You can't imagine how incredibly proud I am right now. What am I proud of, you wonder? Not the distances I've covered, not the museums or galleries I've visited, no, it's much more mundane, I'm afraid, but kind of more important on the eve of my flight back - I'm feeling just great having managed to close my suitcase. Yep, that's it - such a simple thing can make me very happy indeed, because what you don't know (and I'm more than well aware of) is the amount of shopping I've done here. So much so that I arrived here from Vienna with a suitcase AND a carrier bag already, AND added a few (and then a few more) things to my luggage here. So I was mentally preparing myself for the ordeal of dragging all this in various bags in addition to the suitcase, as I didn't really expect to still have just a case and one bag. But, lo and behold, I do indeed have the magical gift of packing up - I managed to put all my old stuff plus most of the new stuff in the suitcase, so that only the books and some chunky jewellery that are better off in cabin luggage remain in the bag.
And it didn't take much time either - I was fearing I'd spend the whole evening packing up and trying out various arrangements of the stuff in my suitcase to better fit all the things there, but I was done in about 10 minutes, which means I have some time now to type this post before going to bed.

As to the day I've had today - it was a mixed day. Something that I'll remember for a long while after this trip is over - I nearly got pickpocketed today. That was the first time in my life, and it happened just like it goes in a typical scenario: I was going up from the subway and took the guidebook out of my bag to check the map, forgetting to close the bag. So there I was, going slowly up the steps with the open bag on my shoulder reading the map when I more sensed than saw something greyish at the back and when I turned my head I could see a WOMAN'S HAND REACHING FOR MY BAG!!! I first checked that the wallet and camera were still in place, and then shouted something to her, and she had the nerve to reply "A problem?" I said, "No problem yet!" and she just retreated. When a second later I turned back to get a better look at her, she just wasn't there - she vanished like in one of those movies where some mysterious character just disappears into thin air. So I was a bit rattled and for the first time in my life my hands were actually shaking enough to prevent me from taking good pics. And I normally can take excellent photos at long exposure even after a few drinks (my Italian night shots are a proof of that) So, anyway, I pulled myself together after that, and carried on with my plans. In fact, that was probably the lowest point of the day that marked a turn for the better: in the moring I went to see what the celebrated Museum of Applied Arts looked like and it did have a fabulous exterior but the exhibitions that were on left me a bit underwhelmed, as I'd expected something on a par wiht Victoria and Albert museum in London, which is truly the museum I could spend weeks in and enjoy every minute of it.
So my lucky escape from the pickpocket came right after that, and things got better and better after I managed to collect my thoughts and to make a plan for the rest of the day.


The afternoon was spent hunting down some other interesting buildings and caffs but once again the cafe that I specifically wanted to visit ('old, art deco and usually overseen in favour of others making it more real and local) - it was closed down for renovation, just like another cafe that I wanted to see several days ago:( I guess it's cause I pick the really old and frayed ones, 'with character' that I always face the 'closed down' sign - as these cafes are the ones to go first and emerge as some upscale refined eateries that only the tourists would go to...

However, as I was walking, I realized it was already nearing 5 pm and according to my guide-book the thermal baths that I planned to visit today, Gellert, will be closed by the time I reach them. I was a tiny bit disappointed but then thought that hey, that's another reason to come back here, to go to these baths and to have some more of the excellent coffee they serve here. Seriously, the latte I had today was the best I've had in years, so perfectly smooth and yet with clear coffee flavour. Why can't we get anything near this quality level in Moscow?! To be honest, every time I try coffee here I get angry. Not because the coffee is bad, no, it's great, but because I start thinking, why even the most god-forsaken shabby-looking cafe here serves better (and cheaper, may I add) coffee than most, if not all, cafes in Moscow? What's wrong here? I just don't understand how it works...

Anyway, to go back to the baths - I still did the walk that lead to them via some very steep hill with gorgeous views over the whole of Budapest and the Danube, the best you can get I think in this city. And when I got to Gellert I went inside at least to see the hall, if not the baths, which I supposed were closed already. However, they were still open for 1.5 hours so I did get a chance to 'swim in the cathedral', as the reviews refer to bathing in this place. Well, what can I tell you, it was amazing and totally made up for the crappy start of the day I had. I left feeling energized and intent on packing the whole evening, though it was only 7 pm. But since I'm leaving tomorrow and have no more use for the local currency, I thought I had to spend it somehow, so guess what I did with the last money I had? I spent in the most satisfyig way on two passions of mine, which I think can be easily spotted from the posts in this journal - movies and food :) I got to see some romcom with Cameron Diaz about Vegas, and the ticket was in fact cheaper that the huge glass of fresh carrot juice I took that was enough to be my dinner tonight.

