Two of my nephews, J and M, and M's wife C, arrived in Vienna Friday afternoon on a flight from Klagenfurt. They'd been on a week-long motorcycle tour through a bit of Austria, Slovakia, and Croatia and were ready for a bit of Vienna.
We picked them up at the airport, drove them to their hotel (which B, through some miracle, happened to find in our district, only a five minute walk from our house, in the midst of a giant medical convention which had effectively slapped a giant NO FUCKIN' VACANCY sign on every hotel in Vienna) then drove up to the vineyards behind our place to enjoy the view of Vienna below, have a glass of wine, and chat.
They told us about their motorcycle tour, which was a success for the most part, despite too many people in the group (about 25), an inexperienced tour guide who was a replacement for the regular guide who was recovering from a broken wrist, and maybe worst of all: a very unusual heatwave that put temperatures into the mid-90s at a time of year when it's usually 25 degrees cooler. They'd only brought riding clothes appropriate for cooler weather so everyone in their group was hotter than hell the whole time, with one woman even dropping her motorcycle due to heat exhaustion (fortunately while stopped at an intersection.)
We ate at one of the local Heuriger then said goodnight.
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Next morning, we took off for a tour of Vienna. There's too much here to see even in three months, let alone three days, so we mostly confined our fun to a shopping tour and a visit to the Military History Museum.
One wing of the Military History Museum.
It's an impressive place, with such a large exhibit space we only got to see the first floor, and the displays in an adjacent building, before deciding to move on for shopping in the 1st District.
Later that evening, another dinner at a different Heuriger, the always-busy-on-weekends-and-warm-evenings Mayer.
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Do you know what a "draisine" is? Yeah, neither did I.
We've all seen them in movies, though----they're those small vehicles used for railroad maintenance, often operated by hand levers where two guys stand facing each other and push the levers up and down, which in turn propels the draisine.
It turns out they can also be propelled by pedalling, like a bicycle, and that's what we did Sunday: we joined a group from a hiking club for a 25-kilometer round trip draisine ride through the countryside in Lower Austria (which really isn't, uh, lower, if you look on a map...but I've explained that in previous posts. Click on the link for further confusion.)
Each draisine holds up to four people, but only two can pedal. Which means at any given time, half the people aren't pulling their weight (or pedalling it, as the case may be.) Also, at points along the route the track inclines upward, which means healthy legs are a must for unsuspecting pedallers who may never before have spent 15 Euro to have leg cramps they'll never forget.
The draisines lined up and ready to roll.
We pulled into this shed and got safety instructions before beginning the journey.
At a midway point everyone stops. There's a little stand where you can get a drink and sit in the shade beneath what looks like a converted hay barn. B's father was with us so he took some time to chat with the family, get to know them a bit...
I walked over to a field. The apples in the trees were ripe; some had fallen to the ground. We'd passed onion fields earlier, the farmers out and ready to collect their harvest. Sometimes I forget food comes from plants and not from the supermarket shelf.
We went on. You're supposed to maintain a certain distance from the other cars but we were close enough to J, M, and C that we could jabber at them, or even hand our water bottle back to them when they got thirsty. There's no gearing, just a simple pedal-chain mechanism, so when you go uphill the pedalling gets tough. When you go downhill it seems like you're flying, but we probably weren't exceeding 20 MPH at the fastest even in the longest downhill runs.
We stopped at a village for lunch at a Gasthaus where our group had reservations. We sat at long tables. There were two young girls in the group, about 13, and they were friendly and talkative and they amused themselves by making primitive structures out of beer coasters. Only later did I realize with a shock that these girls hadn't been constantly texting or jabbering on a mobile phone. In fact I don't think I saw a single cell phone appear in anybody's hand the entire trip.
There were also a few young men in the group, guys in their early 20s, but most of us were 40 - 85 (!) This hiking club does all sorts of outdoor activities together and as corny or boring as it might sound, it was actually fun getting to know these folks.
