My Last Day

Gruss Gott!
If you have been with me from the beginning you may recall my frustration over getting from the airport to the city. It turns out in fact that I was lucky, and the way I got here is in fact the easiest route. And I am going to take it back to the airport tomorrow--down the hill to the bus stop and the bus to Vienna International. I am not excited about my suitcase handle, which is still jammed.
So yes. I leave early tomorrow just as I was feeling that I had figured a lot of things out and was settling in. I largely spent the day shopping, which I fear is not very exciting to recount although Vienna is full of beautiful things and if I were rich . . .
I did go back to Schonbrunn. Even after three determined visits I have not seen all of the grounds. If I lived here I would do as many Viennese do and make it my regular weekend walking place. Ok. Maybe sometime I’d go to the Belvedere or the Lainzer Tiergarten. The day started off cool and cloudy. It rained for about five minutes. I had my umbrella, which I have used exactly twice for a just a few minutes, but it was still a good idea to carry it.
Then it turned blisteringly hot. Phooey!
Instead of recounting my shopping in the crowds and heat, let’s have some fun facts about Vienna. One cool thing are the signs that tell drivers how to get to Bratislava (Slovakia), or Prague, or Budapest. All kinds of adventures await.
Sushi is sweeping Europe. It was all the rage in Paris, and the same is true in Vienna. Indeed there are numerous sushi stands like the traditional sausage stands, and they and the kebab may take over.
And Vienna like other European capitals is definitely cosmopolitan. Not all the folk on the streets are of European descent. One morning in Singerstrasse I shared an elevator with a woman in a burqa. This morning the signs in German had been replaced with signs in Arabic.
Are you looking for entertainment? If you don’t want the Vienna Boys Choir or Mozart try Gustave Klimt--the Musical!
Today was a gelato day rather than pastry. My favorite flavor is hazelnut, so I had to have that, and I added coconut and rum raisin. So rich. So yummy.
There were still some things that I had not tried and today was my last chance. Wine bars--often with buffets--are called Heurigen. A lot of them are in the hills around the city, but some are within Vienna itself. My friend Sartorias recommended her old student hangout Die Zwolf Apostolen or the Twelve Apostles, which occupies a series of cellars--nice and cool on a hot day.
The other thing I had vowed to try was Kasekrainer. This is a sausage infused with cheese. It’s not exactly the thing one would crave on a hot day, but I have to say whoever came up with the idea in the first place picked a winner. Delicious! And, of course, it must be accompanied by bread and mustard. It has a disgusting but typically Viennese nickname. Ready? Eitrige--roughly translated as pus stick. Don’t let this put you off though.
And what else would go with sausage? Beer! I washed this down with the Real Budweiser from Budejovice in the Czech Republic. It is very hoppy, and the American version tries to replicate it. I enjoyed it although I admit I am not a connoisseur, and I still like Belgian beer better.
I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE. Vienna is a beautiful city of much charm. Even people without my rabid appetite for history and art would find much to enjoy.
Thank you for sharing my trip with me! If I get a chance I’ll report in from Zurich.
Servus