A little mooch

Thankfully, Sophie felt better today, although she still had a cough. Our plan today was to go on a mooch to three pubs in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, recommended by my work colleague, Sheila. They are all CAMRA pubs, so I hoped the beer would be good for Keith.

We had a lazyish morning and set out at 11:30am, calling to see Mum and Dad first to take some foot cream she needed. I found her trying on the outfit I bought her for Mother's Day, but the trousers were too large, so I'll have to return them and buy a smaller pair. We stayed for a little while and then joined Keith, who had been waiting in the car for us.

We set out for Stamford, which wasn't far from our first pub in Market Deeping. The journey was going well until we reached the outskirts of Stamford, where the traffic ground to a halt. We crawled slowly into the town, but there was no reason for the hold-up at all! We continued to crawl through the town, but once through, we changed the order we were going to visit the pubs and went to The Five Horseshoes in Barholm, Lincolnshire first.

We were lucky it was a gorgeous day again with clear blue skies and sunshine. In the sun it felt warm! We parked behind the pub and went inside to order our drinks. Sophie and I had a half pint of Coffin Stout, while I ordered a pint of Excelsius for Keith, who had popped to the loo. The beer was 5.2%, so perfect for him as he loves a stronger beer.

With a couple of bags of Frazzles, we sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed our drinks. Keith loved his beer, so that was a relief. We have been so disappointed in the past with pubs, it was lovely to find a good one for a change! There was a lovely atmosphere in the pub, which seemed to be frequented by locals.

We stayed just for one drink, and then headed to the village of Maxey in Cambridgeshire to visit The Blue Bell. Again, this looked like a hangout for the local villagers, and there was another good atmosphere in the pub, with a friendly landlady. Keith was delighted to see Fullers ESB behind the bar, Sophie had a half pint of Neck Oil, and I settled for half of Guinness. We sat outside in the sunshine and it was very warm!

Our third pub was in the large village of Market Deeping, again in Cambridgeshire, and called The Vine. Inside, people were chatting animatedly, and Sophie was asked for ID... she was 29 yesterday! She was delighted!

Keith chose a pint of Exmoor Beast, while Sophie and I enjoyed a half-pint of a Cappuccino Stout, which was delicious. We sat outside in the pleasant garden and soaked up some more sunshine. For me, it felt like an Easter weekend!

Keith wasn't keen on returning home via Stamford, so he directed me to Peterborough and then along the A605 until we reached the A14. Back home, Sophie and I sat in the garden with a sandwich and a glass of Leffe (the bottle we'd bought last year in Vaison-la-Romaine!) and Mooney emerged from the bushes to come and see us. It was bliss!

We had a lazy evening and the leftover Chinese for dinner. We sat and watched the BBC2 music programmes after we'd eaten. A lovely end to a great day!

A little fragile...

Sophie's actual birthday dawned, and she was thrilled with her card from us. I popped some pastries in the oven and we sat in the kitchen to eat them with a coffee. The plan for today was to go with Keith to see Sileby play this afternoon, but mid-way through the morning, Sophie said she didn't feel too good and would rather stay at home. She developed a cold on Thursday night, and it was so lucky she was able to taste and smell yesterday!

I made her a concoction with grated ginger, soda water, lemon juice and whisky, and she sipped that before eating some toast. I think she was a little hungover from yesterday, and I suggested a long bath to clear her sinuses and a nap.

Keith went to see the football match and I dealt with loads of laundry, managing to get it all dry on the line. It's been another glorious day, but the wind is still about, perfect for drying our washing in the sunshine.

While Sophie was in the bath, I read my latest book and the house was blissfully quiet. After her bath and a nap, Sophie said she felt a lot better and more than able to indulge in a Chinese takeaway tonight. I thought Keith and I would be eating beans on toast instead!

We sat at the kitchen island and chatted. Sophie and I have changed our minds about going to Oslo in March 2026, as we did a little research and discovered that it's not cheap to eat and drink in the restaurants. We looked at a menu and saw that normal pasta dishes were about £30 and bottles of wine about £40-£50! No thanks! Instead, we might plan a holiday in May 2026 to celebrate two big birthdays next year, and visit Belgium, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein (where I've always wanted to go) and Austria again. Sophie had noticed that of the five times she's flown over the last two years, she has been ill after four flights... driving is definitely the way to go!

Our meal arrived at about 7:30pm and we ordered enough to have leftovers tomorrow night. Once we'd eaten and cleared away, Keith and I watched the last episode of Death in Paradise and then turned over to watch BBC2 and some great music to take us up to bedtime!

Champagne and oysters!

After an argument with an idiotic driver in Cut Throat Alley in Holcot, and then thinking I'd left my phone at home, Sophie and I caught the 9:30am train from Wellingborough this morning for our birthday trip to London. We had toyed with the idea of booking a chauffeur-driven car back from St Pancras, but it was proving to be ridiculously expensive! Instead, we paid a few pounds more and went from Wellingborough rather than Northampton, meaning we only had a short walk from The Booking Office to the platform.

We were half an hour early for the train, so we had a coffee and a sausage bap in the lovely waiting room at Wellingborough. Our train was quiet and we had a choice of seats... what a difference to the crowded trains from Northampton!

