Vienna

My B&B Hostess
All the ladies out there who say that learning to use the computer and the internet is too hard, hang your heads in shame. I have met the ultimate grand dame. My B&B hostess inherited a magnificent apartment in the middle of Vienna from her mother and has turned it into a B&B. It is in an old building with one of those lifts they have in the movies, it has 4m high ceilings, 2 family sized rooms and 2 'studios' (mezzanine floors with enough room for a bed and some furniture). I slept in one of these studios, which was directly above her bed.
But, back to the internet. Her apartment is set up with wireless broadband. She has her laptop and she has set up a desktop with a webcam for her guests to use. All of her guests come either through word of mouth or through the internet.
She speaks a multitude of languages: German, Hungarian, English, 'I can't remember much French or Spanish anymore' and 'I can only read and write Russian now'.
I found her hanging upside-down on rings hanging from a doorway one morning doing stretching exercises. What an amazing old lady!
The Sites
Some of the sites I visited: Nasch Markt (Flea and produce market), Schönbrunn Palace (summer palace of the Hapsburgs, where Mozart played for Maria Theresia and then jumped in her lap), Hofburg Palace (working palace of the Hapsburgs in the centre of Vienna), Volksgarten (the people's garden), Staatsoper (State Opera House), Karlskirche (You have to pay to get into a church? No way! Didn't go in.), Sacher Hotel for a Sacher Torte (wasn't wild about it) and a melange (Viennese cappuccino with dollop of cream), Kunsthistorimuseum (Museum of Fine Arts with an exhibition of Arcimboldo's work (the seasons and the elements made into portraits using fruit, vegetables, flowers, animals, books etc. - I love the ones that look like a bowl of veggies and then when you turn it upside down you get a face with a hat)), Stephansdom & the Rathaus (Town Hall - the word always cracks me up).
The Concerts
I went to concert by the Residenz Orchestra, which is usually held at the Hofburg palace but the evening that I went, it was at the Börse Palace, which was literally next to where I was staying. It took 2 minutes to walk there and back. They played Mozart and Strauss and had a soprano, baritone and 2 dancers there to break the monotony. The soprano had beautiful dresses from the 2 eras. The flautist was cute in a nerdy way but tended to 'feel' the music a little too much. I am a firm believer that you can be 'in the zone' without having to double up in your chair, rock back and forth and nearly head-butt the oboist next to you.
An aside: I cannot let this pass without a comment. There was a man at the concert (member of the audience) who had the most grotesque nose I have ever seen. It was horrendous from every angle. It was like someone grabbed a massive handful of red Play-Doh, punctured it with lots of little holes and shoved it on his face. It was big & lumpy front-on and big & lumpy (and hooked) side-on. It was like the proverbial car crash - you want to look away but you can't help but stare. (p.s. his wife also had a big nose.)
I attended mass at the Hofmusikkapelle on Sunday morning. The Vienna Boys' Choir sings there every week. They are indeed a fantastic group. They sang from up top, unseen, until the end where they came out and sang one piece from the front.
The Original Princess Di
I didn't know that Princess Di lived before. Her name was Empress Elizabeth (aka Sissi), wife of Emperor Franz Josef. She was very beautiful, was married at 16, was depressive and hated court duties, exercised like mad to keep her figure (42-45kg at 172cm including floor length hair!) (there is gym equipment screwed into the walls and doorways of her apartments in the Hofburg palace), stopped having photographs of herself taken when she was in her early 30s so that only her youthful beauty would be preserved and was assassinated in Geneva when she was in her early 60s. She has become a legend, more popular after her death than during her life.
Poor Emperor Franz Josef. He sent his brother to be Emperor of Mexico. He was captured and executed by the revolutionaries after a very short reign. Franz Josef & Sissi's only son committed suicide at the age of 31 and then Sissi was assassinated. Franz Josef, on the other hand, woke at 3am every morning from an iron single bed, started work at 5am, had breakfast at his desk, received 100s of commoners every week and lived to the ripe old age of 86 in 1916.
Guide
What is it about me that makes people think I know where I'm going? It doesn't matter what city I'm in, people come up to me and ask me for directions. I don't know! I just got here! I'm either a suspicious character or a guide. Make up your minds, people!
The Mousetrap
This weekend, Taffy and I went to see The Mousetrap, Agatha Christie's play, the longest running play ever in the world (currently at 23,090 performances, 55 1/2 years). It is quite cute with a twist ending but I am not sure I understand why it has been running for so long.