Tuesday 11 March 2014

OH Vienna... EEK

Well it's the next morning, and while I didn't have a hangover as such, I wasn't 100 percent right.  We'd had breakfast and the pig count was down.  The trip for today was Vienna.  What I really liked about Eddie, he went with the flow.  He liked seeing all the sights but he wasn't to bothered where we went, as long as it was interesting.

Vienna, for me carried such a romantic history, both in films and real life.  I'd researched it before we left the UK and I was so desperate to get there, I was foaming at the bit.  I wanted to go on the hunt for Harry Lime, There was Mozart, Beethoven, The Wheel (Also in "The Third Man"), it was a geek paradise.  The only thing that got Eddie's mouth watering was finding out that Vienna was famous for it's coffee houses.

The bus was packed and we were ready and off we went.  The tour guide told us that he'd arranged something for us when we coming back to the hotel.  "A detour", he said, being all mysterious.  On the way there, he gave us the history of the area and  how Vienna had changed hands.  The whole thing was so interesting in drowned out Eddie's snores in the next seat.  When he got to the "coffee houses", Eddie's radar was on full alert, and he kept telling me to remember where these "mystical places" were.

We pulled into Vienna and the first thing I saw was the "big  wheel".  I nudged Eddie and pointed, expecting him to take in the majesty of it all.  He looked for a little while and then he said, "They're just like the Garden Shed, he'd got at home".  That put a small damper on my enthusiasm.  We pulled in and the guide said we'd got 9 hours and to remember where we'd parked.

I was at loss.  There were so many things I wanted to see.  I was going, "hunt for Harry Lime, There was Mozart, Beethoven, The Wheel (Also in "The Third Man"" and Eddie was going, "Coffee, Coffee, Coffee, Coffee, Coffee, ".  We compromised and decided we'd head off towards a coffee house and if there was something interesting on the way we'd stop.

Now, I'm not overly religious and in reality neither is Eddie but there are times when we have our moments.  We walked along, like tourists, with Eddie going "Coffeee, Coffeee, Coffeeeee" and we saw St. Stephen's cathedral.  I said to Eddie, there's nothing more interesting than that, so we went in.  It's a weird thing, but there was a meeting/service going on and the place was enormous.  Eddie turned to me and said, "Let's sit and I can think about my daughter".  He'd lost his daughter to leukemia, and he's often told me that he feels closer to her in church.  I feel the same way about my dad.  We sat there in quiet contemplation, and bathed in the majesty of the cathedral.

       

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Tuesday 25 February 2014

Karaoke Night in De Sade's bunker - Hotel

We marched back to the hotel and to my relief, Eddie didn't do a Julie Andrews.  We got back to the room and we both had a kip before we got ready for supper.  When we woke, there was still a hour before we needed to get ready, so we got ready and took a walk down the lane and into the forest.  It was so still, just bird noise and the sun was just above setting.  We went so far and paused, as there was a noise in the bushes.  We moved to the fence, and much to our delight a large herd (?) of pigs appeared.  They weren't like babe but more like porcupigs.  Their coats were all spiky, and they rushed up to the fence, their snouts poking over the wire.  There was quite a few small baby pigs, and much to my surprise, I was quite taken by one of them.  It snuffled along and it had a limp.  Eddie said, "Are you going to count them?" and I replied "33".

We had supper, I honestly can't remember what it was but it was first class.  We then went back to the room.  The brochure for the holiday, said that there was entertainment laid on almost every night, and that the hotel had a bar  We assumed, that was where the entertainment was, so we wandered round the labyrinth, that was our hotel.   We finally found where the entertainment was by following the noise of people enjoying themselves.  It was weird, but  it went from no sounds, to sounds, just by opening one door.  I realised that the hotel had sound proofed the lower part of the hotel, and by the sounds of the singing.  The final door revealed something similar to "Cabaret".  The walls were blood scarlet, and there was alcove after alcove.  Each were lit by a single lamp, which illuminated the occupants faces.  It felt a little weird.  The whole feel to the basement (For that's where we were) was a cross between the KitKatClub and a Stalinist bunker.  Imagine the Stalinist Bunker map as a map of the hotel basement. The alcoves were on the left of the main corridor and then it split into two, more alcoves on the right, bar on your left.

We'd decided that we'd sit at the bar, as there were no male/male in the alcoves, and Eddie didn't want anyone to think we were in a relationship.  He told me, that "if he was, he'd like to think he could've picked up someone better...".  This was funny, as I was thinking the same thing.  I told him that we needed to "watch our drinking, as it was Vienna tomorrow" and "I definitely didn't want to do it with a hangover.".  He agreed and we started to "nurse" our pints.   We couldn't talk much because we were next to the jukebox, but to waste time, and to entertain ourselves, we viewed its selection.  It was like a flashback to all our nights out together.  It had power ballads, heavy metal, stadium bands, Rock'n'Roll and Crooners.  We  were in a world of delight, and we spent some money, choosing our favourites. 

