Vienna (May 21)

Because I'd just come from Paris I was treated as a European - yay!  Easy breezy through the airport, and getting a cab was easy too.  I had a little time to kill before my apartment was ready so I had some lunch.  The sandwich looks ordinary but it had eggs and meat and capsicum in it.

A grosser brauner.

May I just say that the woman who "served" behind the counter was the surliest piece I've come across in a long time.  Then she gave me change from a 5 euro when I knew I had given her a 10 (I knew because I'd just had to work out some change with the cab driver).  We had quite a few words back and forth, but in the end I got the 5 she should have given me in the first place.  Not a bad result, given it was all in German.  The U Bahn here is so different from Paris.

 

(You can't help making comparisons, can you?).  More room, less dirt, not as frequent.  I will never tire of the recorded voice saying "Zug fahrt ab."  Love it.  This is so sweet - kind of what you expect on first day of camp.

Stephansplatz seemed to be the centre of town, so that's where I got out - 4 stops away from where I got on.  This is where the famous Dom is - which is undergoing cleaning or restoration or something.  There were lots of tourists and buskers around, plus some men dressed in period costume.

Turns out they're selling tickets for the Mozart concerts at the Musikverein.  I got mine for Wednesday.  Aside from the ticket I got lots of compliments on my German - they train these guys well!  It was beautifully warm, so I had my favourite - an Italian gelato.

On one side of the Dom is a long line of fiakers.  The horses are gorgeous.

All I could think of was Milli Vanilli - not a positive connection.

I wandered around town to get a feel of the place.

In the evening I went to the Konzerthaus

 

to hear the London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev conducting and Gautier Capucon as solo cellist, in a Tchaikowsky and Stravinsky program.  We had great seats.