Tuesday, May 16 and Wednesday, May 17

Monday, May 15 was my last night in NYC before my trip to Vienna/Wien/VEEEN. Except for some snacks with my lovely friend Liz it was not very interesting stuff, so let’s skip to my wonderful BF Mark!, who did my laundry on Tuesday morning and kept my head on straight as I scrambled to get my shit together for the trip. Mark! and I took a car from Astoria to JFK at 3:00 p.m. for a 6:00 p.m. flight. Yes, I know. But I'm really, really uptight. When we arrived at JFK, the line for Austrian Airlines was snaking around on itself. It was over an hour before I could check in and feel utterly justified in my choice to take a 3:00 p.m. car.

Mark! and I said 'bye as I got in line for the security check. I took off my shoes to be x-rayed for the sake of national security and, once approved, made my way towards my gate. My 6:00 p.m. flight did not board until 6:05 p.m., and the restless crowd turned the whole event into a total clusterfuck. Eventually, we were all on the completely full airplane, in seats, ready to go. Except for the overhead compartment one row in front of me which kept springing open. And the armrest between myself and my buddy in the next seat which was hanging on by a mere thread. As an extra bonus, Buddy smelled strongly of B.O.

I'm ok with flight in general, but I do get sick during takeoff and very sick during landing. I used to take Dramamine, but I'm unsure if that particular medication contains gluten. So, I equipped myself with a bag of candied ginger which worked out very well indeed. The ginger also masked Buddy's aroma a bit. Betsy recommended that I sleep as much as possible on the flight to prevent jetlag; I think I got about five hours of sleep on the eight-hour flight. Buddy's odors did not affect my sleep.

My flight landed in VEEEN at 9:00 a.m. WeinTime (3:00 a.m. NYC). I was through baggage claim and customs in record time and met up with Betsy at 9:30 a.m. We went back to her fabulous apartment on Salmgasse, via the City Air Terminal shuttle-subway and the U-Bahn, for breakfast and planning. Betsy recommended that I visit the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Museum of the History of Art) and ride the 1- (clockwise) or 2-Tram (widdershins) around the Ringstrasse, which circles the center of VEEEN. Then, Betsy went off to work, I took a shower, and out I went to do reconnaissance.

I walked around. A lot. I walked from Betsy's place to the Ringstrasse, and along the Ringstrasse to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, passing the Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera House) on the way. By this time, it was pouring rain. It had been drizzling when I got off the plane, grey as we walked from the U-Bahn station to Betsy's apartment, bright and sunny while we ate breakfast, grey when Betsy left for work, drizzling when I left the apartment, and pouring when I reached the Ringstrasse. I didn't really mind; I had been cooped-up on that airplane for so long, I was happy to be moving around. Unfortunately, I couldn't deal with my umbrella, map, and digital camera all at once. I'll have to go back for some photos later.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is an absolutely enormous building with a tiny collection. I thought I might have missed some of it in my stupor, but Betsy assured me that the collection is, in fact, very small. I found it pleasantly overwhelming. Most of the curatorial information was in German and I relied heavily on my English audiotour handset. There were European paintings and sculpture; Greek, Roman, and Egyptian statuary; coins and medals; and some other stuff which I remember as a blur.

Every time I sat down I fell asleep. Once on an upholstered bench in the Kunsthistorisches Museum and twice on park benches around the Ringstrasse. My goal was to stay awake as per Betsy's instructions. I knew if I sat down on a tram, it would be all over. So, I decided to walk the Ringstrasse. And I did. I checked my guidebook when I was done; the Ringstrasse is approximately 5 km; just the thing to do when you're about to fall asleep on your feet.