We arrived at St Pancras and walked outside to hail a black cab to take us to Marylebone High Street. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Later in the day, the temperatures were set to rise to about 20 °C!

Our first stop was Daunts Books, where we had a good browse. I bought three books for Sophie as a birthday present, and I looked at a travel book about Oslo, where we're thinking of going next year. From Daunts, we popped into an Oxfam charity shop and Sophie bought a load of tie-dye T-shirts, a pretty blouse and a pair of trousers for £40! I bought three books for £11!

We then bagged a seat near the window in 31 Below and enjoyed a glass of Prosecco each and a plate of padron peppers. They were hot and delicious! It was bliss sitting and chatting and watching people walk by. 

We think there may have been a celebrity sitting at a table at the front of the café as a woman stopped and asked for a selfie. However, we had no clue as to who it was!

31 Below

Spring has sprung!

Easter is on its way!

Our happy place!

After we'd finished our drinks, we popped into Bayley and Sage and Sophie bought a couple of cheeses and a jar of mayonnaise. No sausage this time! We had one last stop in an upmarket charity shop before heading the short distance to Le Relais de Venise: L'Entrecote.

As it was just after 12pm, we expected a queue of people waiting to go in, but there wasn't one, and there were plenty of tables free. A waitress asked if we'd been before - definitely, yes! - and we were asked how we wanted our steaks cooked. Sophie asked for rare while I chose medium. 

We were both surprised at how quiet the restaurant was, but maybe people take a half-day on a Friday, so there weren't so many workers about? Or perhaps all the city-types who work at the Stock Exchange were in mourning over Trump's tariffs?! Who knows?

We enjoyed our walnut salad with crusty bread and ordered a bottle of the house red, a Bordeaux wine made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Next up was the steak, accompanied by a mound of crispy French Fries in a delicious sauce. Yum!

Empty tables for a change - notice it's mostly men!

The meal was delicious and the steak as tender as butter. We cleaned our plates and had a little rest before we ordered dessert! I opted for creme brulée while Sophie chose profiteroles. We polished off the wine and sat back, replete! No dinner for us tonight!

Although some more diners did appear, the restaurant was much quieter than we were used to. We had no close neighbours today! Sophie paid the bill (she insisted it was her treat) and we ambled slowly to Inn 1888 for another glass of wine and a natter.

London mews and gorgeous April sky

As we strolled back to Inn 1888, Marylebone High Street had come alive with people sitting outside cafés, pubs and restaurants, enjoying the warm sunshine. There was a real air of festivity and a great atmosphere. We couldn't sit outside the pub, so we sat inside next to an open door. We ordered a glass of red wine each and chatted for an hour, doing some people-watching at the same time!

At about 3pm, we went outside and managed to get a black cab back to St Pancras. He dropped us outside the entrance to the station, and Sophie made straight for the Mac store. Queues of people were lining up for the Eurostar, and everywhere we could see passengers dragging suitcases behind them, bound, no doubt, for Paris or Brussels.

I sat outside while Sophie bought herself make-up as a birthday treat. We then made our way to The Booking Office, where we had a reservation at 4pm for drinks and nibbles. The woman who greeted us was lovely and asked whose birthday it was! She made a fuss of Sophie and showed us to a table next to the long wooden central bar. We were delighted to see Rosario was on duty, and he came over and said he would be our waiter. 

Sophie ordered a Negroni Sbagliato - Campari, sweet Vermouth and Prosecco. I was feeling a little tipsy, so I ordered a mocktail called a Berry Garden, which was Seedlip Garden, strawberries and Fevertree Mediterranean tonic. It was delicious!

We sat back and enjoyed the beautiful ambiance of the surroundings. The only fly in the ointment was the two men sitting at the bar near us who sounded like complete prats... oh well!

Sophie was presented with a plate with "Happy Birthday" written on it in chocolate and three gorgeous macarons! What a lovely touch! 

The bar manager (we think that's who he was, he looked very important) came over and chatted to us, and was lovely. He was from Albania and asked Sophie whether it was traditional to treat friends and family on your birthday, as she'd told him this treat was on her. We had a long conversation and he was great! 

At 5:05pm, the story began of the hotel, the bar and the cocktail. The men next to us gathered around the waiter who was telling the story, but at the end, the manager brought us a cocktail over, which was lovely. Sophie felt so spoilt!

We ordered another round of drinks, this time I had the Negroni Sbagliato while Sophie treated herself to a glass of Champagne. Our train wasn't leaving until about 6:20pm, so we had plenty of time to sit and chat and people-watch. For our final treat of the day, Sophie ordered a French Martini, I had another Negroni, and my daughter ordered two oysters for herself! She had never eaten them before and was keen to try them! We also ordered a little bowl of peppery cashew nuts.

I took a video of her eating the oysters, which was hilarious, but she loved them! She has expensive taste! They were served with a delicious sauce, and a waiter brought over a small bottle of Tabasco sauce as well.

