Osterreich - Teil Zwei!
It had started raining during the night so we packed up the van and parked it next to the laundry room so we could do some washing. It felt wonderful to get clothes clean and pillowcases, everything smelt so fresh and lovely, especially after it had been tumble-dried.
We did a grocery shop while the washing was on: yoghurts, mustard, fleisch salat for Tim, muesli, oranges and nectarines.
We were glad to leave the campsite as it was a bit depressing although hard to put your finger on why. It had stopped raining by the time we arrived in Klosterneuberg, just outside Vienna, about 2:30pm. This campsite felt very friendly and cheerful and we relaxed, played cards, bought some cheap red wine and planned the next day.
16.09.04.
Headed into Vienna about midday on the train and got a 24 hour travelcard each. Started at the main square where we had a look at the cathedral which was a bit dark and grey. Headed for a wurst stand for our daily sausage fix, the weather was beautiful again.
Kathy foolishly agreed to finding the Apple centre, was a bit of a trek across the city but we passed the Opera house and some of the museums, all very grand, beautiful buildings. Wandered through the pedestrian area looking in the shops and then headed for Cafe Central that we had read about in one of our books.
We were glad we did as it was really gorgeous, arched ceilings, pillars, all beautifully decorated and a guy playing the piano while we relaxed with coffee/tea and cake, again (are you all worrying about our waistlines???). Tim had the famous Sacher torte and read a newspaper and we soaked up the atmosphere while smart waiters bustled around.
We had a look around a department store which was like John Lewis and set off to hunt down some Teewurst (one of Kathy’s favourite things). Found it in the basement of a shopping centre in a supermarket called Billa. Looked like the basement floor or Selfridges in Manchester!
Had originally planned to have dinner in a Heuringer, one of the wine taverns which are part of Viennese culture but they are all out in the suburbs so we chose a restaurant that sounded good where we could go and have Wiener Schnitzel.
It was in a quieter area of town and took a bit of finding but we were so glad we had made the effort as soon as we arrived. It had a lovely atmosphere and when we ordered a beer each two half litre glasses arrived and tasted great. We shared a wonderful fried chicken salad for starter, Kathy had Wiener Schnitzel with potatoes and Tim had fried potato stuffed with mince meat with a sour cream and garlic sauce, it was out of this world gorgeous. Anyone who wants to come to Vienna with us for a weekend can come and see for themselves.
We were too full for dessert so made our way back to the van and rested our happy tummies!