Celebrating

Gruss Gott!
Since I can hear you through the computer screen I know you’re saying. “Look at that. Even though she’s not in the United States she’s celebrating Independence Day. How patriotic!”
Oh. Yeah. Right. The Fourth of July. But this year it also happens to be the start of the Tour de France. I can celebrate both at once.
So I am sitting here sipping some Prosecco, which is Italian sparkling wine. Whoa! You are thinking. She is really splashing out. Uh uh. I spend money on expensive cheese. The wine was on sale for under two euros. It’s not bad either--light and crisp and quite refreshing on a humid day.
I decided to give myself an easy day today, but I ended up just as tired and footsore as ever. It was hot and humid, so I came home early and wilted. But I did come home with plenty of food and drink, so stay tuned.
To start the day a walk in a park while it was still cool sounded good. I walked down to the Danube Canal and crossed the bridge and made my way to the Augarten. It has pretty, formal flower beds and trees, but one interesting feature is its incorporation of a huge flack tower left over from the Second World War.
Then I took the U Bahn back to the Secession Building. Secession is a modernist artistic and architectural movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The artists involved decided to secede from the over-formal academic style. The building is very striking on the outside with Art Nouveau detailing. The inside is quite plain, but downstairs is a major work of art: Gustave Kimt’s Beethoven Frieze. I found it far more powerful and compelling than the done-to-death and clichéd Kiss. The Frieze is a visual interpretation of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and takes humankind through the dangers to civilized and spiritual development (Now I know what the gorilla is doing there.) to the final epiphany of pure joy and love.
Feeling uplifted at least until I walked back out into the heat, I proceeded to the market for my weekend supplies. On the way back down Kartnerstrasse I stopped at a pastry shop. What I look for apart from the enticing window displays is the discreet “K und K” on the shop signs. This means Kaiserlich und Koniglich and refers to the fact that the business in question supplied the Hapsburgs with their goodies. If was good enough for Maria Theresa, it’s good enough for me. On account of I don’t want you to think that I’m a snob or anything.
Then I trundled myself and my bags home. Whew!
I thought it might be too hot to enjoy pastry until I put my purchase in my mouth. Esterhazy Torte is named for the notable Hungarian family who served the Hapsburgs. We are talking about five layers of naughty goodness. I think it’s some kind of walnut wafer with cream. Oh dear. Oh my. Better than Sacher Torte. Best pastry ever--even though there’s no chocolate in it.
But that was “lunch.” What’s for dinner? You know I like meze. If I am in the midst of heat, eating Mediterranean seems good to me. I have olives, dolmas, and felafel. Now I also love cheese. I tried the Austrian cheese, and I liked it just fine, but (sorry) it is not as good as the French stuff. To celebrate the Tour de France I got some Livarot at the market, too. I am also celebrating my ethnic heritage as a Norman. Fromage! Livarot is a bit “stinky” and has a penicillin tang to it, but it’s also lush and complex. No one does it better than we Normans. It would be hard to have a better meal than cheese, bread, and fruity red wine.
So is Lance going to win again? I would be astonished if he did, but I am for Astana. Alberto Contador! Venga Venga Venga!
The tour is on! I have it on TV, and while I know cycling terms in six languages I can't follow the commentary. This is where the air book comes in. I can follow along with live updates. I am NOT crazy. Cycling is a great sport.
Hasta la vista, au revoir und auf Wiedersehen!