The last final birthday flourish was a card from the staff wishing Sophie a happy birthday! She paid the bill, again insisting it was her treat, and we waddled off to Platform 1 where our train was waiting. We found seats easily and the journey back to Wellingborough passed quickly. Keith was waiting for us in the small pick-up area of the car park, and he drove us home with a gorgeous sunset keeping us company. The sun was like a huge orange orb in the sky. It was lovely to get home in the daylight!

I'm afraid neither of us was much good for anything in the evening! It was a case of collapsing on the sofa and chilling out!

Confusion reigns!

Sara texted me before I left this morning to warn me that things had changed at work and I might not be able to access our files and folders. She told me not to worry about the moan report, but to concentrate on the customer service emails instead. 

Our new IT man came in at 9am to help us access everything we needed on the computer, but I had to go incognito when I accessed our emails. It was all a bit confusing, and it will be like this for the next few days until things are sorted out. We also had some of our senior management team in to get them sorted, so the office was a bit lively! Shirley kept asking me questions, which I patiently tried to deal with, but I felt, when I left, I had hardly done anything. What makes it worse is that I'm off tomorrow and Monday!

I left at 2pm and headed home briefly, before going to see my parents. My Mum was very confused when I said it was Sophie's birthday on Saturday and asked her to sign a card. She thought, for some reason, it was November! With the sun shining outside and warm temperatures today, I didn't think so!

I stayed and chatted for an hour before returning home. It was a lovely thought that tomorrow both Sophie and I are off, so no porridges or lunches had to be sorted out! And we'd been shopping as well! Yeeha!

We started the birthday celebrations this evening with Prosecco and nibbles, and then a buffet-style meal. We treated this evening like Friday wine night and watched another episode of Grand Designs, this time with the project a floating boat!

Our buffet supper

A charitable donation

After a mini lie-in, I enjoyed a coffee and sorted out the charity shop donations for my appointment at the Cynthia Spencer shop on Moulton Park. It was another gorgeous, but breezy day, with plenty of lovely sunshine. 

While Keith and I were sorting out the pictures in the garage, Lynn came past bearing information from the Parish Council, and we chatted about the cats. They stray into her garden and tease her own moggy, Cora! Lynn was OK about it, though, but as cat owners, there's not much we can do to stop them from going wherever they want!

We dropped the box of ornaments and pictures off at the charity shop, wheeling it all in with a trolley, which was very helpful. I just hope they make lots of money for the charity. From there, we drove to Tesco and did the shopping for the rest of the week. At least it means we don't have to compile the list tonight!

It was then home for lunch and an afternoon spent pootling about. Sophie was late home again, many due to major roadworks taking place on a busy roundabout near where she works. This is going to be happening for the next nine months! I just hope her journey every night won't be affected!

Keith and I played cards before dinner, and after we'd eaten, Sophie and I watched the new series of Grand Designs. A couple had bought a decrepit barn for £400,000 and were spending another £500,000 making it into their home. As with so many of these projects, we thought they were mad! 

A better day!

Sophie went to the gym this morning, so normal service was resumed. I was hoping for a better day at work, and it was! I was still hectically busy, though, and I dealt with as many emails as I could as well as doing my monthly reports. 

Outside, the weather was gorgeous again, and it's set to stay like this for the next few days. I hope it will last until Friday when Sophie and I are in London to celebrate her birthday.

Before dinner this evening, Keith and I played cards while Sophie prepared a chicken pasta bake that was delicious. After we'd eaten, Keith watched football and Sophie and I headed upstairs with Mooney to watch the penultimate episode of The White Lotus. This has been hugely enjoyable and we can't decide what will happen in the last episode next week!

Not the best of days!

For some reason, I didn't mind heading back to work today, but at the end of my shift I wished I'd stayed in bed!

I knew Sheila wasn't in this morning, but I had no idea that Sara wasn't in either. When it got to 8:30am, I texted Sheila to find out where she was! The answer came an hour later that the two of them were at another centre, but it was Kathy who told me at 9:00am!

We have had a bad day today, with numerous problems, mainly to do with Kathy being unable to log onto her computer. We're going through a time of great change at work, so I suppose it's understandable, but it was frustrating, nevertheless. I tried to do as much work as I could because I have another short week, but I had to help Kathy several times. At one point, she wasn't able to receive calls, so in the end, we took all the connections out of her phone, plugged them back in again, and luckily it worked. By 4pm, I was more than ready to go home and relax! 

I was busy trying to catch up with my blog and didn't realise the time, but Sophie texted me to say her SatNav was telling her it was going to take another forty minutes to get home from the new roundabout on the A43... in the end, she had to turn around and drive through Moulton and didn't get home until almost 6:30pm! She was not amused!

We sat and discussed our days and relaxed. Not the best start to a new week!

Back to reality!

We have been so lucky with the weather today! It's been a gorgeous day, sunny and warm. The clocks went forward so we lost a precious hour, but I was up at about 8:00am and sorting out our washing from the holiday.

Keith and I had no choice but to go to Tesco this morning as we needed some shopping. It was definitely back to earth with a bump! It's Mother's Day here in the UK, so Tesco was busy with people buying flowers. I was glad I'd bought everything I needed last week!

