August 22….Our last full day in Vienna

There was so much to do and see in Vienna that it was impossible to pack it all in over six days . We did, however, want to have a meal in one of the wine taverns on the edge of town that, we had heard, offer wine from their own vineyards and buffet tables piled high with home-made delicacies. Vienna is the only metropolis that grows enough grapes within its city limits to make it worth mentioning and these Viennese vineyards definitely leave a unique mark on the cityscape as well as the Viennese culture of pleasure, as wine growing has a long tradition in Vienna. So, we decided to venture out, once again, in the car that our hosts had left us, to try and find the "wine country in the city."

We found out that they don't start serving until later in the afternoon so, after our last leisurely breakfast together at the flat, we walked over to the Café Residenz, at the Schonbrunn , to check out the pastry demonstration of Vienna’s famous Apple Strudel. The oldest strudel recipe dates back to 1696 and is now one of Vienna’s most iconic dishes. The fee included a demonstration of how the strudel is made, a slice for each person to enjoy and a recipe to take home and give it a try . It was wild watching the bakers stretch the pastry so thin that you could see through it as they proved by putting a printed page behind the pastry that we could actually read. Then, they chose Miles as a volunteer to help them with the final stages, crowning him with an official bakers’ hat and giving him a certificate, to boot, at the end of the demonstration. It was all great fun and, certainly, delicious. I took a video of Miles' performance but the internet connection isn't strong enough for it to upload. When we get a better connection, I'll send it separately.

Then, off we went to the vineyards and, Miles, our official driver extraordinaire, got us there with ease. It was amazing at how quickly the surroundings changed, just 30 minutes from the main part of the grand city. We found ourselves in a very sweet and picturesque village filled with quaint shop adorned with overflowing flower boxes and plenty of taverns to choose from. While waiting for the taverns to open, we took a short hike up to where we could see the vineyards, approximately 1900 acres of them, covering the surrounding hillsides, as far as the eye could see, with a glimpse of the city in the background .

We chose a charming little tavern with a big outside area and weren’t disappointed with our traditional Viennese meal or the quantity that was a bit staggering.   We were leaving Vienna the next day so, we headed back to the apartment, dropping off Rod and Priscilla on the way, so that we could all pack up for our departure.

Rod and Priscilla came back over that evening and, by that time we were all getting a little hungry, despite our enormous lunch so, the guys went out to get pizza and we spent our last night in Vienna together eating pizza and playing cards. Rod and Priscilla's flight back to the states was very early the next morning but Pam and Miles would be flying with us to Bulgaria and would be with us for another two weeks. That night, we, sadly, said our goodbyes to Rod and Priscilla and looked forward to seeing them back in Mexico where we would spend our eighth consecutive Thanksgiving together. It had been a fabulous first month and we did amazingly well with six of us for that long a period. What great friends the four of them are and we were delighted that we were able to share part of our adventure with them.