ask, as the decorations and atmosphere portrayed what a Metal fan needs: a dark place with lots of booze.
I also managed to encounter a lovely lady by the name of Charley, who was just as awesome of a person as you can get. She even made some good suggestions for some of the beers that were readily available from an equally attractive bar tender.
Artifacts like the one below are littered throughout the city, hence proving the artsy statement from earlier. And with the artifacts, you got buildings that look like they came out of a movie, which coincidentally is where such films are shot at.
Thanks to the folks at Metal Travel Guide, I managed to locate a Metal Specialty Store called Totem Records, that's the good news. The bad news is that they were closed, and it was due to a national holiday that I wasn't aware of until I showed up in Austria.
As you will see, just from the looks of the window from the outside shows they probably had a selection of goods a Metal fan could've taken advantage of.
What sells Black Metal album covers? The axe in the CD pamphlet.
With my trip to the record store put a grinding halt, I decided to continue soaking in Vienna since I was going to be here for only 1 full day, I decided to continue wandering around, and coincidentally (maybe not so?6?6?6?), there was a Gothic Shop by the name of Nexus down the road from where the Totem Records was, and like the Metal shop, it too was closed due to the holiday in question.
As said many times before, you need to take advantage of your new found surroundings and try new foods/beverages/cultures/etc., and this was no exception. I managed to slam down this can of Ottakringer at the local Doner Kebab stall near the record shop, and it was really good Austrian beer.
Some more of Viennas artsy vibe rising around me.
Not that I need encouragement, but this is one way to convince someone to slam down a cocktail.
This section of Vienna had a bunch of these plaques on the floor with people hand and foot prints. It seems I was in the city's walk of fame.
As mentioned earlier, the Metal Travel Guide gave me my compass of HEAVINESS and I decided to go with the Escape night club, which was a quick tram ride from my hostel. They also had a small stage in the basement of its bar.
The place was as Metal as you can ask, as the decorations and atmosphere portrayed what a Metal fan needs: a dark place with lots of booze.
I also managed to encounter a lovely lady by the name of Charley, who was just as awesome of a person as you can get. She even made some good suggestions for some of the beers that were readily available from an equally attractive bar tender.
One last shot of the place before heading back to the hostel to prepare to end this Crusade of Iron. 
Vienna at night was a lot like Prague at night, except everybody spoke Österreichisches Deutsch instead of čeština.
On the following morning, I had to make the trek to the airport to catch my flight from Vienna to Dusseldorf, and as you can tell from the beginning of my blog, this is the city where my tour started, and judging from my next destination, looks like my trip is coming to its end very soon. To end this unique part of my tour, I leave this post with one final picture that really sums up this entire trip in one snapshot. My wrist of Metal Awards I earned through out the trip. From left (the green band) to right (the black band): Wacken 2011 festival band, Wacken VIP Metal Markt band, Brutal Assault VIP Camp band, and the Brutal Assault 2011 festival band.
To be continued…
Vienna at night was a lot like Prague at night, except everybody spoke Österreichisches Deutsch instead of čeština.
On the following morning, I had to make the trek to the airport to catch my flight from Vienna to Dusseldorf, and as you can tell from the beginning of my blog, this is the city where my tour started, and judging from my next destination, looks like my trip is coming to its end very soon. To end this unique part of my tour, I leave this post with one final picture that really sums up this entire trip in one snapshot. My wrist of Metal Awards I earned through out the trip. From left (the green band) to right (the black band): Wacken 2011 festival band, Wacken VIP Metal Markt band, Brutal Assault VIP Camp band, and the Brutal Assault 2011 festival band.
To be continued…
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