We did the shopping as quickly as we could and returned home to have lunch of leftover Chinese. In between writing the blog, I dealt with the laundry, and Sophie gave the house a quick clean. At 3:00pm, we drove over to see my Mum, but when we arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. I asked a carer where they were, but he didn't have a clue. Luckily, I saw one of the senior carers who said they'd gone down to a singer, who hadn't yet arrived.

I was annoyed as I'd called Mum earlier in the day, but I hadn't been able to get through. However, she knew we were visiting today and I'd brought a bottle of Prosecco with me so we could sit and enjoy a glass with her.

Downstairs, she was looking a bit bewildered, and I gave her the gifts I'd bought for her. My Dad immediately said that his watch was broken and they couldn't access Netflix again, so I was a little annoyed. It wasn't the best of visits!

On the way home, Sophie said that she thinks my Mum seems permanently confused now, which is worrying. It's hard to sit and have a conversation with her, and I felt like having a good cry, to be honest.

We spent the rest of the afternoon finishing the laundry (I managed to get it all dry because of the beautiful weather) and relaxing. I'd bought a lovely bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio in Tesco this morning and it accompanied our meal of cold meats and salad perfectly!

A Spring Break in Vienna 26th - 29th March 2025

Homeward Bound

I think the digestifs helped a bit last night as I wasn't uncomfortable. We were up, showered, dressed and packed by about 8:45am and ready for our last delicious breakfast.

This morning we sat next to a German couple and Sophie thought it was fun to list famous Austrians, including Hitler... luckily they were a friendly pair and didn't give us any funny looks! We didn't over-indulge today as we had a long journey ahead of us. 

Plans to go and see Karlskirche were abandoned as it was raining hard outside and I didn't see the point in trawling about in the wet for just an hour and a half. We checked out and sat in the lovely, quiet bar for an hour with our books. Bliss!

Sophie ordered an Uber at 11:00am, and he arrived to pick us up looking a little stressed as he said every road leading to the hotel was closed. He was not the most fragrant of drivers and had an aura of unwashed clothes and stale cigarettes hanging around him. Sophie was not at all happy, even though he had received good reviews. We set off for the airport, seeing signs for Bratislava and Budapest. I would love to drive to Vienna one day! We made good time and it was a relief when we arrived at the airport and said goodbye.

"Don't go to the red ladies!" 

We queued to drop off our two suitcases, and the woman checking them in was a little startling. She barked questions at us and then said, "Don't go to the red ladies!" What on earth did she mean? She also reminded us that we were flying with British Airways... yes, we knew that!

We had a bit of a chore going through security as I had to walk through the alarm doorway three times, and Sophie did twice. I had to remove my boots, check my pockets over and over again, and then I was subjected to a full feel-up.

We emerged into Duty Free and brought a giftpack of two bottles of Schlumberger sparkling wine to take home and enjoy. Our gate was already showing, so we walked there, flopped down in the seats and prepared for an hour's wait.

The remark from the check-in lady soon became apparent when we saw three women dressed in red at the desk. They were from Austrian Air and had just seen off the previous flight. I honestly don't think it would be possible to board the wrong flight in this day and age when everything is checked over and over!

Gradually, the seats at our gate filled up, and I checked the arrival of our flight from Heathrow. It was scheduled to arrive at about 1pm, and we were due to take off at 2pm, so it wasn't looking like we were going to be delayed.

Sophie bought us sandwiches and a small tube of Pringles for lunch, and we saw our plane taxi in, slightly later than scheduled. I hate this part of flying; the queuing to get on, the scrum in the aisles and trying to find room for belongings, and finding out who your neighbours are going to be for the flight! 

It wasn't too bad, though, and Sophie had booked us both aisle seats. I had a quiet American couple next to me, and soon we were taking off and heading back to the UK.

The flight was over quickly, and our pilot managed to get us back to Heathrow twenty minutes earlier than scheduled. We passed easily through passport control, but had to wait a while for our suitcases. As we emerged from the airport to get the bus back to the car park, we saw one waiting. Sophie took the bags off the trolley, but as we approached, it left!

We then had a mammoth wait for the next one! More people had turned up, including passengers who had flown in from India. When we eventually boarded the bus, they all stood at the front next to the luggage racks and swapped stories. There was a great atmosphere until one stop when a man pushed his way to the door and complained loudly about everyone blocking the aisle! A loud argument ensued!

The journey back to the car park went on and on. It had taken us longer to get out of the airport and back to the car than it had to fly back from Vienna! We were eventually reunited with Olive and set off for home, meeting heavy traffic as we joined the M25. However, it became easier, and we made it home for 7pm.

Keith was pleased to see us, and we sat and chatted before Sophie ordered us a Chinese takeaway for dinner. Michael had stayed with Keith while we were away, which made me feel a little easier about leaving him so soon after his hernia operation.

We had dinner and watched the celebrations taking place in Newcastle after their win the other week. It was great to visit Vienna and have a little break, but it was lovely to be home!

A Spring Break in Vienna 26th-29th of March 2025

A View to A Kiss

After another good night's sleep, we enjoyed a coffee each with two milks! We always try to leave a little tip for the room maids, and this had paid off with extra coffee and milk, another Ferrero Rocher chocolate and more toiletries! We showered, dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast, but we weren't able to get a table near the nibbling woman of yesterday, so I was deprived of people-watching!