Well, that's it for now, time for me to go to bed if I don't want to oversleep tomorrow and miss my train to Vienna, and I guess it'll be the last entry for a while now, so thanks for reading and see you in Moscow (or not, in case of city_walker, at least not until summer ;)

I didn't update yesterday evening as I finally got round to my regular routine that I have in every town I visit - night photo shoot, but I guess not updating isn't that important, considering there are all in all about 3 or 4 people who, as far as I know, might be reading this, so no harm done anyway. And judging by lack of any commiseration or condolences expressed in response to my ailing camera situation I take it nobody actually read my last post to the end.

So, yesterday I fully immersed myself into the touristy combo of walking and eating on the go - with the satisfying result that I spent the whole day doing the walks from the guidebook plus improving on them as I took some detours on my way. And the snacks that I've tried included suspicous-looking but divinely-tasting local pancakes filled with some meat stew, cherries, poppy seeds, etc - all dirt cheap, which was an added bonus. My sandals are gone, unfortunately, so it's just as well that I'm nearing the end of my trip.

Also, my yesterday visit to a couple of museums just proved my point that museums is definitely NOT what people come to Budapest for. However, going there took my exclusive travel without anyone around to bother me to a whole new level - having a train car without any passengers is one thing, but having the whole museum on two floors entirely to oneself is an experience not easiliy forgotten! It was a bit odd too, with museum attendants who don't speak a word of English trying to show and explain me something, but thankfully there were some notes in English to refer to in case of communication breakdown. I guess it's just that Eastern Asian art, that of China, India and Japan is not everyone's cup of tea, so people tend to go to more 'generic' places like Museum of Fine Arts with Hungarian art on display, leaving little off-the-beaten-track museums like this one to only the keen and the enthusiastic aficionados like me.

Another thing that I 'almost' did yesterday, to the point of not needing to do it today, as planned ealier, was checking out the local flea markets. Budapest is known for the junk and some good bits and pieces that you can pick up at flea markets and originally I was planning to go see it, not to buy anything, but just for the experience. However, I didn't even need to go far from my hostel to see what a local flea market looks like. At first I took the heaps of junk (furniture, toys, crockery, etc) on the street to mean that someone was moving out, or just hadn't yet had the car arrive to take all this stuff away. By the time I reached the central street of our district, such heaps or piles or whatever you call them were in front of every house. And people were actively browsing there, looking for some goodies among all the incredible stuff just lying there. That was the point when I wished I lived here and wasn't leaving in a day - there were some seriously good china cups and saucers and a couple of nice chairs that I would've picked up had I not remembered in time that I can't possibly take anything as big and/or fragile with me. Turned out, Hungarians have this custom to throw out any large junk that doesn't fit into your regular trash bin or just things you don't need once or twice a year, and I just happened to be in Budapest to witness it this year. Actually, it seemed like a very thoughtful thing to do - the stuff just lies on the street for a day for everybody to take their pick, and then it's collected by municipal vans and taken away.

Some random notes as well, unrelated to date and time:

I'm soooo glad to have Budapest week come after Vienna week. If it were the other way round, I think I'd be bitter and upset about the lack (or just smaller amount) of fabulous art nouveau architecture in Vienna compared to what I have here. Also, to compare my attitude to both cities, I think I could manage to live in Vienna if I had to, but I wouldn't like to, whereas I'd love to live in Budapest but I know I wouldn't be able to (for language reasons mostly)

The working hours here are seriously weird though. It's like a cross between Austrian-German wish to work as little as possible (and preferably not to work at all on weekends) and our Moscow 24/7 availablity of practically anything. For instance, shops and some supermarkets work till 19.00 or even 20.00 here, which was a pleasant surprise after Vienna. Actually, you start to appreciate little things like this after going to any German speaking country, I think. In fact, while still in Austria it occurred to me that life is indeed boring and uneventful here compared to Russia, a thought expressed by some people I know and which I could never understand before but totally agree with now. But back to working hours weirdness: The cafes and restaurants are mostly open till at least 22.00 or even midnight, if I am to believe the guidebook (I haven't actually stayed up so late to test that particular bit of information) In Vienna, all the cafes close at about 18.00 or 19.00 so there's nowhere to have a cup of tea/coffee or a cake but at a restaurant, which doesn't have very long working hours, either. For me it was incomprehensible how people haven't rioted against such inhumane arrangements, I mean, if you work till, say, 19.00 and want to meet up with a friend for a cuppa after that, what do you do? The restaurants seem to be the only option which is simply not the way to go, as far as I see it...
However, with all the eateries and shops having almost normal (by Moscow standards) working hours, the transport system, which is generally very reliable and efficinet, doesn't really keep up with those. Yesterday, for instance, I took the last metro train at - wait for it - 23.13! I was hoping to walk around till maybe midnight and then take a tram back to the hostel, but I decided against it as I wasn't sure there'd be any trams running at such late hour.

