On with the show.

I had this idea yesterday that I'd post a few pics and do some sort of update about what's been going on over the last few days,  but I guess I got sidetracked (and winded)  by the broken down elevator.
Plus I was in a bit of a sour mood,  and nobody really wants to hear me bitch and moan.

 I've also come to the uneasy realisation that I'm running out of zippy titles for each entry.   Today's entry is actually number 300,  but I'm going to try and resist the temptation to simply start using some sort of numerical system.

I mean, how much would it suck to tell everyone you went to P.S. #38 when you were a kid?  Couldn't the New Yorkers come up with a couple names?  Even though we might confuse General Brock High School with Brock University,  or Ryerson P.S. with Ryerson Poly-technical,  at least there's a name in there somewhere.

Concerning the elevator,  it still wasn't functioning by some point in the early evening.   Some time after five I was aware of my neighbour puffing his way up the stairs,  but then at some point around seven or so I heard it working.   Go figure.   They said it was to be fixed yesterday,  they just didn't say when.
 Good thing too,  since it's a tough slog for Travelling Companion to come up six flights,  what with her knee bones pretty much rubbing against each other.  One thing we always make sure to have on hand is plenty of Tylenol®.

We sort of left off at the Volksoper on Monday night,  and what happened after that is kinda blurry.
There was some hopping on and hopping off in there as well.
You may have to review.


 Tuesday night Travelling Companion was off to first Germany (Düsseldorf)  where she was picked up and driven on to Hengelo in the Netherlands,  stayed over night,  flew the next day from Düsseldorf to Vejle by way of Billund (Denmark in case you lost track)  and then returned to Vienna Friday night by way of Frankfurt.
 I'm not drawing any maps.    She had to do some sort of financial hocus pocus. (OK,  Balance Sheet reviews)
 I chose not to tell her about the out of order elevator until we were in the hallway down stairs late Friday night.  Just one of those things best kept to oneself.
Our guests had meanwhile been off touring this and that over those few days.  I did manage to get reservations at Plachutta for Saturday night,  and made sure the understanding was that we wanted to be in the non-smoking section.   Had to sort out a bit of a miscommunication the last time we were there.   (their smoking section is pretty ghastly) They still can't spell my last name right,  but as long as there was a table waiting,  it doesn't really matter.
Strange thing is,  they're starting to get to know us,  or at least recognise us.  I never thought that would happen in a city like Vienna,  but Travelling Companion has been there six times,  and I've been there three.  That's in the span of roughly six months.  I could be off on the number of times,  since I've sort of lost count.
She was back there again Monday night with a work associate who had come down from the UK.  I only volunteered to chauffeur.  Something to do with parking and Austria's very low tolerance for alcohol consumption and driving.

In Delden we became regulars at Het Witte Paard,  but Delden is kind of a small place,  and if you found a decent place to eat,  that's where you'd head off to,  if that was your plan for the evening.

I'm pretty easy to please.
Give me a decent meal,  don't rip me off,  come to the table once in a while,  and don't blow smoke in my face.
I'll be back.
It's that simple really.
 One of the things that I should mention that our two crazy Canucks went to visit on Friday was an underground lake that's about 15 kilometres south of Vienna.
In all my digging through web pages about Wienerland,  I hadn't come across this place yet.  It sounded like it was a little bit freaky,  since (and pardon me while I repeat this)  it's an underground lake.
That link takes you to the English page,  but there's also a wiki write up about it here .  There's a bit of an intriguing history there too....
There was some nasty business going on there in 1945 with forced labour,  which is only really hinted at in some of the articles about Hinterbrühl
I'll let you investigate that if you so choose.   Not so sure we'll ever be going there,  since hanging around underground isn't really one of my preferred pass times,  especially if it involves also being in a boat.
Maybe I just have too vivid an imagination.




Sunday we thought we'd drag our visitors off to church,  and went to the Augustinerkirche,  where we've been on several occasions.   Doesn't matter if you're catholic or not,  since they usually have a choir and orchestra,  and even if it were only the organ,  it would still be worth the visit.
The weather was not the best,  so we went with the car and I dropped everyone off in front of the Church so we could be sure and actually get seats.  We've learned the hard way, it's best to get there early.  I probably should have just come right back up Mariahilfer and put the car in the garage and jumped on the U-Bahn,  since the parking garage ended up costing me €12.


Idiot.
Plus I wasted all that time driving around the first district thinking I'd find a spot.

Again.  Idiot.


So between €5 for the collection,  another €15 in the "donation"  basket for the orchestra,  along with €3,50 to light some candles,  (and let's not forget parking!) our "free"  Sunday morning concert was kinda pricey.

Oh well.

Good thing we didn't go out for brunch.

And now for some random photos from after the service.

 Our visitors took the train yesterday to Salzburg,  and today they went on some sort of "Sound of Music"  tour,  which mean getting up early again.
I know they wanted to squeeze in a whack of stuff while they were here,  but Muggins here would be getting mighty tired of being on the go day after day.   I'm thinking they'll need a vacation after their vacation.  Maybe they'll get to sleep in on Saturday morning after they come back to Wienerland?
  That'll be their last chance,  since it's off to the airport on Sunday.