We had another hearty breakfast, with two cups of coffee, and discussed our day. We were going to the two Belvedere palaces today, and hoping to get a good view of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. In the afternoon, we wanted to visit the Hundertwasserhaus, a community housing project designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

I suggested taking the tram to the entrance of the Upper Belvedere, and it was a short walk to the tram stop. When it came along, we spotted a ticket machine on board, so we went to get on by another door, but it slammed shut and wouldn't open! It then departed! We had no choice but to wait for the next one, and we made sure we got on quickly! It was only two stops (we're bad, bad girls... we didn't pay!) and we alighted outside a welcoming Greek café. 

The café was serving breakfast, but we only wanted a hot drink each. Sophie chose a hot chocolate while I went with a coffee. Both were delicious.

Although today had started sunny and dry, the weather outside had turned cloudy while we were enjoying our drinks. We emerged to find it grey and chilly, and we had left our coats at the hotel!

We had booked tickets for the Belvederes online with a timed entry at 11am. Nobody made sure we were going in at the correct time, and we popped into the shop first, where I bought a bar of soap to add to my collection and Sophie bought postcards.

There were crowds of students waiting to go in, and this seemed to set the tone for the morning again. We decided to go and see The Kiss first, and Sophie was worried it would be difficult to get a good view. The inside of the palace was gorgeous, and paintings adorned the walls. We saw a Monet - a view of his garden at Giverny, and an Edvard Munch painting of a naked man.

There were a lot of people about and it was warm inside the building. We managed to get a great view of The Kiss, but Sophie was annoyed by people posing in front of it.

Klimt loved the use of gold leaf in his paintings, and The Kiss was finished in 1908. 

The two people are thought to be Klimt himself and his great love, Emilie Flöge. It's a stunning painting, and we were entranced by it. 

We saw another couple of paintings by Klimt:

Including this much more conventional painting:

It was lovely to wander around and gaze at the artwork, but the crowds were a bit onerous, so we left Upper Belvedere and walked down to the Lower Belvedere. The gardens were set out very formally and are open to all. I should imagine it's beautiful in the summer.

The exhibition was Gustav Klimt - Pigment and Pixel and examined what lay beneath his works and how he applied pigments and gold leaf to his paintings. We also saw the Ceiling Paintings, commissioned for the Great Hall of the University of Vienna and destroyed by fire in 1945. Artificial Intelligence was used to recreate the paintings from black and white photographs, which can be seen in all their glory.

We rested in the café and ordered an Aperol Spritz each while sitting and chatting. It was great to relax for half an hour!

Not so colourful!

After our little break, we went to find a tram stop to get to the Hundertwasserhaus. Sophie used Google Maps and we managed to get on a tram near the Lower Belvedere. This time we bought two 24-hour tickets for about 16 euros. This tram took us a short distance and we had to change. After a little confusion, we found the right one and then had a short walk to the apartment block designed to be a little different from normal, conventional buildings. The apartment block was opened in 1986 and about two hundred people live in the fifty apartments, each one individually designed. 

There were people taking photographs, but I had to admit I was a bit disappointed with the appearance of the apartment building. Perhaps March is not a good time to visit?

They just looked grubby to me! We went into a small arcade of shops and had a look around. We fancied something to eat by now as it was almost 2pm.

I treated myself to a book about Klimt in a hugely colourful shop selling lots of ornaments, posters and gifts.

Back outside, we spotted a terrace café so we went up to a perfect little eatery, which was warm and cosy. Sophie ordered a beef soup while I chose Viennese sausages served with mustard and bread. We ordered two large glasses of wine to accompany our lunch.

The food was delicious and perfect for what we wanted. My dish came with a small pile of what looked like grated cheese but was, in fact, horseradish. Sophie really didn't appreciate me giving her some to taste!

Again, the staff were friendly and everyone we've met on this break has been hospitable and welcoming. Sophie wanted to try Topfenstrudel, a cheesecake-like dessert wrapped in pastry with sultanas and served with custard, so we shared a portion. It didn't disappoint!

We lingered over our lunch as the café was so warm. Outside, it had started to rain, and Sophie researched how to get back to the hotel by using the tram. She figured out we could take one from outside the apartment block right to our hotel! Perfect!

We emerged into the misty, grey afternoon and walked to the tram stop. I spotted an antique shop across the road, so we decided to have a look. To Sophie's delight, she found the shop was selling rings and other jewellery as well as old ornaments, postcards, glasses and bric-a-brac. It was lovely to browse and Sophie found a ring! She was delighted!

Back outside, we took the next tram and enjoyed a journey seeing a lot of Vienna landmarks - we saw the Rathaus (Town Hall), the Parliament Building, the famous Burgtheater and went past the Opera House again. The tram was a great way to see the city without walking!

We alighted opposite our hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, packing and freshening up. We had asked one of the receptionists to book a table at a nearby restaurant, but it was fully booked, so we decided to reserve a table at a brewery restaurant called Wieder Bräu, which had been recommended to us. 

Thirty Norwegians!

