To make myself feel better...

Here are some pictures from my trip to Austria.

My favorite boys: Christopher and Stefan

Dressing up as the court jester, solider and arch bishop at Burg Mauterndorf

Coffee and Buchteln at Cafe Hawelka, Vienna

the Votivkirche

An awesome day at the Baggersee at Kaltenleutgeben

Relaxed on my last day

Perbersee outside of Tamsweg

Claudia and I take a seat on the road

A little color play at Schloss Mirabel in Salzburg

In the graveyard of St. Peter's, Salzburg

From Festung Hohensalzburg. That's the Untersberg in the background.

The Wolfgangsee, where we rented a boat.

Rosalie, Lauren, me and Christopher at the Stein Terrasse in Salzburg.

Out of the wonderfully warm and not too hot frying pan; into the raging fire!

After 17 blissful, stress-free days of someone else making you breakfast and drinking wine spritzer after wine spritzer in the gentle warmth of a Viennese summer, normal life really really sucks.

My return to New York was like a slap in the face. I got out of the plane and felt the humidity and the heat of the city waiting to engulf me in its stinky misery. I stood for what seemed like an eternity on the platform at Howard Beach waiting on the silly A train. I lugged my suitcase up the stairs at 125th Street because the elevator was, of course, out of order. Trash swirled around my ankles as I walked the four blocks through Harlem to my place. Up the dust coated stairs and into my doorless apartment. Hastily plugged in my phone, which had drained itself over 2.5 weeks, and organized a place to stay for the night. Packed another bag and left my doorless apartment and all my possessions unprotected. Monday was back to work with lots of emails and a boring meeting with a stupid Park Avenue consulting firm. Monday night: no door. Again. The landlord promised there would be one before he left for the evening. At 11 PM my roommate and I gave up and retreated to the dust free sanctity of her friend's apartment, where I slept on the couch. Before we left I received a promise that the landlord wouldn't leave until there was a door. This morning we returned at 7 am to: no door. Am I surprised? Made plans to sleep somewhere else again tonight, packed another bag. Came to work and developed a headache, which brings us to now.

Why did I come back?

Vienna - day 12

Whoa!!! I can't believe that 12 of my 17 days of vacation are over! Counting them up has made me realize that I don't have much time left here. I should probably stop sleeping until 11 AM every day and actually do something, but then again, I'm on vacation and this is what I'm supposed to do, isn't it? 

This morning I woke up earlier than usual and went running around the 14th and 15th districts of Vienna, back to my old neighborhood and my old running paths. I started from Stefan's in the 16th and ran over to Claudia's friend Sonja's apartment in the 15th and dropped off the sweater I had borrowed from Claudia to ward off the 50 degree F weather in the Lungau region, where I was until yesterday. Then from there I ran down Johnstraße past my old fitness center and straight into the front gates of Schönbrunn castle. I did the usual loop like I used to and was amazed, as always, by the utterly fabulous view from the Gloriette at the top of the hill on the castle grounds. I exited as per usual by the zoo and ran my way over to Penzingerstraße, my old stomping grounds. Running up Diesterweggasse I was smiling to myself--how familiar and fabulous it all was! The little renovated house at the end of the street, the Greek restaurant on the corner, the church. A quick right took me to the front door to my old building, where I looked for the name on the buzzers...it had been changed to reflect the actual tenants instead of the dead grandmother who used to live there, but had passed away before I moved in in 2005. 

From there I ran up the hill and around in the 14th trying to figure out the best way to get back to Stefan's. Luckily I happened across Kendlerstraße and was able to take it home. It felt good to be out and about in the city on a blustery, semi-summer day. The weather here hasn't been the greatest--it threatens to rain nearly every day this week, although last week was pretty damn good. It doesn't matter though, as I am happy as a clam to be here, to be with my friends, to be in my second city. The decision to come here was really a smart one, as this is probably the most relaxing vacation I've had in my adult life. There is no pressure to see anything because I've already seen it all; no pressure to get up early or pack my days with tourist stuff. 

Now we're off to Mariahilferstraße to do a little shopping. I left my jacket on the train the other day and probably need a new one...

Me and Stefan playing around