Vienna! I love a cafe!

I get to Vienna at 6am. I am so not a morning person, worse if I haven't slept:( so I'm feeling less than perfect. The only issue with arriving at 6am is that nothing is open. I decide to take this time to get organized (and do crosswords!). I would write to you, but even I don't like to talk to me in the morning, so why would I do that to you? There's a lounge just outside the station and I file in behind the crowd find a spot where I can rest in a chair with my feet on my backpack. It's a motley crew at 6am. There is the nerdiest foursome ever...I love them! The older two watch all the bags while the younger couple goes for a walk. I think they are going skiing. At least I hope so, they have a lot of skis. There are probably five or six or seven men who seem to have slept here overnight. Another downtrodden man comes in. A pair speak very sternly to him and point to a bag. He says nothing and sits down. The other two leave. A while later they come back in yell at him again. The one points his finger in his face which makes me feel badly because he has a lot of scars on his face-I hope they are not making fun of him. He leaves with his head down low. The finger pointer slides the bag out from under the chair and slides something into it. As he stands up two bottles of liquor fall out of his coat. Am I in a B-movie or what? He quickly shoves one bottle in the bag and the other in his coat and smiles to himself (not a lot of teeth) as he walks out. I decide I will leave here no later than 7:30, double check my "plan" in the main station and jump on the tram. That will give me plenty of time to walk around and then be at the tourist office by 9 when they open;) and it will allow time for the sun to brighten up the city a little bit! I get my 48 hour pass from the ticket machine-how economical am I? And I'm on my way to bus 62. Ah, Vienna! Ah, cement! I know it's cold, but dry. Somehow I miss a piece of black ice and I'm down. I don't know why I can't fall backwards? I've got padding, and this huge backpack to land one, but I go down on one knee. A man sees me but I think he is so shocked (and, I'm sure amazed by my grace) that he just stands mouth open arms midair. I'm up! No worries! Its totally the other leg than the one with my map of Ireland bruise so I'll be balanced! Perfect! Bus 62, I'm off! It takes me right to the Oper which is good because that's where I was headed. Vienna has so much musical history, obviously and it's amazing to see this old opera house with the beautiful park nearby. I wander some more just looking up at all the amazing architecture, not even necessarily caring what it is, but enjoying the moment. I'm always wondering if people who live in cities like this appreciate it or does it just start to look unspecial (new word) at some point? I think about St. Teresa's and the University of San Diego. Both of which I loved. I think I appreciated it. STA maybe more because of our family history there. But both schools are gorgeous. And what's so cool is they've both continued to add on/change but kept their heritage at the heart of it.
At the TI, I get directions to my hotel as well as direction to a laundromat. I'm getting nervous...can this town be that easy to navigate? Pension Vera has a huge sweeping staircase. I have visions of me descending it in a ball gown:) I'm early, of course, but they check me in anyway....I'm in #13....eerie! I didn't even know they made #13, you know how there's not a floor 13? My room is perfect. A nice little armoire and desk on one wall and the bed and bath on the other. Snug, but perfect. It's baby blue with a picture of a sunflower on the wall-hello Kansas! And a huge tall window with a lace curtain-hello, Ireland!

And I'll be honest I've got to lay down. I am soooo not feeling well. Beyond the not sleeping thing I've got the nausea/starving thing going on. Usually I feel better if I lie down, since it's not always an option, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that today it is option, plus I've already been down my dramatic staircase twice to try to get laundry done and neither place could do it. Well, one would but not the jeans and couldn't have it done until late next week...not exactly convenient. I'm not sure where I'll be in a week.
So I'm on my belly watching CNN, because its one of two English speaking channels I have.the other is BBC Entertainment and it had on a show I felt
Ike you needed to know more about, especially to get their accents down! Anyway, CNN is still griping about (read pushing their program on) child labor in the cocoa industry. It's serious stuff, but over promoted . It does seem that they have the same stories are just recycled every few minutes with the same exacts words- i wonder if thats a good savings for them? But boring for me. Enough! Feel yucky at "home" or running around Vienna? Tough choice. This is another walking town, and I LOVE to walk. I'm always shocked that I don't fall (more) because I'm always looking up! The architecture is so gorgeous. I'm just constantly amazed that this work could be done so long ago, and shocked that it's not still being done today. There's a reason we're all still traveling to see these buildings. Not too many of us are arching our backs to get the perfect picture of the inside of the new building on our corner.

After a couple of hours, I end up at Cafe Pruckel. Its a fabulous Viennese cafe where you can sit all day with coffee and a cigarette. I'm having tea and a newspaper. It's the first time I've tried to read a newspaper on one of those fan things. Actually, not difficult! I think reading newspapers is inconvenient anyway-they're too long too wide for my lap! But this I'm doing with flair. I see me, literally! There are mirrors everywhere! There is the cutest dog at the table next to me. He's a little black lab:) oh my heart goes to Guinness (and Jake and Saoirse)! They are the best dogs ever! This one loves his guy...an older man who keeps looking and smiling at his little friend. Being curled up in between cafe tables is soooo old hat for this puppy (he could be 80. All dogs are puppies to me, some horses, too!) I go look at the dessert case. I could so work the dessert case. Customers go and then get to pick out the dessert they want. They get a number! And then their waiter will appear with it in moments. Even if I'd be afraid of dropping a tray, I could still encourage people on dessert and then portion it out! What a happy job!