Before dinner, we went to the bar for a drink but had to sit at a table next to the breakfast room. A woman who had been talking non-stop this morning at breakfast was holding court again, and her voice could be heard from where we were sitting. Suddenly, it stopped and we realised they'd gone, so we were able to sit on the sofas opposite the bar. The barman from last night took our drinks order - glasses of Austrian red wine this evening - and asked what our plans were. We said we were going for dinner but would return for a nightcap afterwards. He warned us that the bar would be busy as thirty Norwegians were staying and coming back to the bar later in the evening...

We enjoyed our glasses of red and set out to walk the short distance to the restaurant. It was almost 8pm and still busy on the streets with trams gliding past, clonking their bells. We arrived to find the restaurant pleasantly buzzing and took our seats at a table at the far end.

There was no English translation of the menu, so we had to use a QR code. We chose a bottle of Austrian red wine, with crispy cauliflower wings to share as a starter, followed by beef goulash for Sophie and "onion" beef for me. We noticed the loud woman from the hotel having dinner with three other people and talking non-stop again! 

I was fascinated by a couple sitting at a table opposite. She was pretty with long, dark hair, and was clearly a little inebriated. She'd had a loud video conversation with somebody on her phone, and although they'd finished their meal, they each had another stein of the restaurant's cloudy beer. I could tell she was drunk as her eyes weren't focusing, and when she got up to go to the loo, her partner managed to surreptitiously drink half her beer, making sure he put it back exactly where it had been. She didn't appear to notice! When they got up to leave, she couldn't put her coat on properly, so he had to help her! Oh dear!

We enjoyed our meals, but the portions were huge! With mine, the staff had cunningly hidden another steak under the top one, and the potatoes would have fed an army. Sophie had a huge pile of small dumplings (gnocchi?) on her plate with copious amounts of beef. Needless to say, both meals defeated us!

My main course!

Cauliflower starter

More people arrived to sit near us and there was a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant. The two waiters asked where we were from and started chatting to Sophie about Newcastle United. Football is a great conversation starter!

We paid the bill (about 80 euros) and walked back to the hotel in the gently falling rain. There were still people about and we saw another couple of restaurants on the way.

The hotel bar was blissfully quiet, no Norwegians in sight. Both of us were a little worried about how we'd sleep after our big meal, so I asked the barman for a Fernet Branca, a digestif, for us. Again, he asked if we'd had one before and said it could be bitter. He suggested another called Averna, so we had one of both. Predictably, Sophie hated the Fernet Branca but managed to sip the Averna. 

We were mostly left alone tonight as the barman was busy talking to another couple. I think he had met his match with them as the man went on and on about his job when he used to televise operas...

After the digestifs, we had a Cointreau, and it was way past 11pm when we finished and headed up to bed. There had been no Norwegians, so hopes of seeing Morten Harket lookalikes were well and truly dashed!

A Spring Break in Vienna 26th-29th March 2025

People watching...

We both had a great night's sleep and woke up refreshed and looking forward to a day of exploring. By 8:30am, we were heading down to the ground floor for breakfast, and I was particularly looking forward to a strong coffee!

We took a table outside the main breakfast room and gave our coffee order to the waiter. There was no coffee machine, my only small gripe about the hotel, as I usually have two or three coffees with breakfast and like to go and get my own rather than attract the attention of the staff. I had made one in the room with a sachet of instant Nescafé, but there were only two milks, which weren't enough!

We helped ourselves to cereal, fruit, bread, cold meats, cheeses and hot foods such as bacon, eggs, sausage patties and baked beans. There was so much choice and you could help yourself to a glass of fizz if you wanted.

When we arrived, a young girl was seated at a table for six, but it was reserved just for her. She was eating when we arrived, and she was still eating when we left. On the table were various jars, and Sophie said she saw a huge pot of coconut oil. I was fascinated with her; she was making a real job of eating breakfast, and I have no idea what she was nibbling on! She was as slim as a reed, so it can't have been fattening!

After breakfast, we looked at the itinerary for the day: a walk to the Naschmarkt, followed by a visit to the Secession Building, a glass of wine (or two!) at a recommended wine shop/bar, and then the Stephansdom Cathedral. A late lunch at Café Savoy would round off the day before our date with the Opera tonight.

Caught off guard...

It was a beautiful day and we set off along quiet streets to the market, which was about a fifteen minute walk. 

I know we shouldn't compare, but Vienna reminded me a lot of Berlin, with tall apartment buildings, small squares, and the trams. We were near a large underground station called Karlplatz (could be Alexanderplatz) and the Karlskirche was very similar to the Berlinerdom.

We arrived at the market and the first few stalls were selling nuts, spices and dried fruits. One of the stall holders held out a scoop of red, sweet almonds. We each took one, and this started a barrage of shouting as the man tried to get us to try everything. In the end, we chose sugar-encrusted cashew nuts as I know Keith likes them. They were advertised at 3,90 euros for 100g, but with consumate skill and cunning, the stall-holder managed to sell us 10 euros-worth! If he had tipped any more on the scales Sophie, who was already annoyed, would  have walked away. This taught us a lesson! From then on we walked resolutely past similar stalls and ignored them!

