Day 9 - Vienna - Mary on the "MTA"

The day started out to be one of taking care of "chores". We had to wait for a friend of the owner's to come to the apartment between 9-10 AM to try to help figure out the problem with the Internet. Ann arrived on time, and used her cell phone to call the provider. She said she had experienced poor dealings with them, and didn't expect much help. They directed Ron to disconnect, reconnect, etc. the modem and router - things he had already tried. After about an hour, they told Ann they would have to send someone out and would call her to make the appointment. So, we continue to use the Internet at the Garage 01 Cafe, and hope to have a appointment scheuduled Friday.

We then walked out to look for a phone shop, and went to a hair salon, where they said they could do my hair in about an hour, so made an appointment to come back at 1 PM. We then stopped at the bakery, got fresh bread, and went back to the apartment and fixed tuna sandwiches for lunch. This was the first mystery of the day - we had bought a couple onions at Julius Meindl. But when we went to make the tuna, no onion was to be found ANYWHERE. Not in the basket where I place the food items that are ours (keeping them separate from the owner's "stuff), not in the fridge, NOWHERE! No explanation for how they have vanished.

I then went to the hair salon. The gal was very quick and did a good job - 17 EU, as it was "senior day" with a 20% discount. Not sure it's a good thing to be granted the senior rate without asking - nor to have people offer up their seats in the Tram or U-Bahn. AGING!

Ron met me and we set off on Tram #1, and went to the end of the line - which I find is a good way to learn your way around when using public transport. However, Tram #1 ends up in the 10th District (Favoriten) which has a very bad reputation. One travel writer said there are a few good reasons to go there - to be mugged, to be raped, or to be molested by gangs of foreign teenagers. We did notice ethnicity changing, saw nothing of interest, and did not get off the Tram. We rode back to Paulanergasse and started walking a few blocks to the Nasch Markt. It had turned COLD and WINDY and rain falling - so we stopped into a pub (Amacord) that served Guiness and wine. Ron had a big bowl of vegetaable soup. It was good to be out of the weather. We also visited a small British grocery store, Bobby's, where we saw JIF peanut butter for about US$8 a jar. Glad we brought a small jar with us!

We then walked through several blocks of the Nasch Markt - the open-air market located along Wienziele where the River Wien has been paved over. It has been in existence since the 16th century. It is about a mile long with hundreds of stalls offering an incredible selection of all kinds of foods of all nationalities. There are vendors for beautiful chocolates, honey products, aromatic oils and vinegars, bakery goods, hummus and more. You can find Italian, Moroccan, Turkish, Polish, Middle-Eastern, Japanese, Chinese - anything imaginable. There are also numerous little restaurants and cafes. Unfortunately, it was not a good day to be outdoors. Will go back if we get better weather. In fact, there is a 2-hour private tour we may be tempted to take.

Cheeses - Just a few of thousands

Many stuffed "delicacies" - Proscuitto, dates, figs, peppers, mini-pumpkins, etc.

Noodle Dishes - the one above at right is with vegetables

Mary enjoying being out of the cold, wind, and rain

We then stopped at a Wine & Co. shop that had a really neat wine bar where we could sit in the window looking at the market and the threatening weather, and watching people passing by.

Ron - camera special effect

We then made a plan that eventually went quite awry! I said I would go the apartment and get the computers while Ron went out to pay for the week's parking in Heiligenstadt, and we would meet at our Lokal cafe. I thought this would give me an extra 30-40 minutes on the computer. We proceeded to the Karlsplatz U-Bahn station. I am usually the "expert" on deciperhing the schedules, but the trains were already approaching, and Ron said he should go toward Heiligenstadt and I should go three stops the other direction.

After three stops I realized it wasn't the stop I wanted and continued another stop, thinking I would just get off and go back the other direction. But, it turned out by that time there were TWO U-Bahn Lines stopping there. Not paying proper attention, I got on the wrong Line which again took me the wrong direction, compounding the original error. I finally got out my little map and figured things out. I had to change to yet another U-Bahn, and rode the U6 all the way to Spittelau (where the lines crossed). This was only one stop short of where Ron had gone for the car, but on a much longer route.  To top things off - when I changed at Spittalau, the signs directed me to an elevator for U4. When I went down in the elevator, there was no place to find U4. The next directional sign I found sent me WALKING up 51 stairs. I was starting to think I was in the Twilight Zone, but I wasn't in a panic, as I knew I would reach my destination eventually. But, I was beginning to be concerned Ron would be there first and be worried since he knows I usually have no problems with figuring these things out! And I was right! All I could think of was the old Kingston Trio song, "No he never returned, Poor Charlie on the MTA".

I finally arrived at Schwedenplatz, and changed to Tram #1. When I finally reached Radetzkyplatz and heaved a sigh of relief (after traveling 'neath the streets of Vienna for about 90-minutes) I peeked in the cafe, but Ron wasn't there. I thought I was still ahead of him. Hurried to the apartment, up the 25-stairs, to pick up the computers, and the doorbell began ringing. I answered the intercom phone, and Ron said, "Thank God I've found you!" He had been here for 40-minutes and was despairing of how he would ever find me, or what could possibly have happened. He had been sitting on a bench near the Tram stop and looking for me, but somehow missed me. He was actually wondering about contacting the Police, and said his heart was beating fast. He thought I  must have been stopped by the Transit police, although we were certain we had the proper tickets. It is a definite problem not having cell phones to contact each other! Ron says he won't let me out of his sight again. These are the kind of stories you recall years later and laugh about, but today it wasn't so funny!

Once we collected ourselves, we traipsed over to our little cafe to check messages, etc. and ordered some small snacks for our "dinner" - olives, perononata (sweet peppers), and chorizo.

And that was our day.