As forecast on the BBC weather app it was raining heavily when we got up and basically it continued like that of the rest of the day! This was a good incentive NOT to rush around to go out but to carefully place a route with many places indoors as possible.
When we eventually left the apartment we headed (by our usual Metro route) back to the centre of the city but a stop earlier than usual and then walked (in the rain) to the square of Am Hof. This had two advantages - the first that I identified one of the newsagents that sells stamps and bought some to send home and secondly there was a very good cafe - ‘Der Mann’ where we knew we had to partake in the Viennese traditional of coffee and cake. I had a cinnamon bun and Colin went for an apple strudel bun thingie accompanied by a ‘wiener melange’ coffee - a bit like a creamy cappuccino - very nice.
We couldn’t avoid the rain any more so it was back out in it again and a walk to the Hofburg. Each build we see is more impressive than the last. This has a huge green dome which provided good shelter from the rain. The Spanish Horses also perform here - no idea why they are Spanish! We waked through the building into a large area with yet more massive palaces and a walk towards the city gate to catch the D tram towards the Belvedere Palace with it’s beautiful gardens and art gallery full of famous Gustav Klimt paintings including ‘The Kiss’. All good so far (despite the heavy rain) until we arrived at the Palace to find out that the tickets were actually timed and the next available was not for at least an hour and a half. It was at this stage we finally gave in with wet feet and decided to head back to the apartment to dry off. Back on the tram again in the opposite direction but before we hopped on the reliable number 3 metro, Colin spotted a sausage stall and we decided to follow the tradition we started in Freiburg um Breslau earlier in the year and enjoy a Bratwurst in a roll - Colin went spicy, I went traditional and they were delicious. I was particularly impressed with the special gadget for boring a hole in the role so that the sausage and sauces do not spill out.
Sausages finished, mustard and ketchup removed from faces and it was down to the metro and back to our apartment to warm up (can’t believe I’m writing that!) and to dry off.
We had a rest and then I headed out to find somewhere to post my cards (handily there was a post office around the corner and I made it with 5 minutes to spare before heading to our local Billa supermarket again to pick up something for dinner. Pasta, salad, beer and strawberry cake - excellent. Last task of the day was that we decided o our final day - to stay in Vienna and have a second visit to the belvedere art gallery to hopefully see The Kiss by Gustav Klimt - tickets booked for 12.00.
