Catching up.

Seems a few days flew by there and not much happened,   but that couldn't be farther from the truth.
We're back in Wienerland of course,  although the casual reader might have no way of knowing that.  It was a busy 10 days or so back in Canada.  Pretty sure we got everything done.  I did miss that whole "high school reunion" thing.  Oops.  Just too many other obligations.  It happens.   Probably if the situation were different and we weren't home for a visit I would have been able to go and wander around.  It was something like 34 years ago that I finished High School,  so with the exception of those very few people that I have an inkling about, (and whose mugs I see on Facebook)  I doubt that I would have recognised a soul.
Remember how I said the flight over to Canada wasn't all that bad?  That was mostly because we ponied up the dough to go back in First Class.   Tried to do that for the return trip,  but "it was full".   Turns out that was BS,  since I saw empty seats up there.   Bastards.  Must have had something to do with the type of tickets we had?  No clue.
What that meant was well,  I was sure glad I slipped a pack of earplugs in my shirt pocket before boarding the plane.  Oy!  I shouldn't say too much since I don't want to scare the crap out of my daughter and her husband who are coming over later in the month,  but it wasn't exactly a fun trip.  While First Class on Austrian is not anywhere close to the delight that it is on say KLM,  flying coach is pretty much an abomination.  Putting myself into that semi-comatose state that I normally do wasn't enough to help.  There were way too many kids on the plane,  and way too little influence from the staff.  You know how when the "fasten seat belt"  sign comes on,  and someone also comes over the P.A. to remind everyone to do just that?   Never happened.  Not once.   And we had a whack of turbulence.  And then they'd get all pissy if someone didn't have their seat belt on. 
Well hello?   These people are stupid!  They need to be told.
I'm going to stop now,  since I'm just getting myself upset.

Whereas we had gone to the airport by first subway and then train,  we had already planned on coming back here by taxi.   There were going to be three of us after all,  with full suitcases.  My travelling companion and I went over with an empty one,  and it came back with the usual underwear (found Stanfields!)  and well,  apparently somebody went shoe shopping.  The taxi plan would have been just fine,  if the cab driver hadn't been an entirely clueless boob,  who thought he'd be clever and try out every little short cut he thought he knew to get to the apartment.  That's not easily done in Vienna,  since it's not anywhere close to being laid out in a grid. He didn't know that I knew where to go,  and I was too whipped at that point to really care.  We were all sitting down,  the cab didn't stink too badly, and there were no screaming kids or surly flight attendants.   Took us a good extra fifteen minutes to get here.  I had pre-paid,  so I really didn't give a shit.
The weather here has been a huge contrast to Canada,  where we had record temperatures.   Apparently it's been raining a lot in Vienna,  and yesterday (Thursday)  it finally let up,  with only a threatening hint once in a while.
We jumped in the car and nipped out first to Schönbrunn,  and decided to leave when the rain threatened,  and headed down to the Hofburg to have a look around.  Since yesterday was a national holiday (again!)  the traffic was light and there was actually parking at the Hofburg.  Not sure where everyone went,  but there were traffic reports that seemed to indicate that everyone was headed for Tyrol.  Plus,  with "downtown" Vienna consisting of a significant number of government offices,  the streets were basically free of cars,  with only the odd tourist stepping off the curb.  Pedestrians are at the top of the Darwinian hierarchy in all European cities,  so one must be vigilant behind the wheel.
I'm sure it would be helpful to all tourists going to a city like say Toronto,  to have a big notice on the bottom of the customs form.   "Pedestrians get run over in Canadian cities on a regular basis,  stay on the side walk!"

At this point I have to comment about that link I just put in.   It wasn't preplanned.  I just knew that a google search of "Toronto Pedestrian killed"  would bring up a result.   Try it,  it's alarmingly effective.

  Now,  I mentioned there were three of us?   Well yes,  we came back with one of my sisters-in-law Magda (this info is for any of the six or so readers out there who are not one of my relations) who will be staying in Europe for the better part of a month I guess it is,  and will be going back with my daughter and son-in-law.
She's not overly keen on travelling alone.  Can't say I blame her.

She and I will be taking a little jaunt down to Slovenia on Tuesday,  where she'll hang out with some relations for a few days.  We'll catch up with her a little later on.

Meanwhile,  she's taken over the kitchen.  You have no idea how happy that makes me.
I ain't kiddin'.
Has nothing to do with me being a lazy sod or anything,  but everything to do with the skill involved.  I try to sort of hang off to the side,  and I've picked up a couple little hints along the way.  It's not like they were big secrets or anything, (although there was this time when she pulled a small packet out of a pocket a few years back,  pretty sure she thought nobody was looking....)   but more like common sense things that come from being a master (or maybe,  "mistress"?) of the kitchen domain for a while.

Here she is performing some culinary magic.

 
Since we're expecting company coming down from the Netherlands later today,  this kitchen program makes for a "stress free Bob".  
My only challenge was to pick up a pork roast at the butcher,  and then as soon as I post this,  I have to make a couple more grocery stops.

Oh...by the way,  the Cheeto delivery was a big success.

  Long story,  but suffice to say a certain store clerk whom I've been able to rely on for a few culinary mysteries has been rewarded with a couple bags of his favourite snack,  that he can't for the life of him find here in Wienerland. 

Meh....a couple bags of Cheetos weighs what?  Nothing?


It's all about the little things.  Innit?