We returned to the bar and we were doing really well.  We'd nursed the first pint for an hour and ordered a second.  The barman, who had a good command of the English language, suggested we tried the local mead. It was a honeyed spirit, but I was a little worried, as I didn't want to get drunk.  He assured us  that it didn't leave a hangover in the morning, even when mixing our drinks.  This was something we avoided like the plague, as it evoked the "Never AGAIN!" curse.  Eddie said, "We'd try it" and so began a night of drunkenness.  As the night wore on, we noticed that people in the alcoves were singing along with the songs being played on the jukebox.  So, in the spirit of camaraderie, we joined in.  Pints and mead, flowed and then our selection, came on the jukebox.  Eddie was joyful, his eyes glazed and he burst into song.  "Start spreading da Nooooes, We're leaving today" and stood up.  There was a part of me that was mildly embarrassed,  but that was quietened down when the alcoves joined in.  We then had a couple of rock songs, and at the end of those, I found myself joining in.  

There was a little hiccup when one of my choices popped up.  I was thankful there were a few of the alcoves had heard of Sid Vicious.  We  finished with two of Queen, (Radio Gaga and Under Pressure).   We then decided that it was time for bed.  The walk back to our room was masked in giggles, and me telling us off for making too much noise.  We found ourselves in a different part of the hotel and it was a little gruesome.  There where animal heads on the wall.  Eddie went up to a stag's head and looked puzzled.  "I bet that poor bugger was travelling pretty fast when he hit that wall", he said.  I told him that, "Maybe it's arse is on the other side".  We managed to get back to our room, fairly quietly and fell into a drunken sleep.  I only hoped the barman wasn't lying about the mead.

 





  "New York, New York"  "Tainted love"

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Travels with Eddie - Part 2 - Ain't no mountain high enough??

  Day 2

It was fun waking up without the traditional hang over.  Eddie had gone down for breakfast so I showered, shaved and went down to a continental breakfast (CONTINENTAL the word sounds exotic).  Anyway, the breakfast consisted of, for starters, a French butter pastry (I don't know how to spell it!!), with strawberry jam in the middle, and fresh orange juice. Then came the main meal, which was slices of well cooked bacon, in a soft cob, with drizzled honey  (Honey shipped in locally I might add and we finished with with toast, raspberry jam and coffee. How can I remember it you ask???  Well it was something completely different from my normal. (Cereal, Toast and Tea).  When we finished, the courier told us that we wouldn't be long on the road and we'd be traveling through a medieval walled town the was on the border of France, Germany and Austria.

I've been looking for the name of the town and I believe it's Passau.  All I can remember it was like Doctor Who, We traveled back in time.  I expected knights and ladies fair, but the big thing I remember, everything was extraordinarily clean.  The streets had not one bit of litter. (Boring I know but we, here have litter (Surprise!!!)).  The coach moved forward and we got to see the Rhine.  We were told that the castle we were about to pass, was the same castle that Richard the Lionheart was held to ransom in. (OK I've stuck a picture in). Eddie said it "needed the builders in", I was to busy going, "wow!" in my head, and back to the medieval knights (in my head)

We passed a number of castles and were told we're nearing the hotel (OK this may be the hotel, or something like it.  We passed through a large wood and as the coach went through the sun dappled road, the courier mention the there was wild pigs in the area and if we saw them, he said "count them".  This was a bizarre statement but it was one of those, "What the Heck!" things.  We arrived at the hotel, late morning and there would be a supper at 6pm.  Our room was on the ground floor, and we tipped the Bus boy, for delivering us to it.

Eddie, was excited and he wanted to do a "Julie Andrews".  I guessed what this meant. It meant climbing a fecking mountain and bursting into song.  I reluctantly agreed to join him.  We left the hotel, with a map of the general area, and it seemed that behind the hotel was a fairly steep incline to a mountain village.  "We're going to that village" he said.  I thought it might be nice so off we went.

The incline got steeper, Eddie trotted along like a sodding mountain goat.  It got steeper still and there was goat boy Eddie, skipping along. Steeper still, and smiling away, he looked down on me, as I puffed up the the hill, like "the little engine that could give a toss".  "Ay Ha, Ay Ha" (No it's not the intro to "Prince Charming by Adam and the Ants" ) but the noises coming out my body.  I was dying on that mountain side, and around me, hopped a little hobgoblin called Eddie.

We were lucky, we hit a road and the first thing I did was pause, make the excuse to look into the valley.  I'm really glad I did, as while it was a ruse to get air into my exhausted lungs. it meant that I almost passed out, with the breath taking view.  The Rhine meandered  around the hotel, it was like a horse shoe with our hotel in the middle.  Eddie was for the off, I turned and looked along the road and I could see why he wanted to go, there was a tavern.  I told him that I didn't want to spoil our evening meal and I'd look around, the small mountain village.

