I had a number of missions to accomplish. The first was to off-load some glass recycling. This was done easily at a depository a few blocks from the apartment.
The second mission was to take the books I had finished reading to a book-exchange. There were namely:
*”The House With Chicken Legs”, by Sophie Anderson,
*”Crookhaven: The School for Thieves”, by J. J. Arcanjo,
*”Kaspar Prince of Cats”, by Michael Morpurgo,
*”Crookhaven: The Forgotten Maze”, by J. J. Arcanjo, and
*”The Hunger Games”, by Sophie Collins.
All of these I had enjoyed immensely, and I was keen for others to enjoy them too. I had in fact passed a facility in which to leave these on my ramblings the previous day. It was at the junction between Westbahnstraße, and Zieglergasse, and appeared as a cabinet that was set to fall over at any moment. Books deposited, I headed into the city.
The third mission: to find a bookshop that sold books in English. The prime reason for this was to purchase volume 2 of “The Hunger Games” series. I had very much enjoyed the first novel, and was keen to find out what would happen next to Ms. Everdeen. Some research turned up two possibilities. Firstly, “Morawa” on Mariahilfer Straße. This was nicely en-route to the centre of the city and did indeed yield a positive result at the back of the ground floor. I saved the actual purchase until later in the day so as not to have to carry the volume around with me.
My research had revealed another possibility in “Shakespeare and Company”, near St Stephen’s Cathedral. I intended to frequent the latter, so it was little effort to include the former in my visitations, primarily out of academic interest.
It was a most impressive bookshop. It reminded me of many of the establishments selling books “second hand” that I had visited in my youthful days. Indeed, at the back of the shop was a section selling books of this nature, alongside newer volumes towards the front. While it did not have what I was looking for, I enjoyed browsing here very much and was glad to have made the detour.
My feet then took me back to St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The opening hours on “Google Maps” the previous day had confused me. However, further research indicated that it was in fact open in the afternoons, after a short lunch break. I found the entrance with little difficulty, by merely joining the direction of the crowd.
Much of the interior was fenced off, with an €8 fee required to pay an extended visit, with audioguide. This I was happy to pay. Inside, it was at least as stunning as the outside, with many examples of exquisite carving, art, and stained glass windows. I was amused to note the very prominent “Hapsburg jaw” on the carving of kind Leopold I.
The pulpit was particularly impressive. I enjoyed the intense realism on the faces of the carved figures. In particular, the artist himself was depicted peering through a window at the bottom. I got the impression of a comedic aspect to the work be it intentional, or unintentional. I also admired the wheels on the banister. Half of these had three spokes representing the trinity, and appeared to be rolling up the slope. The other half had four spokes, representing the seasons, or perhaps the classic elements. These appeared to be rolling down. The combination of art, science, and optical illusion here interested me greatly.
I lit a candle.
It was time for refreshment. I did explore the shop floor of “Demel”. This is one of the classic Viennese coffee houses. While proving quite beautiful, it was also extremely busy. There was a significant queue on the stair to get into the coffee house itself, so I descended to consider other options.
As an alternative, my research directed me to “Café Hawelka”. This had seating available outside, which I made use of. I ordered a “Vienna Melange” coffee, and a slice of “Sachertorte”. I usually do not opt for chocolate cake, but this was light, and very much freshened in taste by the apricot jam. I enjoyed it very much.
I bought the second volume of “The Hunger Games” on my walk back to the apartment. I also stopped for supplies to make a simple pasta meal. I had bought some sausage I had no idea what to do with, so this seemed a way to combat that issue.
It was very tasty.
