LAST DAY OR FIRST

I could bore you to sobs with how wonderful the run of warm sunny days has been, but you may be experiencing that for yourself so I won't.  Suffice to say that I have felt the need to carry sunscreen and keep up the water.

There was a tour in English this morning at the Secessions Museum, which was very informative to those amongst us who know virtually nothing about the secessionist art movement. Simply put a collective of artists decided to secede from the conservative mainstream. They were well enough established to get government support to build themselves a gallery. Great motto .. To every time its art, to art its freedom (or German to that effect). Here end etc the lesson.

A visit to the Naschmakt for lunch, a street market with a chaotic and crowded mix of food stalls and cafes. Somehow we didn't go the full length so missed the flea market end where a second hand clothing stall was described by a fellow traveller as dumped on the ground thus resembling her teenage bedroom. Also missed the chandelier stall. Damn.

I ended up on my own for a few hours and after all the indoors just enjoyed fresh air walking around Stadtpark. It isn't a huge park so I did a few lengths along the various paths then went native and just sat for a while watching the world stroll by. Great to see a park so well used. It is interesting to note that almost no one goes about with earphones in nor is everyone walking about with eyes down on the phone screen -that would be the dorky tourist following a screen - based map. I put it away.

Meandering through lesser streets I am delighted by my surroundings.  I don't try and pick the original from the restored buildings,  but am starting to realise the extent of the damage to the city and tend to presume everything pretty well is rebuilt.

To cap off the afternoon we lurked outside the Sacher Hotel with John to get a table so we could finally taste the original, the authentic Sacher torte.  It is very good cake, lighter than I thought it would be. We farewelled John who is off to the Opera and went  to meet our fellow Intrepid tourists - two Australian couples, a Canadian and a South African. Only three of us in for the long haul, ourselves and T, the SA woman. David, our guide, is a Scot who has already warned me that if I think his accent is thick just wait til I get into the north of Scotland. He's from a village outside Inverness.

Must be a day for tradition - schnitzel for dinner. Delicious