Danke Schön (Vienna, Austria, part 2)

The day dawned, apparently. I was vaguely aware of the rain pattering on the window sills. The sound was familiar and I knew I recognised it but the fug of sleep and double glazed windows kept me from complete comprehension. Finally, it dawned on me, brighter than the day. Rain. No rush to get out of bed.

Our last full day in Vienna commenced with the mundane. Domestic chores such as ironing and a minor reorganisation of bags in preparation for tomorrow's departure. The rain was due to clear early so we thought we'd wait it out. As has become practice, our last day is generally not too strenuous. With the weather and the drop in temperature, we were never straying far from home base.

Mid-morning the rain looked to have cleared so out we went. No umbrella, although I was wearing my yellow jacket. Twenty metres into the walk, the drizzle recommenced. Just heavy enough to be annoying and make us consider returning to the apartment for a brolly. 

I was in a reflective mood.

We pushed on. First stop, St Stephen's Platz. Yes, dear reader, we have been here previously, but the weather today ensured reduced crowds. Photography would be easier but the photos would suffer from a lack of blue sky. As we wandered the main areas around the platz, coffee was on the agenda. Higher on the agenda was Pandora.

Another spire visible from everywhere.

Strangely, Jayne had remembered exactly where the store is situated. Inside we were greeted warmly by the staff and the warm air conditioning. They made us feel very welcome, unlike the Pandora staff in Prague. The Vienna staff also made a sale, unlike the Prague staff. They recommended the Central Café as the pinnacle of Viennese destinations for coffee and cake.

Where were the crowds?

The Central Café was also on the exhaustive list of things to do in Vienna from Aaron and Adam. I also knew we had little chance of getting in. The queue was lengthy by my standards and it was very cold in the wind. No go at the Central. I noted earlier that Café Sacher was equally in demand. We settled for Aïda, which provided good coffee and brownie ( no not that sort) and a shelter from the elements. Unless you are smoker, then you have to stay outside, indulge your habit and freeze. As many opted to do.

We had booked a tour of the Opera House and so decided to make our way there, thinking we would be able to burn some time in the foyer. After circumnavigating the building to locate the entrance, we discovered there was zero access until 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the tour.

It was time to bite the bullet and try that quintessential of Viennese cuisine, the würstel. One the most highly referred stands was across the street from the opera house. We had two recommendations of würstel to try, bosna and another one that was chopped and drowned in 'ketchup'. I saw the latter, whatever it was called and it was a straight up no. So we split a bosna.

The würstel stand.

The verdict? It was the worst. Come on, you knew I'd do it. A sausage on a roll with raw onion, parsley, curry powder and more mustard than was necessary. And there was a queue to purchase this substandard fare. I'd rather go hungry.

Back to the growing queue at the Opera House doors. Eventually we made it inside to a rather grand foyer area which was the various tours' gathering point, all of which had been segregated into language groups: French (for the massive school group), German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian and lastly English. There were no instructions and no one really appeared to be in charge. There were, however, people darting back and forth beyond the ropes that corralled us.

Part of the foyer. They love ceiling art.

Eventually the groups began to move off in order with a guide. The English speakers were last. We longingly watched the other groups depart, one by one. Occasionally they re-emerged on a stairwell or landing and criss-crossed each other. Our group was divided in two before we moved anywhere which meant there were 7 separate groups being escorted around the building. The sort of precision that was required to ensure groups didn't merge or crash each other's areas was akin to the skills of a high diver completing a reverse four and half somersault in pike position. Today's result? A belly flop.

Heading up from the foyer.

The tour itself was interesting, if a little rushed. Our enjoyment was diminished by the crowding of other groups as their commentary collided with ours, making it difficult to hear.  I know it is a money making venture and they are trying to limit the impact on the daily functioning of the opera house, but some organisational planning and limits on the number of groups would go a long way to improving the experience for everyone. We are intending to visit the Palais Garnier in Paris so there will a viable comparison in a few days' time.

A chandelier from underneath.

Out into the cold we walked home via a very different Burggarten. It was the antithesis of the crowded, people-filled space we'd seen on a  sunny afternoon, not long ago. Today it was virtually empty, there were no picnicers in sight.

The boxes.

That is pretty much our last full day in Vienna. We dropped into the supermarket to get some supplies for tomorrow's train trip and went home to pack. Paris is our next destination and for the first time we have abandoned train travel and are flying. No bag drag, we have pre-booked a taxi.

Which brings us to the song and title. The song is spelt, Danke Schoen and was made famous by Wayne Newton. It was given a second life in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Funny, I always thought it was sung by a woman.

Until next time.