A stall selling bottles of Balsamic vinegar

There were stalls for everything from fruit and vegetables, to meat, cheese and fish. Some stalls sold tourist tat (we were on the lookout for Vienna playing cards), and we came across a lovely one selling scented soaps. I fancied another coffee so we chose a bar called Stella and sat in the sun. It was bliss to feel the sun on our faces and watch the hustle and bustle of the market.

We ordered a coffee and a hot chocolate and my drink came with a glass of water, something that happens a lot in Vienna. We sat and chatted and did a bit of people-watching, always my favourite activity!

"What does it mean?!"

Sophie didn't feel like exploring the market anymore. She was still annoyed with the stall-holder who sold us the nuts, so we made our way to the Secession building. On the way we spotted the most beautiful wine shop, specialising in Austrian wines, but also selling wines and spirits from around the world. 

I saw wines from Austria that we would never see in the UK. The temptation to buy a bottle or two was strong, but I didn't fancy carting them around with us all day! We had a good look and then left, very reluctantly!

The Secession building was opposite and attracted a lot of attention when it was re-built after the war. It was originally designed by Joseph Olbrich, one of the founders (with Gustav Klimt) of the Secession movement, an art style closely related to Art Nouveau, between 1897-1898. It was destroyed in the Second World War and when it was re-built, it was heavily criticised. It's a solid white cubist building with a sculpture of gold laurel leaves on top. 

A group of teenagers had taken control of the steps leading to the main entrance and they followed us wherever we went inside the art gallery. It cost 12 euros each to get in, and see three artists displaying their work, and to see the Klimt Beethoven Frieze on the ground floor.

We made for this first and entered a long narrow room with the frieze painted onto the wall above. The room was full of people, some of whom were attempting to copy the frieze into their art books. I was to learn a lot about Klimt over the next few days and was so interested in him that I bought a book about his life and paintings. He loved the nude female form and naked women adorned the frieze (I spotted one male). Of course, his most famous painting is The Kiss... more of this later.

Pregnant woman and nudes - not sure what the King Kong figure is doing?

More nudes and a man!

We walked slowly around the room admiring the frieze which was created in 1902 and tells the story of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Ode to Joy.

From the basement we climbed back up the stairs and had a look at each exhibiting artist in turn. First up was "Autofictions in Stone" by Aglaia Konrad. This was an exhibition featuring a room full of different stone, almost like a mini Stonehenge, followed by another room with more chunks of stone positioned on a large sofa, and then a video of a stone quarry. This was quite mesmerising to watch. Groups of teenagers appeared, mostly looking bored, and not taking the slightest bit of interest in the exhibition.

Next up was bizarre. It was like being at Tate Modern in London. We entered a huge, square room painted white. Various weird things were positioned in the room. These consisted of a shuttlecock stuck into the floor, broken wood heaped up together, what looked like a hoover and an office chair intertwined and hanging from the ceiling, strips of blue ribbon suspended, and weirdest of all, a row of cigarette butts in plastic bags labelled differently... hmmm!

Any clue?

Sophie found this unsettling

No idea what this was supposed to be!

Sophie and cigarette butts

The artist was Yuki Okumura. I have no idea of what any of it meant.

The last exhibition by Ana Vaz was called "Meteoro", and was up another flight of stairs. This consisted of a large video screen with a man talking in French. The pictures displayed were upside down.

The whole room was dark and was occupied by teenagers... they had found their place at last! We didn't go in and Sophie said she found the French commentary unsettling again. Apparently, the video featured Paris and Porto, and depicted them as on the verge of collapse or on the path to extinction... OK!

By now I'd had enough and was muttering about a waste of money and time, but I think Sophie really enjoyed the exhibition. We had seen it, not understood it, but sometimes it's good to get out of your comfort zone!

A little tipple

As we emerged from the building, Sophie realised that the Wine Shop - Wein & Co - was where she intended for us to have a glass of wine! We crossed the road and went right to the back of the shop where there was a bar and high tables. We sat at one right by the window overlooking the Secession building and a busy intersection.

We tried a white wine first, one I had never heard of - the Wiener Gemischter Satz Mauer. The prices were reasonable and were served in 125ml measures. We added an order of grissini (Italian chunky breadsticks) to the wines, so we had something to munch on.

The wine was delicious, fresh and fruity, but again, we'd be unlikely to spot this in the UK. For our second wine, we asked the friendly waiter to recommend a Rosé and he chose another Vienna wine for us to try.

Note the dedicated cyle lane right next to the pavement

It was very relaxing sitting drinking wine, but we had more sights to see! We took a slow walk past the Secession building again, past the Opera House, and into an upmarket shopping area. This was very busy with tourists and we looked in a couple of shops to see if we could find playing cards. Sophie wanted a pack with Klimt paintings on them.

This area was a mix of old and new and we stumbled upon a beautiful little church - the Malteser Church of Saint John the Baptist. It was gorgeous nestled amongst shops  selling clothes, jewellery and chocolate. Strangely, this area reminded both Sophie and me of Lucerne in Switzerland!

We spotted an Audi café (I've never seen one before but I would loved to have stopped for a coffee) and more churches along back streets.