Interesting observation: while I spent hours and hours happily walking in Vienna museums, I also found a lot of time to sit in cafes, keep my regular journal (that is, the paper one, not this electronic surrogate) And here, with almost no indoor spaces to visit, theoretically I should have all the time in the world to sit back and relax in caffs and continue my travel notes, but I don't. Instead, I just walk and walk, and when I'm in cafes, I just chill and soak up the sun as I usually go for outdoor tables, with no wish to lift a finger, let alone a pen, to update my notes.

Well, I got thoroughly soaked today too, just like two days before. However, this time it wasn't a planned event, and it didn't alas involve either a swim in the pool or a cleansing in a sauna, today it was a plain case of forgetting to check the weather forecast in the morning and having the umbrella left behind when it started drizzling in ...aaaand I can't even remember the name of the town I've visited today at once, man, am I knackered right now... Wait, it's ... Eger (wow, it took me at least 45 seconds to recall the name, that's sad!)
And it's not even 10 pm now, so no wonder I don't have any night life here - I've no idea what state I'd be in if I went out right now, with my thinking abilities so weak at the moment.
And in any case, I did get a glass (a very generous glass, may I add) of excellent local wine back at Eger, and right after lunch for some inexplicable reason it seemed to me like a good idea to go climb a minaret. Well, as I'm now back in Budapest writing this, it means I got out of there alive, but I wasn't sure I was gonna make it when I was inside the minaret. The only other case of such acute actual fear for my life I can remember is climbing St-Pete roofs ages ago with my brother, when it seemed easier to try my luck jumping off the roof rather than go down via the narrow and dimly-lit passages of a typical almost-abandoned Piter block of flats. In fact, this time the only reason I got out of there in one piece is that I simply took off my shoes and then navigating the narrow steps was a piece of cake. The guide-book did warn that only the non-claustrophobic people should attempt the climb, but I really don't think it's claustophobia that's the problem here, it's the tiny, we're talking 40 cm wide, passage with extremely worn-down winding stairs that don't actually allow you to put the whole of your foot on them, so when going barefoot you can at least feel when you land on the step and when your foot is still somewhere in midair. Also, this constant fear of misplacing your foot comes with an equally distressing process of squeezing through this narrow space - I mean, I may have an extra kilo or two and some centimeters I'd like to get rid of, but it's not like I'm the biggest person walking this earth, and yet I had trouble climbing the minaret, so I can't really imagine how ... err, more, shall we say, full-bodied people, cope with the climb.
However, put all these horrors together and you get - surprisingly - a very rewarding experience. The views to be had from the top were worth the climb and every new grey hair I acquired in the process. I was grateful it wasn't windy while I was there, as Hungarians apparently haven't yet embraced the global ideas of tourist safety and protection, so there was nothing added to the original, 13th or whatever century, railing, which made the process of taking photos a rather risky, albeit ultimately successful, enterprise.
On the whole though, the town was really nothing special, at least not as special as I expected it to be. Maybe my expectations are just incredibly high after the days I've had here, but I didn't find Eger a 'top destination' as it was described to me. Probably it has something to do with my previous experience of travelling to Krsivoklat and Telc, two tiny Czech towns that remain the prettiest, the loveliest and the most atmospheric towns with perfectly preserved historical centres that I have ever seen. So compared to these, Eger is an average, though undeniably pleasant, town with quite a few sights, a castle with sweeping views across the valleys and hills, some nice churches, and a few good restaurants with very welcoming service and prices.
Also, I think I'm starting to enjoy travelling solo in the style I've had recently - yesterday I had the whole cinema to myself (probably cause all the locals have already seen the western masterpiece that "Yuma" is), and today I was the only passenger in my train car, making my 2 hour trip as hassle- and people-free as it gets. In addition, the bookworm that I am, I couldn't resist going to see the local archbishop's library dating back to 17th or 18th century, and again, I was the only visitor and could take as many pictures as I wanted without being bothered by either crowds of tourists or the museum attendants.
Now, to show that this trip of mine is not as rosy as it sounds, here's a bit of bad news, which may be no biggie for some, but is disastrous for me. The thing is, my camera is literally falling apart! Well, not all of it, but the display screen, which, frankly, is one of the camera parts I'm most attached too. You see, that was the only reason I didn't give this camera up and upgrade to the delectable canon 40d that I've had my eyes on for a while now. The fact that the display can twist and turn gives me the opportunity to take more or less decent self-portaits when travelling on my own, and now this feature is about to be snatched from me, all because some engineers didn't bother to screw the bolts properly or something. I still can use it though, I just try not to detach the display screen when I can help it, but it's really upsetting (and a bit uplifting, at the same time) that I'll need to get a new camera not by choice but because I have to :(

