Wow, cool start to the day. First off took a trip up to the Kahlenberg with Christof. It is the highest point of Vienna with the most incredible views over the entire city (even when overcast) and is about a 4 hour hike from the city, or about 8 minutes in a convertible Porsche up the windy Höhenstrasse.
Bloody brilliant and a lot faster than my bike. Christof explained the historical context and importance of the mountain, the site of the Battle of Vienna 1689 which proved to be a turning point in the dominance of the Ottoman Empire, something which I had heard a bit about before but as I continue to travel through Eastern Europe, the story of the Ottoman Turks became a central theme.
After that, we stopped off at a nearby patisserie to pick up some more breakfast items and I was struck by how there were so many wasps all hovering around the cakes and pastries. It was like this all over Germany as well, all a bit yuk but then again, what are you gonna do.
Breakfast was not just any old breakfast, but a Champagne breakfast with some good friends of theirs. Blimey, these Austrians really know how to live and much like my hosts, their friends were just the most lovely, wonderful people. Super fun, and an utterly fantastic way to experience Viennese life. I truly loved this experience and impressed beyond belief at how cool it all was. Just a couple of nights ago, I was in the corner of a muddy field having a tuna sandwich and now here I was.
After breakfast I decided to take a trip into the centre. I had possibly misread it that Louise and Christof had plans for that afternoon, or perhaps I didn't feel that I could impose on their super kind hospitality by acting at tour guides as well as putting me up, so I took off for an afternoon of sightseeing using a network of trams which I always think are fantastic ways of getting around.
As usual I was about the only person who actually paid to use them and before I knew it, I was in front of Hofburg Palace, a big old wedding cake of a building.
A short stroll and I recognised tiled roof and imposing bell tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral which I remembered from an interrail trip 35 years ago with my mate Alex, another time when strangers took me in and did all my dirty washing and took us out around the Bermuda Triangle, the hub of Viennese nightlife.
Weather still not great and I took refuge in a tourist trap of a Viennese coffee house, had a frothy coffee, huge slab of ornamental and ultimately tasteless torte of some sort, rang home and waited it out. Then over to the Belvedere but decided against going in and back home to the house. It was really lovely to wander around and it all looked so much cleaner than when I was last there, I guess there is just less car pollution nowadays.
But Vienna has still ultimately not changed in my mind, it is still a huge great big bouncy flouncy wedding cake of a city where whirls, swirls and curls of the various eye watering buildings all try to outdo each other in an eye popping display of Baroque brilliance. It just feels so very formal, fairy tale like and posh.
I got home before my hosts and just lay down for a bit. That evening they made me a huge carb filled, protein filling dinner of pasta, sweetcorn and everything else that is exactly what it required for an intercontinental cyclist. Whilst it was amazing for me, not sure how they felt about it. Not for the first time this trip have I felt a bit overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers and being British, feeling a tad uncomfortable as I had nothing to give them by way of thanks.
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