Easter bunnies

The mix of old and new

We had seen the spire of Stephansdom Cathedral in the distance and it was situated in the heart of the shopping district. It was heaving with tourists and Sophie lit candles for Monty and Archie. 

The foundations of the cathedral date back to 1147, but later additions date from the 14th and 15th centuries. The intricate stonework was gorgeous.

We had a look at the inside, but didn't venture any further. It would have cost us about 25 euros to go in, and also down to the catacombs, but we didn't have enough time (or inclination, to be honest). Both of us were now getting a little peckish, so we went back outside and Sophie hailed an Uber to take us back the way we had walked, and a little further on.

Stone and steel

Delightful kisses...

Our late lunch destination was the Café Savoy, dating from 1897. It was opposite the further end of the market and we took a seat by the window. The speciality is, of course, the Wiener Schnitzel. We ordered two glasses of Grüner Veltliner wine and the food, and sat back to relax. 

The restaurant was pleasantly busy with a great atmosphere. Our food arrived, brought by a stunningly beautiful waitress with long dark hair and a gorgeous figure. She had an endearingly deep, throaty voice, and was very friendly and attentive. We have found everyone to be warm and welcoming here, which has been great!

The food was great; it was hot and tasty and served with cubes of roast potatoes and tartare sauce.

After the pork schnitzel, we found room for Sachertorte and our lovely waitress added whipped cream for us.

The service and ambience were fantastic and all that we had hoped for. The prices were also reasonable - the schnitzel was about 13 euroes, but elsewhere in the city you can pay double that. We had our friendly hotel receptionist to thank for the recommendation!

We asked for the bill and left our server a generous tip. She was over the moon and hugged and kissed us! What a lovely end to a great meal!

Preening and posing

We left the Café Savoy and took a slow walk back to the hotel, calling into the food market on the way and buying sweets and gifts to take home. Once back at the hotel, we found time for a little nap and a hot shower before getting ready to go out again.

We had to be at the Opera House by 7:30pm. Latecomers were not allowed entry once the performance  began. We had a drink in the hotel first and sat at the bar for a change. The barman from last night wasn't working this evening, so we had a different man take our order. He asked where we were from and when we told him Northampton, and said it was about 60 miles north of London, he said he knew exactly where it was as he had lived and worked in the UK and had "visited every county"!

He made us both an Aperol Spritz but unlike the man from the previous evening who was friendly but kept his distance, he never stopped talking to us, which was slightly annoying! We enjoyed our drinks, nibbled our nuts, and by 6:30pm we were ready to walk the short distance to the Opera House. It was a gorgeous evening and the sun had gone down leaving the sky a beautiful pink colour.

The streets were still busy and we made it to the Opera House in good time, after working out how to get in! The inside of the building was sumptuous and people were arriving for the performance of Iolanta, an opera by Tchaikovsky.

Some people were dressed up and were being heartily annoying by posing and preening on the wide stairs leading up to the concert hall. Sophie and I had never seen anything like it! Instagram has made narcissists of a lot of people these days!

There were no signs telling us where to go and nowhere to store our coats. It was stiflingly hot and we had to climb three flights of stairs before anyone could tell us where to go. On the way up we kept getting into people's photos and Sophie heard a lot of tutting. Tough!

We discovered we were in a box and we could hang our coats in a little ante-room. The box was tiny with three chairs at the front, two behind and two behind that (ours). We hoped fervently that the other five people wouldn't turn up... but they did!

In front of the chairs on the first row was a little tablet and we had one each in the wall to our right. This showed subtitles when the performers sang, which was enormously helpful as the words were Russian!

Iolanta was Tchaikovsky's last opera and is about a blind princess who doesn't know that she is blind, or a princess. She is bethrothed to Robert but he is in love with someone else. Iolanta is cared for by Marta and her husband Bertrand at a hidden place deep within the forest. Robert and his friend Vaudémont stumble upon Iolanta while she is asleep and Vaudémont falls in love with her despite her being blind. With his love, she accepts treatment to cure her, and they live happily ever after.

Gradually, our fellow opera-goers arrived and took their seats. The two German women who sat in front of us were not small and dainty, and both reeked of cigarette smoke... However, one of them was friendly and explained to us in English about the subtitles.

The opera was fantastic and although I had difficulty seeing sometimes (the woman on the far right on the front row never stopped moving), I am a definite fan. At the most important, critical point, the woman in front of us disappeared to smoke a cigarette! Why would you?!

At the very end, when Iolanta gained her sight, the curtain fell to reveal what looked like war-torn Gaza... was that right? It was all very deep!

We joined the throngs of people leaving and we were soon back at the hotel. Before bed we decided to have a nightcap and this time made sure we sat on one of the sofas well away from the bar. When the barman came over, Sophie ordered a Schnapps but he asked whether she had ever had one before. When she said no, he gave her a lecture about how it tasted and that as a woman she wouldn't like it, so she changed her mind, and we both ordered a shot of Drambuie. Sophie was seething about his comments and his inference that she couldn't handle strong alcohol!

He brought us our Drambuies but also gave us a small measure of the Schnapps. Sophie took a sip and wondered what all the fuss was about! 

Cheers! And goodnight!