I may sound repetetive right now, but I've had a great, absolutely gorgeous day today. Again :)

Do you know how much it costs to rent the whole cinema here in Budapest? Why, I can tell you - it's just a mere 5 euros, to have a private viewing in one of the oldest cinemas in the centre, which incidentally is called "Pushkin" - how cool is that?!
On top of that, the movie I saw without any other viwers present was high quality stuff, "3:10 to Yuma", which I vaguely remembered reading the reviews of, but I had no idea what it would be about or who was in it. Turned out a very, VERY well-done and well-shot variation on a western theme, with period costume and wonderful landscapes of American plains in Utah, or Arizona, or whatever, where it's all red rock, green bushes and blue sky. Also, it had an actual plot, where you don't know what's coming next and are enjoying every twist in the tale, and the actors - having Russel Crowe and Cristian Bale in one movie just adds to the viewing experience, at least it did for me. The cinematography was exquisite, and not having images processed in some coloured filters or flashing in front of you every 30 seconds was a relief.

Right, before this journal turns into a collection of movie reviews, I'll tell you about the best thing today. The icing on the cake came right after the movie ended - out of habit more than out of anything else really I took a look at my mobile, and, wonder of wonders, it worked!!! In fact, I had 5 messages delivered to me, which seemed like a windfall after two days of being completely shut off. It must be said that I haven't had any network operating on my phone for 3 days now, which saddened me at first but which I'd already come to terms with. So having this basic convenience of modern digital age returned to me was a blessing. It does make me feel, I don't know, unhappy or a little upset, that I can get so positively freaked out by such a tiny little thing like a phone working. I mean, there should be something grander, you know, more significant, to evoke such strong feelings, but a phone?...

Anyway, such a great evening had an equally pleasant day before it. To give a short summary of what I've done - I've covered at least 9 km on foot today and later got some badly-needed rest and freshened up in the 15th century turkish baths, trying local 'gouliash' soup in a sunny terrace in the old town in between.

I've finally made good use of my guide-books that I've brought here, and since I have two of them (one is my all time favourite, LP, the other - a Russian book giving surprisingly smart tips and bits of info and trivia) So, how do I know how much I've walked today? The LP walks have km count, and they together make up 6.5 km, and the third one is almost as big as the first one, making it at least 2.5 or even 3km, considering I almost (just almost) got lost in the hills of Buda trying to locate some tiny side street leading to a tomb of someone or other. I frankly didn't care whose tomb it was, I was after the views and simply wanted to see a regular residential area of Budapest with villas and old houses. Well, I saw many more houses than I originally wanted to, as I didn't turn where I should have, as you do, and ended up walking down that very side street without stopping at the tomb at all.
I put down that little detour to my lazy thinking or plain brain damage after the relaxing-to-the-point-of-turning-you-into-soft-wax baths: they were quite different from the ones I went to yesterday - indoor, really small, maybe about 5 meters in diameter, but, being of Turkish origin, they had domes with small windows to let the light through, so it was all very atmospheric in there - you can't swim cause it's too small and shallow, so you just kind of splash in some chosen spot, looking up at the dome with light coming down and creating interesting light effects when it reached the steam. And the smaller yet spaces had saunas, cold water pools, pools with varied water temperatures, etc, so despite rather confined space, it was all very sophisticated in terms of bathing experience and variety the baths offered.

