Monthly Archives: December 2013

Changes to the fabric of food

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Gary

On our last night in Vienna, we went to the oldest, continuous restaurant…the one that Mozart ate at. When we left, they gave us the bill, along with a postcard, showing the restaurant a while ago, in black and white. … Continue reading →

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I refuse to be shocked

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Gary

We watched the rest of series 4 of Downton Abbey today/tonight. It’s been recorded for ages and was just waiting for us to get time to watch it. We now have the Christmas special to look forward to. Interestingly, it … Continue reading →

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The Farnham experience

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Gary

We had a visit from Belinda and Tim today. Belinda is Mirinda’s cousin and Tim is her husband. We went to their wedding back in May, when we were in Australia. They are presently on a world tour and popped … Continue reading →

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Better late…

Posted on December 28, 2013 by Gary

The luggage turned up at about 3pm. So, not quite 24 hours after it left Vienna. Everything was fine and most of it had been washed by the time I went to bed. Mirinda was already in bed. Actually she’s … Continue reading →

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Lousy service

Posted on December 27, 2013 by Gary

After a lovely Christmas break, you really don’t want a problem with your luggage at Heathrow. You really don’t want to stand around at baggage retrieval for a few hours waiting for the non-appearance of your bags. You really don’t … Continue reading →

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Seegrotte

Posted on December 26, 2013 by Gary

We’ve been on quite a few lovely boat trips in our travels. And not all of them above ground, either – the Blue Grotto springs to mind. But, easily the oddest boat ride was had today. We were part of … Continue reading →

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Psychoanalyse this!

Posted on December 25, 2013 by Gary

You don’t see a St Sebastian for ages and then, suddenly, two come along at once. This was painted by Andrea Mantegna in around 1458. It hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum. The Kunsthistorisches has rapidly become my favourite museum…EVAH! I … Continue reading →

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Doctor Fish

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Gary

Schönbrunne was the summer residence of the Habsburgs. Marie Antoinette was born there before being shipped off to Paris to have her head cut off. Sisi spent quite a lot of time at Schönbrunne as well, making herself beautiful and … Continue reading →

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Taking the tram

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Gary

I saw my first St Sebastian for ages today. He was in a huge painting, surrounded by tin and enamel saints, in St Peter’s Church in the old town. Actually Mirinda thought the church was ‘hideous’…though I’m certain that had … Continue reading →

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The Cult of Sisi

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Gary

Apparently, she wasn’t very nice, hated being royalty and generally vanished for years at a time, missing out on seeing her children grow up. However, once assassinated, the beautiful Elizabeth, Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary, became a cult figure, … Continue reading →

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