Vienna:
I liked Vienna much more than I thought I would. It doesn't have the spectacular architecture of Prague but I really liked something about the vibe of the city. I went to the Kaiser Apartments...wow. The wealth of that family is pretty astounding. I also went to the Sissi Muzeum (which is dedicated to Kaiser Franz Joseph (sp?)'s strange and oddly morbid wife, Elizabeth. Very interesting. I also went to the Leopold, which is an art museum. In particular, I wanted to see an exhibit of Hermann Hesse paintings. He has always been one of my favorite authors and I was curious to see his paintings. I was a little disappointed that the entire exhibit was only in German, but that is to be expected, I guess. His paintings were nice but his talent obviously lies in his novels! I also saw some stuff by Klimt and Schiele (sp?) that I liked.
I have found that I have become almost more interested in taking photographs of statues rather than buildings. Vienna has amazing statues. I like to take close ups of their faces which seem to always have an expression that is a mixture of orgasmic and mournful. One day I was taking many photos of this one statue and this young Austrian guy came up to me. He started rapid-firing at me in German and I asked "Sprechen Sie English?" and he smiled and he said something like "You are a photo" and I didnt understand what he meant but then he explained. He said "to me, YOU are like a photo" which is the sweetest compliment (and possibly best pick-up line ever) anybody has ever given me. I blushed and thanked him and then he rushed off...very charming and strange!!
I stayed in the worst hostel yet, The Blue Corridor. The staff was rude and I had to walk down two different streets to even get to my room (which was in a different building) and the room had no window. Down the street, though, I found the best bar, in all of perhaps, Europe (so far)...I walked down the street and saw the sign "Voodoo" and I was curious, so I went in and it such a great little hole-in-the-wall rock-n-roll bar. The owner/bartender, Hans, is funny and he has a huge collection of cds, tapes and albums and he always played whatever I requested of him. Mostly classic rock stuff. I found that the people were very nice in there and I went back several times. One night Hans was wearing leather pants and I thought, well, there is an older man that can actually get away with it! He is like the Austrian Keith Richards (but he is much less haggard than Keith!)
Venice:
The train ride from Vienna to Venice was very pretty. When you cross the border into Italy the mountains and valleys become absolutely stunning. There are tons of little red poppies all over in the fields. It reminded me of the Wizard of Oz for some reason.
I am staying in an area right outside Venice called Marghera. My hotel is nice. I have a big room and it has two windows looking out into these residential neighborhoods and a nice breeze is always blowing around. When I stepped off the train in Venice I noticed right away how warm and muggy it was and how everything smells constantly like fragrant flowers..honeysuckle??
There is a great restaurant down the street called Pizzeria Capri. Wine is cheaper than mineral water, the pizzas are as big as ufos and the waiters are so friendly. In fact, it is so nice to be here in Italy where everybody is smiling and friendly. I think I've gotten used to the friendly but bold eye contact that the men constantly try to make with me. I just kind of smile and look down and walk on by. Such flirts.
Pidgeons strut around on the ground between the restaurant tables and there are so many of them it is like they are pets or something...like pet cats (dont ask me to explain that!)
I love endlessly wandering the huge maze of narrow streets. I just meander. I am not a typical tourist. I dont care about taking a gondola ride or seeing the main sites of interest, I just like to walk around until my feet are blistered, and then sit at an outdoor cafe, drinking gingerino, which is something new I discovered in Italy. In Vienna I drank tonic or beer. In Venice I drink red wine or gingerino. Gingerino is sort of like soda, but not exactly. It is an amber tangerine color and tastes like oranges but has a strong bitter after taste. I am addicted to it. I wish I had some right now.
Tommorrow I go to Florence, and then who knows from there. I am having a great time. I am so glad I am in Italy. I understand why so much of the world seems to fall in love with this country!
Oh, while in Austria I did make a side trip to Salzburg ("Sound of Music" fame) and that is a beautiful little town. I took a tour of the mountains and lakes district. It was a rainy day and at points it really felt like I was in the Pacific NW again. Other than that Salzburg was mainly forgettable. As someone in "Voodoo" referred to it as "Hey, how was Salz-boring?" A lot of people go there because they love "The Sound of Music" but I am not one of those. Still, the scenery was amazing.