Now to something completely different. I've found out there's another Russian guy staying at my hostel, which is pretty amazing, considering this hostel has only three rooms with maybe 12-15 people staying at any given time. And you know how many words we've exchanged with that guy during my stay here, that is, over the past 2.5 days? A grand total of two words, "good morning", said when we met in the kitchen today. No wonder we Russians get a reputation. I now see who helps create it. I mean, I've talked to an Australian guy and a British, quite an elderly, one, for hours, I think, and even when that Russian guy was present at breakfast, he never joined our discussion of current plight of poor keen British football fans who are clueless about getting Russian visas for the football finals this May. I can't believe he had nothing to say. And he sure as hell speaks English cause I heard him ask for some directions later. Is he antisocial? He does look weird, so I dunno... In any case, I'm happy about the converstations I've had and I'm not going to be worried about the ones I haven't. Especially as that British guy offered help and tips on South-Eastern Asia, which might come in handy over the next few months. And he said I had no Russian accent, so I was more than happy to have had that chat.

Just as I thought it couldn't get any better, it did! A day of walks in the historical centre in sunny weather, cooling off after the walking in 19th century open-air baths and sampling fois gras (that's goose liver, plainly speaking) with local Tokaj wine on a lake terrace - a day like this certainly beats any other day I normally have, back at home or even on most of my trips.
Today was absolute opposite of yesterday - sunny, warm, with lots of walking, just as I planned to do. What I didn't plan was the number of architectural gems I would see per square meter in the centre of the town, and what I saw just took my breath away. Seriously, I think I'm almost in love with this town. It's just perfect and very, how to put it, 'user-friendly' - I haven't lost my way here once, not even got side-tracked (well, at least as much as in Vienna on the first days, when I seemed to walk on and on from one point to another without seeing anything impressive) Meanwhile in Budapest, you can actually walk just on one street - first, on, say, right side, then back - on the left, keeping your head up and admiring the artwork that is the facades of most of the buildings. I'll be very happy indeed if I do not get mugged or pickpocketed here, as I do what the tourists should never do - I keep looking up and not watching my bag or camera as I know I should be doing.
And the best thing is, you can spend the whole week here without visiting a single museum and still have plenty to do, because, let's face it, Hungarian art is not the most renowned in the world. I do plan to see the Applied Arts Museum, which is conveniently located just a few streets away from my hostel.
Until then, I'll be doing more walks, like I did today - the centre is really tiny and the distances are quite manageble and not too tiring, though I did have a break and tried local cakes at a rather famous (at least it says so in the guide book, I wouldn't know) cafe which delivered superb quality and also gave me the opportunity to sunbathe a little at lunchtime.
The afternoon got even better as I decided to try and get into one of the thermal baths that Budapest is indeed famous for and was quite pleasanlty surprised that the staff at the baths spoke rather decent English and so I didn't spend as much time working out the procedure of getting cabins/keys/towels/etc as I'd expected. But of course the moment I went to the open door baths, the weather changed, although it didn't matter as the water is in between +29 and +38 in various baths. I even got to swim, and there were fewer people there than in my 'beloved' Olimpisky, despite it being a tourist attraction and a very popular place among the locals.
Proud of myself for doing some actual exercise and not just staying in the baths for hours on end like most of the other visitors, I decided to reward myself with something, something being in the line of food as it was getting late and I happened to be in the area where a nice lakeside restaurant serving Hungarian food was located. So, to cut a long story short, I can now fully understand all the fuss people make about the goose liver and I really don't care that it may not be PC towards poor geese, but hey, I can be a horrible person once in a while, right? Especially after eating something as delicious as this liver which I'm sure is doubly or even more expensive in Moscow - while here I paid just over 25 euros for the whole meal of excellent liver dish plus wine plus coffee (the restaurant was actually one of the more expensive ones, and rather posh in a good way, but I decided to treat myself to something special - not everyday do I get an opportunity to eat out in style, after all)
So, once again, a great day was had and I can only hope the rest will match it in impressions and experiences.

Well, here I am in Budapest and I cannot tell you what joy it is to be using a regular English keyboard at last after the ghastly Austrian one with half keys missing, and the other half misplaced.

Now, first things first: OMG OMG OMG!!! The hostel!!! The building!!! My hostel is located in the bona fide art nouveau building !!! I'm kind of sorry for all those people back home who only shudder at hearing the word "hostel" and say that it's some place they would never even consider staying at. Well, I pity you, all unadventurous people! (Yes, I'm in a bit of a high mood right now, so please bear with me, I'll be back to my cooler, more reserved self in just a sec)

So, the arrival in Budapest was as rainy as was Viennese departure, and of course, my umbrella was buried deep down in the suitcase which I was afraid to open for fear I wouldn't close it again. I don't usually mind the rain, but it was coming down pretty heavily and it's no fun trying to find your way in an unfamiliar city with a suitcase in the rain.