Then that's it!  No more visitors until we go home for Christmas!





I'll try not to count the days.





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Climbing them stairs.

What was I saying about "the good life"?  
That'll teach me for being thankful.

I mean,  it's OK really.   But I do wish the elevator wouldn't crap out on the order of about once a month.  I know it worked fine there for most of the summer,  but it always seems to happen when we have guests that the damned thing decides to take a little rest.
Gah!

Yesterday,  without trying too hard at all,  and even with some careful planning,  I had to climb the stairs six times. 

We're on the sixth floor.

That's 36 floors. 

I'm just saying.



I don't even mind climbing the stairs two or three times,  but I'd prefer to have a choice.

 Thankfully all the luggage was already taken up before the thing crapped out,  but our guests were off today to Salzburg for three days and had to bring their two smaller bags down the six flights.
 I do need to go out for a couple things,  and although it is supposed to be "fixed today",  it certainly wasn't when I went out with Travelling Companion this morning,  and I'm almost reluctant to find out if the Landlord is as good as their word.  (doubtful)
I'd just as soon not make that discovery, which would only be one more Austrian disappointment.  I was almost going to make a phone call yesterday,  and even though I do know how to chew someone out in German,  I'd just as soon not blow a gasket over some piece of junk that should be sold for scrap metal.   I mean really,  it's just some poor sap who is stuck with the nasty job of answering the phone when all the tenants call to bitch and complain.  I just figured I wasn't going to add my voice this time around.
 By the way,  if you look closely at that sign,  you'll notice someone added the word "wieder"  to the sign.   So now it doesn't just say "Elevator out of order",  but "again"  has been added.  Someone was in a bad mood.  Any guesses who that might have been?  I'm not admitting anything.  You can draw your own conclusions.  I do own a black marker though.

I'll fill in a few blanks here later for those who give a rat's tiny behind.

  



Keep your hands where I can see 'em.




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The Good Life.

I have to admit,  without really trying too hard,  we've been able to see a few things here in Wienerland that pretty much sum up the entire experience.

 Ahem.   Let's list them,  shall we?

Spanishe Hofreitschule

Schönbrunn.
(on several occasions.  Concert,  buggy ride,  zoo....)

The State Opera

(twice,  once for Madame Butterfly and then for a Mozart Concert)

The Musikverein

(a Mozart Concert,  but I seem to think we went twice,  but my memory is dim)

....and then Monday night to the Volksoper to see
"Die Fledermaus".

Great fun,  even though it's in German (well,  Austrian German)  and a little hard to understand,  it was a blast.
Became abundantly clear why they started at 7:00 p.m. since the thing is in three acts,  and I was starting to zone out just ever so slightly by the third act.   No Wagner for me,  thanks.

Very hard to take photos in an opera house,  so that was just about the best I could muster.   The Volksoper  (or people's opera)  isn't quite as fancy as the State Opera,  but the performance was every bit as good.
Seriously.
I did not have any problems whatsoever with having relative pitch.

It can be a blessing or a curse.   It just depends.   There have been times when I've wished to be completely tone deaf.


Don't you just love all these links I'm putting in??

I even think at one point in time when the orchestra was still playing the overture I muttered under my breath,  "Man they're tight!"

It goes without saying that there have been a host of concerts we've attended at various churches around town,  but they're too numerous to mention.  Sorry.


  Our current guests are once again out and about seeing all the sights that we'll get around to seeing if we're here long enough,  but since they're doing the "touristy thing",  and they have the energy,  they're out there.    I quite enjoy getting the reports back at the end of the day,  since they bought tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus lines with which you can go all over the city...
 And I just realised that I can't seem to find a decent link,  since what I didn't know was,  with certain packages,  you have a choice of three different buses you can hop onto (or off of I suppose)  all three of which I've seen milling about in the city here and there.    I didn't realise they were all from the same company.   Our visitors got some sort of two day deal,  and today is day two.


 Since I have the car today (and for the rest of the week)  I volunteered to take them down to the main starting point this morning,  which just so happens to be the State Opera.  It's all fine and dandy to know the subway system and find one's way around,  but now and again getting chauffeured by car gives one a better sense of just where everything is.



 Turns out taking the car could very well have been fraught with frustration,  since it so happens that it's "International Car Free day"
or some such fresh air,  and at some point in time the Ring was going to be closed off to vehicular traffic.




 I guess they didn't think it would be all that wise to extend that concept all the way up Mariahilfer Strasse,  (since the cars tend to bring the shoppers)  as I can see and hear the usual chaos if I stick my head out the window.

There's talk of making Mariahilfer Strasse into a pedestrian zone,  but that's just as half baked as the car free day idea.  It's a great notion,  but totally impractical.   I'm presently the only one in this household who is willing to take my life in my hands and ride a bike in Vienna,  but just the same, I'd just as soon be in the car,  since using a bike as transportation is also fraught with half baked Viennese traffic management.  I don't want to get off on a rant here about a room full of monkeys,   since I know it would only go from bad to worse.  Suffice to say,  there's room for improvement.











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