June 20th (Day 6) Budapest-->Bratislava-->Vienna

Today marked our last day in Budapest and our first day in Vienna. We stopped in Bratislava, Slovakia on our way to take a tour of the Volkswagen plant.  While cameras and video cameras were not allowed into the facility we still managed to get a picture of the plant from the bus.

I've complied a list of interesting facts our guide Daniel supplied us with:

- the plant is bigger than the size of 160 football fields

- they produce Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche vehicles  

- 500 - 2100 cars are produced each day

- which means approx 440,000 are made yearly

- there is a fire department, medical center, and cafeteria on site for all of the employees to use

- 7% of their employees are women

- all full time employees receive a 10% discount

- robots complete approx 85% of the labor done in the plant

- these robots only make approx 1 mistake a day where a car has to go back a step or two to be fixed

- employees ride their bikes from point A to point B while working in the plant (it'd be great to give your feet a break during an 8 hour shift!)

After our tour we had time for lunch then it was back on the road to Vienna. George, our bus driver, only had it back up on an exit ramp of the highway once before we were ACTUALLY on our way. We said good bye to our tour guide Szilvia and hello to our new guide Manuela once we arrived at our hotel in Vienna. Our hotel is very nice just like the hotel we've been staying in for the last 4 nights. The Griswold's decided to take the stairs with 70+ pounds of luggage in hand like real travelers do and ended up taking the service elevator part of the way. Taylor and I have a great view out our window.

As soon as it felt like we were getting the public transportation system down in Budapest it is time to start over in a new city. Manuela gave us a city map and pointed out some key stops on the "Underground."  Westbahnhof is the stop closest to the holt which is right off of Mariahilfer Street. If we want to head to City Center we hop on U3 aka the Orange Line and head towards Simmering but get off at the Stephanspl stop. It took most people 3 days to figure out the stops in Budapest. I haven't even left the hotel yet but I think I have a better grip on the public transportation system than I did in Budapest.

Tonight we will enjoy a complimentary 3 course meal at the Restaurant "Wiener Wirtschaft." Think we'll be served sausage?? I'd be willing it bet on it. :) 

Hailey Kenkel also known as Ellen Griswold signing out. Thank you for keeping up with our group's (family's) blog.