What's more, no one seemed to speak English which was a surprise, at least compared to Vienna. But for me it was a relief to get back to English, having struggled, albeit successfully, with my German the previous week.

Anyway, by the time I reached the street that my hostel was on, I was completely soaked. My suitcase was soaked. My map was soaked. I wasn't in the best of moods, and it didn't help that I couldn't even pronounce any of the street names on the map when I asked some random non-speaking-Enlgish passers-by. And then I entered the building with the hostel. And the day became significantly brighter and happier, as I stared at the tiles and mosaics that decorated the interior of the hall.

It must be said that art nouveau in all its forms (paintings, sculptures, jewellery, but above all, architecture) is my favourite art style and one of the things I expected to find in Budapest. But I sure did not expect to find it right in the first hour of my stay here and I certainly did not expect to be actually staying in an original art nouveau buidling.

And my feeling of happiness was complete when I saw the hostel and its rooms. They do not look like dorms at all - very artily decorated and atmosperic, and the guy at the reception was very welcoming and, well, friendly, which seems like an unimportant enough quality to merit mention, but after the total unhelpfulness bordering on helplessness of generic receptionists at Vienna hostel, I appreciate the personal touch and the friendliness much more. You can see for yourself what the rooms look like here: http://www.mandragorahostel.com/index_main.php

That's all for now, as I haven't got much more to write about - in the afternoon of this first day in Budapest I took some tram rides to see the city, as it was still pouring, then stumbled on a market, that lead to a shopping mall with a cinema, so I ended up watching "21" with Hungarian subtitles, but at least with the original soundtrack, although, alas, without the lovely accent of the main lead. All in all, a great start to what I hope will be a great week.

So, it is my last day (or, rather, last morning) in Vienna, and I would be in fact sad about leaving it if it wasn't raining for the first time this week. It started raining yesterday evening but it was ok as I only spent a couple of minutes outside - the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent listening to Wagner's Sigfried at Staatsoper. I must be very easy to please, or otherwise not a very discerning music fan, because as I was sitting there, I actually enjoyed the music and the plotline, and in fact, I wouldn't mind sitting through the whole series of the Nibelungs' Ring operas though that means spending the whole day at the theatre. And I honestly couldn't understand all the previous comments I'd heard about Wagner and his music - I guess it is indeed a love-it-or-hate-it attitude. So I'm glad I gave his music a try, my thinking being that I like Stephen Fry, he likes Wagner, so maybe I should listen to him (Wagner, that is), and see if I like him too. Turns out, it wasn't too bad, and 5 hours at the opera were not as daunting as they seemed, since one could always amuse oneself by looking at all the dressed up people of Viennese high society - most of them being well over 50, with fabulous dresses and suits and jewellery just oozing the air of grandeur. In short, a memorable experience and worth every euro spent.
As for the rest of my stay here - it was fabulous and much better than I could have expected, especially my visit to little town Graz, which i will write about next time as I've got to leave for my train to Budapest.

My trip goes on and as usual, there#s too much to see and too little time to write about everything, so here#s a summary of impressions so far, in no particular order:

Firstly, staying in one citz for a week doesn#t seem like such a bad idea after all. It#s allowed me so far to explore the museums as well as relax in cafes and just walk around without any time pressures, especiallz considering the festival they have going on during maz holidazs.

For instance, todaz is a perfect example of mz routine - waking up at 7.30 as usual, by 9 I was looking for the remaining Otto Wagner#s building that I hadn#t located zet and was rewarded bz a magnificent exhbition inside: jewellerz in art nouveau style was displazed right in the main hall of the savings bank. I can#t even imagine something like that back at home, the closest we get is some photo exhibions at GUM or similar stores, but that#s another thing altogether. After that - walking to the main touristz area, which nonetheless has the best cafes with unspoilt qualitz coffee, so lunchtime coffee todaz was incredible as I enjozed it sitting in the sun and doing nothing but people-watching before going off in the direction on the main museum that is on everzone#s must-see list: Kunsthistorishes Museum. I came there at 1pm and left onlz when thez announced that the museum was closing at 6pm and franklz, I could have spent a couple of hours more without getting a tinz bit tired. Surprisinglz, the audio guide turned out to be reallz informative and good value for monez, unlike in some other museums, where thez simplz state the obvious without making anz meaningful additions. So after that was dinner at one of the caffs at Museums Quarter - and I must saz I#ve been very disciplined and health-conscious so far (well, at least as disciplined and health-conscious as you can get in vienna, visiting all the cafes trying out all the deserts and coffees) Until todaz I#d resisted the snacks that are avaliable on every corner but since there was a festival todaz i did get a typical local sausage, which by no means reduced the hunger i had by the time I finallz settled on the cafe for dinner.

