D-Day (Dan Day)

Day of yuck.


All day Friday I was in a really bad mood. I could not snap out of it.

I think it was a combination of the horrible weather (grey skies, cold rain and wind that turned your umbrella inside out), feeling tired from the night before, and the fact that I had one more day with Dan until he went back home to New York. Not only am I sad about losing Dan, but his leaving--along with the fact that I will be in Germany within a week--signifies something much greater: my trip is on its last leg. I have only five weeks to go.

Despite the weather, Dan kept us busy. Our itinerary seemed to change by the hour, and in my bad mood, the lack of focus got on my nerves. Still we managed to get things done. Dan was great to not let my foul mood ruin his.

For breakfast/lunch, we went to a wurstel stand (supposedly the best in town) where we enjoyed some sausage filled with cheese, alongside some bread and a mustard dip. Any vacation with Dan would not be complete without checking out some record stores. And so in cold, wind, rain, we trekked all over town to visit three of them. All of them were pretty much overpriced (like everything in Vienna so far). Of course, we had to make an obligatory trip to the famous confectionery store called Manner, where we picked up some Mozart chocolate balls and Manner Schnitten wafers filled with hazelnut creme. There is a reason why they are famous. They are good!

For dinner, we dropped into a random pub where I ordered some wiener schnitzel, which I thought was going to be something complicated, but turned out to be just a breaded pork chop. (Dan had actually ordered it the night before and we didn't even realize that he was eating the most famous dinner dish in Austria). The only thing that is unique about it is that the pork is pounded so thin that it takes up the entire plate. It wasn't until we got some cake at bakery-chain Aida that I started to feel better, which made me wonder that maybe the only thing that came between me and a good mood was some sugar.

We met up with Kristina and company again to check out her friend's art exhibit that was debuting in a café. The people there could easily fit in with the Williamsburg crowd, with their artsy vibe, cool clothes, mod haircuts and hand-rolled cigarettes. Again, Dan and I were thrilled at the opportunity to peek into the lives of people residing in Vienna. At the same time, it inspired us to pick up our fashion sense and at least for me--a paint brush.

Saying good-bye to Dan this morning was no fun. I was sad to lose my travel partner in crime and he was sad to stop traveling and go back to work. I was happy to see that he wanted to stay (and not only because of me). Maybe he will get the travel bug after all.

With another cold and rainy day ahead of me (is the weather like this here every day?? will it be like this for the rest of my trip??), I spent most of my morning in Café Central, a grand coffeehouse and cake shop with a beautiful interior and waiters who don't give a damn. I had to ask for my check twice, waiting 20 minutes for it even though people were huddled through the door. My table had a sign that said "Thank you for not smoking" but the table literally right next to me did not have such a sign. Judging from all the second-hand smoke, my conclusion is that the non-smoking section is not really a non-smoking section.

One of my three pairs of pants ripped to unwearable conditions, and so I attempted to do some shopping to find a new pair with no luck. I found myself gravitating toward all the pretty sweaters and trouser pants that were completely unpractical for this trip, and seeing a skirt and boots made me sigh with nostalgia for clothes that were pretty for pretty's sake.

I decided I had to do something worthwhile today and so I headed to the Albertina museum. The main exhibit was this collection owned by this couple who donated it to the museum and while it was impressive, it basically covered art history for the last 200 years and with so many people milling around, it was hard to enjoy it. The smaller exhibits, Art after 1970 and drawings by American artist Philip Guston, left me cold.

Afterwards, I walked to the café that Dan and I have been visiting everyday to have a drink and check our email, and walking down those now-familiar streets in the dreary rain, I missed holding his hand and hearing his voice.

Breakfast.

Dan at his happiest.

Cakes on the go at Aida.



Lilian with Eva, the artist in red glasses, at her art exhibit.