When we walked back to the draisines for the return trip, a little surprise: one of the old men had brought a bottle of homemade liquor with him, "to fortify everyone for the return trip." We each got a shot (or two) of this sweet berry liquor. Thus fortified, off we pedalled, back along the tracks through the gently rolling hills. Which when you try to climb them by pedalling a draisine, aren't so gentle.
On the first leg of the trip it had been B, her father, and I. On the return trip it was B, the wife of the club president, and I. The first leg of the trip, a few kilometers, was uphill. Tough work. But then we got to a downhill stretch and felt the wind and let our legs rest while we flew down the hill past the farmers gathering onions from the fields.
My nephews were ahead of us and amazed everyone by actually touching bumpers with the car in front of them, and that one touching the one in front of it, helping to push the other draisines (who had old people at the pedals) along. A significant feat of pedalling. At the next rest stop, a guy came over and sat with my nephews and talked with them during the break. Later we found out this guy and his family had been in one of the cars ahead of my family but his family (wife, teenage girl, and young boy) crapped out on him and he'd been having to pedal his draisine alone. The guy was so grateful for the help, being pushed along by my nephews' leg power, that he insisted on buying their drinks at the rest stop.
Back on track for the final leg of the adventure, we lost the other woman, who joined her husband on another draisine...but we picked up one of the young guys so B (lucky girl) got to rest her legs during the remainder of the trip while this young guy and I pretended we were big heroes, pedalling home to victory.
This is a fine way to spend a happy Sunday.
On the home stretch, onions in the field being harvested.
This video shows our exact route.
This wasn't our group, but it gives you the idea.
This wasn't our group, but it gives you the idea.
A final group photo, then we all loaded into our cars and headed home.
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Monday, it was cold and gray and looked like rain. The plan was to take the family shopping (they like to shop) along Mariahilferstrasse, one of Vienna's main shopping streets. Block after block of shops, wide sidewalks, lots of cafes and other places to eat.
Shopping isn't really my thing. I want fewer possessions, not more. But I really enjoyed spending time with my nephews and C, because I don't get to see them too often---they live far from Oklahoma and our schedules don't often permit visits.
So we spent most of the day wandering around, checking out the stores, buying gifts, eating lunch, stopping for occasional snacks or coffee, seeing the sights. About 4 we headed home for a rest, because later that evening we were invited to a big dinner...
The family was staying in rooms above the famous Plachutta restaurant. Monday, their last evening in town, they very generously invited B and me, and a friend of theirs, Andreas (who is Austrian and who lives in the states, but by coincidence just happened to be visiting Vienna at the same time as the nephews) for dinner. I've been to Vienna 16 times, passed by the Plachutta hundreds of times, but had never eaten there.
We walked down in the rain. Even on a Monday night the place was full. It's a nice restaurant---white tablecloths, etc.---and it's known for its Austrian specialty, Tafelspitz. Plachutta does it just right, in copper pots, served with excellent wine, and the desserts are fantastic (though I didn't try them---not a dessert boy, me.)
We walked down in the rain. Even on a Monday night the place was full. It's a nice restaurant---white tablecloths, etc.---and it's known for its Austrian specialty, Tafelspitz. Plachutta does it just right, in copper pots, served with excellent wine, and the desserts are fantastic (though I didn't try them---not a dessert boy, me.)
It was good to meet Andreas. He knows M and C through their common love of motorcycling, and it turns out he knows one of Austria's premier cinematographers and is interested in video production himself. We talked about his idea of a film featuring what he calls "ordinary heroes," interesting people who have lived full, interesting lives but who the public never hears about. "I made a film like that once," I told him, "but it focussed on one guy." My video days being long behind me, I still enjoyed listening to Andreas' plans.
Finally it was time to end the evening, which everyone was reluctant to do...but good things come to an end eventually.
M, C, and J, thanks for visiting us---great to spend a few days with you. With luck you can visit again sometime, and maybe stay longer.
Much thanks to B, who did a lot of behind-the-scenes work ensuring an easier stay for everyone...