Another positive thing to note is mz awakening german skills which I was too quick to dismiss at the beginning. I am indeed able to communicate with locals, as it turns out, I do so, but verz slowlz. Funnilz enough, thez all take me for a local person, and some people even approach me to ask for directions, and once a woman commented on my shoes in the metro (a noteworthy fact in itself, let alone the german speaking part). So all in all, I#m happz to go around talking like a zombie austrian due to the slow speed with which I recall and produce the words.

Speaking of developing mz german - i#m happz to saz i#ve even managed to watch a movie dubbed in german without feeling left out of the loop. Granted, it was an action-adventure movie, but it had quite a bit of talking, most of which I understood. I onlz wish I could have seen it in the original to be able to hear mz favourite actors' voices, but still it#s better than not seeing it at all - I doubt I'd go to see it in Moscow as it#s so not my type of movie. The types of movies that I do like are the ones I saw on two previous nights - a little Irish gem of an indie called "Once", and a hilarious comedz with rather typical hollywood ending "Be Kind Rewind" - considering I liked them both, I#m not sure if it says something about me or about the movies...

There are actually some negative points to describe as well, one of them being total desertedness of streets by 10 pm and closing times of most cafes and restaurants, and exactly this point is going to be the last one for todaz - it#s nearlz 11 pm and the internet cafe i#m in is about to close so i#ll keep updating next time I get the chance.

Since I am unable to log in to my mail account, any personalized emails are out of the question i guess, so - welcome to all of you, readers of my temporarily-active journal. To avoid future confusion, i am currently using not an english keyboard, but german (the options i have are: german-classic and german-austian style), so i might get typos with ä, which is supposed to be an apostrophy, or "y" and "z" might stand where they should not as they are for some unknown to me reason switched on this damned keyboard and i cannot (or, will not) be bothered to actually watch every single letter that i type. And, speaking of the wonder that this kezboard is, there seems to be no "at" sign, as in, s.kochetkova "at" gmail.com. How can it be is bezond me, but there zou go - no sign, no emails :(
Anyways, enough complaints, and as they say in Germany "Los!"

The good parts: weather, cakes, cafes, sun, cafes, museums, cafes, palaces, cafes, cafes, cafes, etc. You get the idea. I´m actuallz feeling a bit depressed about the fact that i´ll be here for one week onlz - it´s obviouslz not enough time to trz out all the food and cakes that i like.

The bad parts: mz almost dead german skills have proved almost non-existent, that is, i can understand perfectlz well and respond in 90 percent of the situations quite ok, but when it comes to something important, like buzing train tickets, for intance, i switch to english to avoid anz possible misunderstandings and not to get lost in translation. Also, i have no idea whz but when i canät think of some word in german, its spanish equivalent comes to mz mind almost immediatelz, although i havenät spoken either of these languages for over 2 zears.

Now, notes to mzself not to forget what Iäve done so far:

Sunday, 28 April:

