My Viennese Birthday

My Viennese Birthday          27/11/2011

I had begun my birthday at Downstairs munching on a schinken käse sandwich and a thoughtful phone call from Miriam at 1:00am (midnight Irish time).  We went on to have a wild night of karaoke before Alan, Sam and I made it back to Simmering.

Having managed snare a few hours of well deserved sleep we were to meet Kirsten in Café Prückel for brunch.   Having relished the medicinal properties of tea we set off in the direction of the café.

At the U3 stop we met Kirsten.  Typical of a Sunday morning the café was packed to capacity.  We lingered for a while waiting for an opening that we could perhaps wedge into.  We managed to capture a little round table.  I ordered a Wiener frühstuck.  We were, however, a little concerned.  We would have to find a means of expanding our space so that there would be sufficient room for other guests

We were in luck

A large table across the way was vacated and we quickly went about fortifying our position.  A short while later Jeanine floated across the floor chirpy and fully refreshed.  We responded with a tired ‘hello’.  The Kellner emerged a little confused and wandered around with our breakfast before we wagged him down directing him to our new location.

We chatted about events from the night before and then, Jeanine presented me with  marzipan kartoffeln.

There is nothing quite like it, the sweet, soft sustenance extracted from a marzipan kartoffel. 

We had our breakfast then huddled ourselves together and considered the various options open to us.  The lads were heading back to their respective abodes for a cat nap.  That left Kirsten, Jeanine and myself to wander the Viennese streets.

We said our goodbyes and leaving the lads at the U-bahn station we marched on around the Ring.  I think at this stage the time was 1300.

Either we had loitered a little too long or it was a poor reflection upon the breakfast we had eaten but we were already thinking of our next meal.  Jeanine had a craving for potatoes. 

We held on until we came across TGI Fridays.  Here, we decided we could go on no longer and entered the premises hoping to eat an adequate meal.

We did just that.

Afterwards we continued on our walk, chatting and pondering upon the mysteries of the universe. 

We decided to browse the Weihnachtsmarkt.

I bought some lebkuchen.

I kept an eye out for marzipan kartoffeln but it seems to me that the Viennese just aren’t that pushed on almond potatoes.  It is a shame really.

Jeanine was kind enough to buy me a candy cable.

I savoured the sweet sweet sugar.

The three of us walked around and pawed various items while we reminisced about our childhoods.

As the night crept upon us and the sunlight faded the temperature also dropped.  It was quite nippy out.  We found ourselves at another crossroad of possibility.  What do we do with ourselves now?

As it was my birthday I felt like a trip to the cinema.

Sadly, Kirsten felt she ought to prepare some school lesson plans.

Jeanine was torn.

On the one had she had plans to spend the evening at the gym, but on the other hand, I was sulking and moody, as I bopped on the footpath, asking someone to accompany me to the cinema.

In the end, Jeanine agreed to come along.

We walked Kirsten to the straßenbahn stop and we parted ways.

Then, there were two.

Jeanine and I walked to the Kino which was only a stone’s throw away from Museumsquartier.  We descended the steps and purchased our tickets.  The film we chose to see was ‘Anonymous’ because I was intrigued by its premise but also because Jeanine declined to watch ‘Tintin’ with me.

We were early so we sat on some seats and chatted for a while.

I found a gigantic box of used posters.

Being of a curious disposition I dipped into the two boxes.  We leafed through the various rolls searching for a decent poster or a decent film.  I was shocked to find that the cinema was giving away these posters free of charge!

After a brief perusal I soon understood why.

The posters were especially rubbish.

The best that I could find were a collection of ‘Puss in boots’ illustrations.

I determined the best of a bad lot rolled them up and took them with me but not before I tried to coax a few upon Jeanine.  She was not that way inclined.

We watched the movie, an interesting and clever little flick speculating on the true identity of William Shakespeare.

The film lasted about two hours so it was still reasonably early when we made our exit and braved the outside cold once more.  Finally, Jeanine had to accept her responsibilities and left for home to complete those dreaded lesson plans. 

I had Monday off.  I was feeling a little bit lonely and melancholic.  I felt it was a little too early to wander back to my flat alone and on my birthday.

Dietlinde had returned from her trip to Linz so I made my way to Schottentor for a final visit before I bid an end to this my 24^th birthday.

Dietlinde welcomed me with open arms.

We sat for a bit and chatted.

We drank tea.

We chatted some more.

I offered her some posters.

She declined (I myself thought the posters were amazing I have no idea how so many people could resist the charms of a furry hero clad in boots).

I checked my watch and resolved to call my mother.  I had not called home in over a week.  I understand that some people had not communicated with home in over a month but I was feeling a little sorry for myself.

I bid farewell to Dietlinde and we agreed that the gang ought to meet the day after.

I gathered up my rucksack and posters and walked to Herrengasse where I took the U3 back to Simmering.  I made another cup of tea (caffeine addiction?) and sat down to my laptop to call home.  It was after midnight but it was still November 27^th in Ireland.

My mother relayed to me birthday wishes from home and promised that birthday cards were on the way.