"...by gad sir you are a character..." --Kasper Gutman in 'The Maltese Falcon.'

 It has rained part of today and it's been a big help in attitude as much as anything else. Temperatures will be moderating with more rain the next couple of days so we hope to get back out and participate again. Just being lethargic in the heat for a few days kinda takes the fun out of things, even in an exotic place.

I'm feeling better about the local culinary options. Like many destinations, Vienna can too often be a place of "many restaurants, one menu." Texas is that way with BBQ and Mexican, as is Louisiana (too much Cajun, never enough actual Creole, and the Gulf Coast (fry anything from the Gulf and offer a 'Cajun' option). Vienna has its schnitzel and its strudel (and they are everywhere) and some goulash (the Hungarians 30 minutes away) but too often things can deteriorate into a marginal "German" menu from South Texas or Epcot. The last couple of days it's been good to see some other options but I tell ya this would be a lousy place to be a vegan or vegetarian.

While I mentioned our tremendous Greek experiment, our Argentine steak experience was the polar opposite. I expected much better from a place with a broad international constituency. But what the hell -- I don't go to Buenos Aires for Austrian food either, so I'll just shut up now.

Quality alcohol is, however, not An Issue at all. I can easily walk or subway to some of the best rum and scotch selections I've seen anywhere this side of a Total Wine, not to mention a lot of stuff from Cuba and elsewhere you simply can't get in the US. Today's lunch options included dessert and we chose the Sacher torte because we were, well, at the Hotel Sacher that freaking invented it. Similar to a flourless chocolate cake, it is yet another Viennese dish available pretty much everywhere except the list of brandies/cognacs at this particular place is a dozen deep and includes a Remy Martin Louis XIII ($135 for about what's in this photo -- a full bottle runs around $3K). I had never seen it on a restaurant menu before -- but I don't get around like some folks. I opted for a more pedestrian Delamain ($15).

I am getting more familiar with the local history, particularly the 20th century part. While it's easy to find plenty of things from the 1800s and way before (the Hotel Sacher dates from 1832 while parts of the next-door Hofburg Palace date to the 1300s) the era from the end of World War One to the late 1950s kinda just isn't there. That's mainly because a lot of it was turned into rubble during World War Two, including a lot of this neighborhood. Some 20% of the housing in the area was destroyed while most of the rest was left heavily damaged. The Allied crews were told to leave the Palace, the Opera House and Schonbrunn pretty much alone. They tried, but bombs from way up aren't very accurate even the best of circumstances. A saving grace is that it wasn't until 1944 that the area was in bomber range (when the Allies moved far enough north in Italy). Oil refineries on the northeast side of the city led to repeated raids while industry in this part of town (the south) also attracted plenty of attention. After the war, Soviet occupation let things fester for awhile until the locals were able to regain some control. Internet sources provide a list of all raids and where they targeted. Pretty much all are on the Metro list of stops today. I want to go see how it has all recovered.

We're continuing to make improvements in the apartment, securing a second fan and getting some more ice trays. Plus a Swiffer. These aren't always things we'll take along (well, the ice trays will go) but they damn sure make the day-to-day more bearable. We only have so much square footage anyway. We still have to pay attention to the shades so we don't expose ourselves to the neighbors (and vice-versa) and we're still getting used to the German wording on the new washing machine and what the hell is this stove/microwave/grill thing in the kitchen? It's some kind of LG thing that's apparently fairly swanky once you learn to operate it. It's like $400 new and I can find the manual online but so far I haven't had the desire. The regular oven works fine and there is a normal (if ancient) microwave so that's enough for now. The gas stove is nice but it's a good thing our stay is short because I imagine the benzene leakage isn't healthy. I'll think about that with my next cigar and whiskey.

Our world has shrunk tremendously in so many ways over the past month, yet it has also expanded exponentially. Gone are concerns about putting gasoline in the car, paying its insurance, fronting utility bills, maintaining a lawn (Denise and I disagree on that), dodging mosquitoes and consistent dusting/cleaning 2,000sqft each week/month. We are basically in 650sqft with no a/c and heat turned off and two fans and windows looking three floors down on courtyards on both sides. We live on the food I bring home from the store in a canvas bag slung over my shoulder and I don't like being a freaking pack mule and the fridge is tiny anyway. So far my biggest grocery run has been $42. There is no clothes dryer -- just a wire rack.

On the other hand, our smaller world allows the much larger one. We can only stay here for so long before we have to move because of immigration rules and visa requirements. We have a what's next in place until the end of March next year, but after that we seriously have no solid idea yet where we want to be. We have ruled out some areas for various reasons but we're essentially camping in many ways (and thank God not in the traditional sense). We're not rich folks. We are on a fixed income. What we don't spend on cars, utilities and all that other suburban stuff allows us freedom for airfare and a few things. But a place to live is going to cost something anywhere and this is what works for us, at least for now. We have several friends who have chosen to travel with extended vacations and now is a great time to do it. We'd just rather spend a couple of months someplace instead of a few days.

Speaking of freedom, there is more of it here. This is a better United States than the US is anymore and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot, severely unschooled or willfully ignorant. Over the past century, this region has gone from imperial domain to fascist dictatorship to Soviet occupation to rebuilding so much literally from the ground up. They've been harsh lessons but learned well -- and valued as only harsh lessons are. An example of refusal to pay attention is a scant two hours away in Budapest.

Too much of the US refuses to listen and the price is about to be very steep indeed.