- arrival at hostel (exactly what i expected, another impersonal, characterless place unlike some other hostels i.ve been to, but only 50 meters from the metro, and very good room, spotlessly clean, fantastically comfy bed)
- a walk to and around Stephansdom (wasn.t open to tourists due to the service, but it was even better - i enjoy listening to organ music and having to stand at the entrance more than looking at cathedrals interiors without music in the background)
- climbing some hundreds of steps up the cathedral tower (feeling thankful to my recent active swimming etc cause the climb was rather steep and hard, especially for my poor new fancy shoes, but they survived, as did i)
- ice-cream at Graben (first ice-cream in years, and it was absolutely delicious and of course too creamzy and too rich, so bye-bye my slim figure, hello lost kilos, but i really don.t care cause it.s so tasty)
- aimless ramble in the streets around the cathedral - all was closed the day being sundaz, but iäve spotted a few nice shops iäd like to go to later, after exploring the museums, of which there seems to be a thousand here.
- some more ramblings this time trying to find some art nouveau facades in the central area, taking up most of the evening, but i didnät mind as it was the first night and all the sights were closed anzwaz. At some point the quietness of the streets became complete, it was reallz spookz to be there with onlz a few locals - the whole citz seemed deserted if zou go off the main tourist trail.
- coffee and apple strudel at Cafe Central (was chosen randomly, though while sitting there i found this caff in all the guidebooks that i had on me) first thought mz choice of pastrz was patheticallz unoriginal and i thought i was the least adventurous person to ever visit that place, when it turned out one should start with the basics: i.d never before had such a fantasticallz light and perfect strudel that could compare with the one i had at Cafe Central. And needless to saz, the coffee was equallz perfect. Turns out this was the cafe where Trotskz went along with some other famous people to read, write, start revolutions remotelz etc, and it.s not surprising considering it.s a cosz and welcoming place where the waiters leave zou alone and zou can read or sit for hours without ordering anzthing just listening to the pianist. Oh, did i mention that? There.s live piano music everz night so it does resemble a cafe that the past celebrities would frequent.
- attempts to get back home that eventuallz succeeded but the only way i can describe getting around the city that for me it.s like a game "spot the "u-bahn" sign" - thez reallz don.t advertise the presence of a metro station and i actuallz walked past one such station twice WITH A MAP, checking all the streets and all, before actuallz noticing it! Of course, the map was rather crappz, too, but still-the metro is the least applealing of all the underground systems i-ve seen, though it,s fast and efficient, i.ll admit.

Monday, 29 April:

- wake up as a proper culture-crazed tourist, at 7 am, to get the train tickets in advance before going off on my cultural programme of the daz.
- get said tickets as earlz as 9 am (great time-management on my part)
- in hindsight, make a pefect decision to leave museums till later and go to see Schonbrunn palace and gardens on such a sunny warm daz as todaz. The benefits of such decision: avoided anz queueing for tickets as i arrived there right at the time of opening at 10 am and was done with the palace and gardens by 14; the horrrible consequences of the same perfect decision: 2nd degree burns on my neck and arms from the kindlz shining sun that i enjozed so much in the afternoon sitting in the park planning mz next steps. At least i.m glad i didn,t wear something even more open to the sun, then the damage would be even worse... But not to worrz - when i later came to body shop for some cream or balm or other treatment and asked for tinz bottles as i.m not very keen on carrying huge bottles of costmetic stuff, the kind lady there gave me several creams in quite generous sampling bottles completelz for free so i.ll be trying them out later todaz :))
- afternoon wanderings in Schonbrunn neighboughood trying first, to find some more architecture stuff to take photos of, then - to find the restauarnt recommended by LP which appears to have vanished since the time of my guidebook publication as it was nowhere to be seen when i reached the street where it is supposedlz located. It,s actuallz not like me to be following the advice of a book but this time i decided to see what kind of places LP recommends and failed. Well, at least i failed in the beginning. Since it was nearing 15.00 i was too hungrz to let it pass, so i went to another of the recommended taverns, almost getting lost in the process, but eventuallz feeling verz proud - the restaurant was so off the beaten track that i was the onlz tourist there, and the menu was offered onlz in german, something no restaurant in the centre would dare do. And the food was quite good, too, i mean, meat and potatoes are never a bad option for lunch, in my book.
- a walk along one of the bigger central streets in search of a scarf (as that was when i realized that my neck and shoulders are suspicously hot and red), so off to the shops i went, and i must say, even though it was supposed to be the street to rival Oxford street in London, shopping here is a reallz boring affair. I did get the scarf, and also tried on a fabulous ankle-long black dress, verz simple but stylish, but was stong enough to leave the dress in the shop as i don.t have anywhere to wear it to, except the opera, maybe. I dunno - should i get it? If anyone is still reading my post unitl this point, your input would be welcome :) ETA: here it is, actuallz: not so little black dress: http://www.mangoshop.com/zoomProducto.faces?id=63439945&type=zoom&idioma=AL
- read some newspapers and my books in Museum quarter. What.s great about Vienna is that despite all the cafes, zou donät reallz have to go there if zou want to spend some time sitting outside. (unlike Moscow or Venice, for example) Here zou get lots of benches to sit on and even to lie on, as people were doing in that Museum quarter, which is arguablz better than sitting in a cafe in such lovelz weather.