The hills were alive…

Vienna, Austria Vienna in the late 18th and 19th centuries was blessed with an astonishing group of musical geniuses. Since it was Sunday — and an absolutely gorgeous spring Sunday — we went to call at the homes of three of them. We’ve visited the Beethoven and Mozart residences on other trips, but there are still more to see.

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Sweet and savory

Vienna, Austria We began our day back at the palace, hoping to tour a part of what used to be our favorite pastry and confectionery shop, Demel. When we first came to Vienna, their second floor was a restaurant that served fabulous wiener schnitzel, if memory serves. Flash forward to our next visit, post-Covid, to find out they had eliminated their upstairs restaurant. They did serve main dishes on the first floor, but wiener schnitzel was not among them.

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We have returned

Vienna, Austria Though we did it by getting up at 5:30 am, it was a pleasure to fly to Vienna this morning. We had a stroke of good luck when we checked into our hotel. Because of our excessive charm, we were given a super upgrade to a one-bedroom suite, and we graciously accepted it. None of our rooms have been all that spacious, so this is a huge treat.

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Out and about

Paris, France We got a late start today, after a nice night’s sleep. It took seeing that all the cafés were closed to realize that today is Sunday, so we joined the crowds and did some strolling.

There are those who start Sundays with a visit to church. We saved that for dessert after spotting an American cultural icon — Krispy Kreme! This Greensboro, North Carolina success story is a treat everywhere we travel.

Then, we went to church. Saint-Eustache was right next door. It was begun in the 16th century and was modeled on Notre Dame. The scale is smaller, but the interior is familiar and quite lovely. Considered the church of Parisian fruit and vegetable sellers, it even featured French boy scouts selling homemade bakery items. (You gotta love the kid with that true French attitude.) Bet they would be upset to know what an industry American girl scout cookies have become.

We were next to the Westfield Forum des Halles, a modern mall superimposed on what had been a fresh food market from the 11th century. A lot of history, now exchanged for H&M and the like. It’s a huge expanse of shops, covered by an amazing glass canopy.

Next to it is the Fountain of the Innocents, built over a medieval cemetery, whose occupants were transferred to the Catacombs in the 18th century.

This always was a fancy neighborhood. Down the street lived the Duke of Burgundy. He was rightfully afraid for his life in 1407, (guilty conscience from killing the Duke of Orleans), so he added a 88 foot tower to his house, and moved his bedroom upstairs. The tower is all that remains of the Duke’s massive estate. He may have died in his sleep, but one assumes he slept better in the tower, known as Tour Jean Sans Peur, the “Tower of Jean without Fear.”

Otherwise, we simply strolled in our search for a suitable lunch venue, taking in the crowds, including a couple moving in for a kiss.

Don’s Food Corner

We hadn’t really had a full decent meal in a couple of days, so we settled into an historic restaurant, the origins of which seem to trace back to the 11th century, and searched for French goodies.

I immediately focused on the oysters. I only ordered three (at about $4 each), but they were beauties, so plump and juicy. I’ve had oysters all over the world, but I’d say the oysters I’ve had in France are always the best. You can really taste the sea, in a nuanced manner. I liked the presentation, too. The oysters nestled in ice. Little slices of bread with butter and some red wine and minced shallots or mignonette. Classic.

Jo started with yet another take on eggs mayonnaise. Today’s mayonnaise wasn’t as flavorful as other recent examples; the yolks weren’t completely cooked through and were a little “jammy.” But somehow they all disappeared.

Jo moved on to veal Milanese, I guess to get ready for the real veal thing when we get to Vienna. In a couple of days she will begin her competitive tasting of wiener schnitzel. There’s no grade for today’s meal because, well, why bother?

I went for steak and frites. The steak was huge and I didn’t finish it. But it was beautifully pan-fried. It wasn’t thick. And I should have ordered it more rare than it came. But it was juicy and mostly tender. It came with a choice of a béarnaise sauce or a pepper sauce. I ordered the béarnaise sauce, but only used a tiny bit on one piece of meat. A sauce on a nice piece of steak? Those French, they can’t help themselves. If there’s no sauce, it’s not French.

The Good Life

Paris, France With the exception of a few tough years, Paris has always been a place where one can enjoy the best of the best, whether to wear, eat, drink, or live.

After a lovely breakfast – details to follow – we began our tour of lifestyles of the rich and famous with a visit to the home/studio/museum of Yves Saint Laurent, which is now open to the public.

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Paying our respects

Paris, France Thanks to Don’s research and quick reflexes at midnight a few days ago. we were able to obtain tickets for Notre Dame today. Refresh, refresh, refresh, get your tickets, and ten minutes later, all sold out!

But it would have been such a shame not to see it. Work is still continuing on the exterior, but the interior has reopened and it is glorious.

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