Now I'm going to do the tour of the city that's described in the book. What's always funny to me is that on my own I find these places anyway. And I love that! So half of this I've seen and so after several hours I skip to Cafe Tirolerhof. It's packed is I don't find a table right away. A waiter notices and tries to find one for me but I want one where I can snuggle in against a bench. He finds one, but an older gentleman is standing guard. Instead I choose a snugly bench seat where I can see everyone coming and going and whatever in between! My favorite! We used to call it "tower of power" at USD.
A man leaves and then comes immediately back in to tell me something. I don't know what but its intense and he's very nose-to-nose with me. This is when I feel really guilty that I don't speak anything well besides English (well...). I apologize and explain the English thing, he shrugs his shoulders, repeats everything and more, smiles, winks and is out the door. I feel complimented even though I have no idea what he has said.
I love my waiter! He's kind of schlumpy but professional! He flips chairs around and back into their proper spot while walking through the cafe with his eyes up and focused on his customers but not in a creepy way, just observing and knowing exactly when to clear a plate or offer another drink. I want to be a waiter like that! Watching him get a dessert from the dessert case in the middle of the floor is like watching a ballet. He has it didn't to such a science and you can tell he genuinely cares about how the slice of whatever scrumptious thing looks like when it gets to his customer, and what they look like in the case.

I order hot chocolate with Irish whiskey....like and Irish coffee but no coffee;) he gets the biggest grin on his face. It's not on the menu, but he knows what I mean and it's yummy!
The paper I'm reading now is the Dec/Jan issue of Vienna Review. I'm drinking hot chocolate with whiskey and learning-what a concept! I read about a priest who is trying to involve his congregation instead f consolidating parishes; train laity in greater roles (giving sermons/communion) his Arch Bishop refers to it as heresy. I'm going to continue to follow this man in his quest. I'm a traditionalist, but a realist.
There are also now three books I want to pick up! I love this!
A man is holding the door on his way out...brrr...i don't see anyone coming in...ooh a woman is going to leave, but first she's got to grab her bright yellow razor! I love it! She scoots out the door on it. ;)
And I love that everything Is served on a silver tray!


The windows are slightly fogged, not in the yucky steam room muggy way but in a romantic way with strings of lights outside each window.
A cross between me and Sharon Osbourne, whom I love walks out the door. Sharon's haircut and look, but I know she's like me because she pauses before going out the door, rolls her eyes and says something in German. I can tell you what she said since we're so similar, something to the effect of "ugh! I'm going the wrong way! Out into the cold." because that's what I would say.
A couple across from me is eating sausages and I realize that if they're eating them properly, I was way off yesterday. I cut off a little piece of bread, added the spicy mustard to it, a little horseradish and put a slice of sausage on top! Like a little open-faced sausage treat! They each have a sausage in one hand and the roll in the other. Drag the sausage through the mustard (neither one of them is going for the horseradish) take a bite of sausage and then a bite of roll! Makes sense much less time consuming! Ooh! Now the man has tried the horseradish....big bite of roll;) I could stay here for ever!

On the next stretch of walking, I see a little doll doctor shop. I think I need that fir all my Madame Alexander dolls so the girks can play with them;) i also think about how I could have used them when my sister (!) gave all my dolls crew cuts in ber attempt to give them Dorothy Hammills. What a sad day;(
I pass a restaurant that has an upside down bouquet of light bulb-so cute! Back to St. Stephens its just so gorgeous!

Sometimes trying too hard doesn't get the best results. I thought I'd have a goodbye cocktail before leaving Vienna on my night train to Zurich. It's Sunday night, so it's a little hard on a Sunday night, I kind of get that. But I end up at the Sky Bar at Steffl. I am thinking of the Stiffles from Chicago, Jen. The nonsmoking section is closed so is half of the smoking section? They are crazy about taking my jacket...in general, I keep my jacket because I'm not tall (!) and I'll use it behind my back so that I can support my back and touch the ground with my feet;) "it's the law here" I know there's a translation issue, but really, "I must"? I feel badly to be tucked in between two couples each of who was kissing each other over their tables. But I feel worse when all four of them light up! Ugh! You're so young! Time to get over it! My Cosmo arrives, there's some slow jam 80s in the background and I'm overlooking my church. One of the cool things about the church is that although they're restoring part of the outside, they've put a canvas drape over it and have reproduced the original look of the building on it! So when you look at the building, it's almost like its whole and in its original condition. From here I can only see the top of it which is this fabulous spire and multicolored tile roof. Seriously, how did they do this stuff so long ago?
Okay this is the second time for Careless Whisper...and my allergies are going nuts. Goodbye Vienna! I will be back, and you just might be smoke free;(