Letter 19
Monday 08.08.11
Markus is going to work, it's monday. I had my clothes washed last night,
and it's hanging on a clothes-drier and is almost dry.
I need to have the tent dried too, so I go down the yard to find out how
to put it up. But there's a lot of wires and I remove the inner tent and
have it all up hanging. It takes up much space.
A "bezirg" is something like a county, with a leadership of some kind. I
asked Markus how many "bezirge" there were? He didn't know. Many. Too
many, it was too expensive. Here in Vienna alone around 25. The numbers
of the cars are also attached to the bezirg, in the way that the "capital"
has letters in the beginning of the number - like in Germany. Their
Citroën has f.ex. a number starting with MA for Marienbach. And
additionally there's a coat of arms telling to which "Bundesland" it
belongs, in this case Burgenland.
But there's a lot of administration tied to these länder and bezirge.
I've planned to go downtown on bike to have an overview and take a look
at Sct. Stephans Dom, which I didn't see last time I was here. I look
into thye street, it's probably dry? First thing I see is an umbrella.
Damn, it's raining. This pouring, austrian rain. The tent is long more
wet than it was from the start. It has to stay where it is. The only
thing I do is preventing "lakes" to develop.
It's the usual. You never know when the rain starts - or when it stops.
In the end I pull myself together and leave. The rain is pouring, it's
not the moment to stop to look at the map. But as far as I remember I'll
have to reach the Ring Road, if I follow Ganzlergasse and it's
extension.- now in the right direction - and bike may go in the bus
lanes.
When I'm almost drenched (should have taken the rain trousers), I stop
and I'm at the Museum Area. Find shelter in a gate and look in the book
about Vienna, which I borrow from Markus and Berni. A green "Spazergangs
Linie" starts right there - I follow that.
Now I'm sheltered again - in a colonnade. It's peeing down, so to say.
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| Day of the umbrellas | View towards "Riesenrad" |
After having moved from one shelter to the next some time the rain
decreases, so I go on the bike towards the Dom, Sct. Stephans. I start
out in the wrong direction, so I have to walk all the way around before
I find the entrance. I like the grey mellowness inside. There's both
something modest and something divine about it.
You can enter the towers and something else for money. According to the
prizes the North Tower must be the highest, so I'll try that, fear of
heights or not.
I am as the last packed into the elevator and up we go to the sound of
Eddie Cochran and his Summertime Blues. An unknown side of Vienna.
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| The eagels on the roof | View to the north |
The walking bridges seem to hang into the air, but it doesn't bother me.
There's a fine view of Vienna and the rain has stopped!
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| "Fiaker's" are ready | More umbrellas |
When I'm down again and pass the door into the church, a man sneaks in,
there's no handle on the church side of the door. How deep can one sink?
And I think he'll get disappointed, because there are different doors to
enter and leave by downstairs.
I'm looking for a konditorei, but "Aida", right on the corner, is too
sophisticated for me. The cakes are too small.
I stroll around, but doesn't find any. Stop considering. Then I discover
a dog right behind my head, and when I turn around, it's carried by a
girl. She must be local? Yes, if "Aida" doesn't suit me, there's another
one down Kärtner Strasse at a blue sign, but there's also "Oberlaa",
which she herself prefers. Down the street I have to look to the right
for "ein Brunnen - also mit Wasser", as she says. When I see it I
understand that Brunnen isn't a well but means fountain. And quite right
- "Oberlaa, mit doppel a" - is right there to the right.
(When I discuss the word later with my hosts, they don't understand -
Brunnen means well, normally)
I have a piece of Raspberry pie and a large mocca and try to imagine the
cup for a small one - how to get grip of the handle? I don't feel like
their cappucinos with whipped cream which seems to be standard. The
coffee is good. I'm upstairs, it's a cosy place, where all kinds of
people come. Next to me are two young people, who's mainly there to
talk. A single mocciato they've had. But most are elderly and doesn't
look like tourists, it's not in front of the Dom after all.
I continue my Vienna tour.
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| Beware of the train - when you WALK | Much consideration is done |
Cross the Donau Canal, where Anne-Marie and I cycled two years ago, and
get to Brigittenau (20. bezirg). Then I reach Donau and on Floridsdorfer
Brücke I cross Donauinsel to the left bank. Head for the TV-tower or
Donau Tower, as it's also called. It's in Donau Park, a real peaceful
area. In a nice day it's probably packed with people, now some old men
playing chess with big plastic men are about the only ones. I wait for a
long time for the next move, but has to give it up in the end - they
keep discussing. Next to the park UNO-city is growing. In front new (expensive?)
appartments has been built with view over the river and more are on
their way. It's called Donau City.
From there there's a bridge - with U-bahn - back to the right bank.
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| Another umbrella | The ferris wheel, "Riesenrad" |
Pass by another landmark - the Ferris Wheel - and have to walk around
for a bit. It's the amusement park of Vienna with "Welts höchste Ketten
Karrusel", which I will NOT try, and all over kinds: rollercoasters,
ghost cars, horserace, shooting tents....
Try to find my way back. Unfortunately the Donau Canal makes a turn to
the south and confuses me. The bridge I cross goes north-south and not
east-west like the others. So I go south instead of west.
Have to give up and bring on my glasses and the map. In this way I get
to know the rest of Gürtel (the second Ring) and home I get.
Just walking into the yard it starts raining and I get busy taking it
down in a mess, it's almost dry.
Markus is there already and Berni is making pizza - with coarse flour -
she'd forgotten to buy the usual one. I watch some of their China photos
later.