This day began with thunder storms, rain, sunshine and a Face Time call from dad on my new mini iPad which was a lovely surprise. At breakfast I met a couple from Melbourne who were here to see their son perform in a concert with his school. The lady was originally from Spain and shared in her excited Spanish way about the issue of using toilets in Vienna...the long and the short of it folks is that you need to carry 50 cents with you to ensure you can use public facilities otherwise its a no goer!! I now have two 50 cent coins just in case. I checked out the other direction leading from my hotel and the beautiful buildings seem to be endless...there are so many of them. I slowly made my way between the showers and returned to my room to get ready for the dinner and Konzerte. A lovely taxi driver dropped me in front of the restaurant which was handy as the rain was unrelenting. Ill say a little bit about the meal, it could just be that Im not appreciative of quality high end restaurants but here goes from the world according to Jo in regard to what was served up.... First came a complimentary salad which comprised of one, yes I need to repeat this, ONE lettuce leaf. Not the size of an iceberg lettuce leaf but of the newer variety of lettuce youll often see in a mixed bag you can buy in the supermarket. Imagine a leaf two inches long with sauce barely covering the base of a dish the size of a 50 cent coin in diameter, this was placed on a paper doily which was placed on a dinner sized plate. It felt like one of those really weird moments where the dish was served with a flourish by the serious young waiter and all I could think about was The Emperors New Clothes and I felt myself wanting to laugh out loud at the situation and wondered if I should be the one to break the news to him and the others that the dish with the sad looking leaf in a tiny pot surrounded by an orange looking sauce does not make it a salad. I decided to let it pass and mopped up the little bit of sauce with the bread roll because there was no butter. I left the sad little leaf behind. Im sure I saw the waiter smirk as he collected the plate and I could almost hear him thinking something like....she doesnt know how special this salad is that has been made by the finest chefs in the land! I think Ill skip the details about the rest of the meal...I can say it got better....just! The Konzerte was great fun...thank you Julie Geeves for recommending I go along. I sat next to a couple from Philidelphia. The gentleman was an academic who had been meeting with people from Russia....I didnt get to hear what it was about as the show began which is a shame as I think it may have been interesting. Michael found me in the crowd and we took more photos of the beautiful building which Ill share. I was up close to the stage and had a beaut view where I could see the interplay between the musicians. Although I couldnt understand the words of the opera singers, I could work out the mood of the song by their expressions and body language. The conductor was a real character and he added a lot of fun to the show. Thank you Daniel Nunn for introducing me to classical music. Michael and I enjoyed a very nice pizza before saying goodbye....its a wonderful thing to have another new friend whom I know Ill enjoy getting to know over time through Facebook. I caught a taxi back to my hotel and had the grumpiest ever taxi driver who took great offence at me asking if he knew where my hotel was. He repeatedly muttered under his breath....this is my hometown and you ask me if I know where this is...omg, I didnt know if I should get in the taxi...his car was first in line and when I asked if he could take me he continued to utter those words so I sat in the car and went quiet and after wed driven for a bit I said that some taxi drivers dont know where the hotel is and it wasnt my intention to offend him. He softened a little and I asked him if he was having a good night when he very clearly let me know he doesnt like his job at all. Not that it wasnt hard to work it out really but anyhow I think he appreciated the airing and when he found out I am from Australia he changed completely and shared how much he loves Australia...hes been three times. The rest of the ride went smoothly with him smiling when I got out of the car....I felt pretty happy that we worked through our stuff too. It was a kind of topsy turvy day with a lot of peaceful space and a different pace to yesterdays rushed sightseeing tour, not to mention a meal to remember! Im ready to be with my clan, my tribe, my kind again and happily that will begin with Ellen and Linda tomorrow. Wishing you safe travels Michael and good night to my wonderful tribe xxxx
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 23:06:20 +0000
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