Here’s the thing. I was rolling through my photos for inspiration for a new post. I uploaded a photo from the Prague Jewish Cemetery and something went wrong. I had to delete that post, and then, in scrolling back a little, I found this photo of our chocolate extravaganza in Vienna.
Enough with the Death Musings, says I. How about Life? And isn’t Life all about Chocolate?
Sadly, that’s exactly how my thought processes went. I share it here in my effort to remain an honest and clear writer. Or else to just further embarrass myself. Perhaps that’s one and the same thing?
It has been a stormy tossing tempest all day today. The waves have been surly and dark with incredibly white froth capping each curl. They have stormed the beach while the tide brought them closer and closer and then pulled them back. Didn’t matter, they just kept at it. All while rain lashed at the trees.
Which made me think, chocolate chip cookies would be a good thing. The smell of baking and the fireplace while the world thunders away outside. A most-assuredly life-affirming choice so to speak…
And so, I would like to say, that in spite of the doldrumish weather, I found hope in cookies and a cappuccino and now a big smile, remembering our time in Vienna. That is one fine town. And it was made even better when we met Gunther and Gina and spent the evening with them. How hospitable was that? Perfect strangers who took a couple of Canucks to…wait for it! (Somehow I ended up talking about the very thing I was going to avoid. I didn’t know when I started this little chocolate posting that I would once again be back to)…The Vienna Cemetery.
Seriously, I didn’t ask for it and it was on my list of places I’d wanted to get to and voila! they offered to take us there to visit.
We got there just as it was closing and starting to be dusky/dark, which of course, made it even better. The graves of Mozart and Liszt and who knows who else are these huge masoleums in the misty grey immensity of this cemetery. It was amazing.
And then we went out and ate the biggest piece of schnitzel I’ve ever seen. I got about halfway on that thing. It was really a wonderful night and a highlight from our trip. I’m hoping they come visit in Canada.
And did I mention the other days filled with chocolate cake? And struedel? And the cream cakes?
Ahhhh… Vienna.
I agree, I had no idea Vienna would be so wonderful. I loved the cafe culture and the art everywhere.
I took a memorable trip to Vienna with our daughter when she was 12 — visiting my parents who were there on a short church assignment. So it wasn’t as much leisurely coffee and strudel as the clock museum and the Prater and a thousand questions about the paintings in the art gallery, things for the world of a 12-year-old. But memorable because of it. I didn’t expect to like Vienna as much as I did.