He moved off at a fair pace and I looked at the various chalets and buildings and then I found a path between houses.  There was a sign in Austrian and a gate, that had been inter-twined with flowers. I followed the path, and i came to the smallest of graveyards. (Now, my sister and I share an interest in statues and graves (Morbid I know, but hey, we're family) and so I walked into a beautiful place.  How can I describe it?  It was full of flowers. It was like an explosion of colour had fallen on this mountain side. Each grave was lovingly dressed and each stone had a picture of the occupant.  There was photos going back years and it wasn't the solemn passport photo, it was photos of joy.  It refreshed my soul but I knew I'd have to fetch Eddie.  I got to the tavern and he had a stein of ale  and a meal.  The meal consisted of an enormous anemic sausage and onions and cabbage.  He'd ordered me a beer and afterwards, we strolled slowly down the path back to the hotel for our supper.

OK I've got the night to type but, I've got to the stage it's no longer a joy...  lol sooo next it's OH VIENNA

Sunday 16 February 2014

Travels with Eddie - Part one - OH Vienna!!!

OK, the Vienna bit's just to pull you in, (it does turn up on day three) but I'm going to do this chronologically and start with day one, and tomorrow will be day two etc.

Day One - England to France

The bus was starting off very early and so I stayed over at Eddie's.  I can't remember what the weather was like the next morning, but it feels like it was misty as we crossed the railway bridge to the bus stop.  I was all excited, I'd traveled abroad before, but that ended in a drunken time, and it was a there and back thing.  This was actually taking in the culture of the area.

We kipped on the bus, and apart from squeezing in a very small bus toilet, I've really not much to say about it.  We crossed the channel by Ferry at Dover, and I know that this has been said before (By better writers than me) but my heart filled with pride as the afternoon sun shone on it's white cliffs.  I was going to be seeing foreign climes.  I was going to see French people.  OK, this does seem a little weird but I come from a small island, it's not like America with it's "melting pot", I come from a small village/town in Derbyshire.

Anyway, as we passed through France, the courier was pointing out different places to see, Eddie slept.  I on the other hand, was listening avidly to his words.  We pulled off of the AutoBahn (Not to sure about this, just trying to sound continental) and traveled through the streets of a small French town.  This was going to be our hotel for the night.  Eddie had woken up by then, and he was excited to be here.  I was like an insane person, I couldn't wait to get out into the town.

We'd booked a double room, as it was cheaper and neither of use were proud.  We'd slept in cars, caravans, tents and vans and through all that time, sharing a room was a piece of cake.  We'd been told that it would be a mid morning start after a 9am breakfast, as we were near our Austrian destination.  This meant that Eddie and I could explore the town.  It seems from memory, it didn't take us long to get ready.  I was going to see my first French town.

It was dark when we set out, I seem to remember that there'd been a rain storm, so all the streets seem to gleam with that orange street light glow.  The whole street seemed french, (It may have helped that the street and shop signs were all in french) but it was magical.  It was like being in  " An American in Paris" except it was me, built like a brick outhouse (Gene Kelly) and Eddie, built like a brick short arse (Jerry Mouse). I loved it.

Anyway, we wandered the streets looking for a pub/bar.  Just so that we could say, we'd drank in France.  It wasn't far from the hotel, we found a bar and it was full of the most beautiful french women you could think of.  It was like heaven.  Eddie said to me.  "Bugger finding another bar, we're here for the night", and I readily agreed.  We were not aiming to get drunk but just have a nice "buzz on" so you're lucid and you can remember it the next day. (Hence me writing this).

It was up to me to go to the bar and order the beer.  Eddie reasoned, and quite rightly so, that I'd left school way after him, (He was at least 9 years older than me) my elementary school "French" would be better.  The barmaid was sweet, from what I can remember at the time, I wanted to leave the bus tour and just gaze at her.  Anyway I got the beers (After finding out that her school "English" was better than my elementary school "French") and we sat and savored the sights.

It was bizarre, but there were no Frenchmen in the bar.  We sat there chatting and talking about this and then a Frenchman appeared. ordered a short, sat down and started chatting to one of those beautiful French women.  Then another Frenchman appeared and again, ordered his drink, and chatted to another beautiful woman.  This went on through the night, and as each Frenchman finished chatting, he and the woman would disappear into the night.

We finally clicked on to what was happening, when the women started to return to the cafe.  They were ladies of the night (and I don't mean vampires) and this was their pickup point and the cafe owner was getting extra from their gentlemen friends orders.  OK, this took my idea of exotic to the point of no return and it was nice that when we left, a few of the ladies wished us goodnight.

On the way back to the hotel, we both got cut short.  We looked in vain for a toilet but we couldn't see one.  We turned the corner and like a glowing tower, in the middle of the street (on a island I hasten to add) was a modern toilet.  It then turned into a no holds barred rush to this saviour in metal.  Unfortunately for me, Eddie made it first and shot into the thing.  I could hear music and Eddie was saying, " It talks to you, you know".  This was no comfort to a full bladder and I devised a scheme to get him out.  I told him that there was writing on the outside that said that everything was timed and that soon, he'll be in the open air with all his jewels on display.  I'll be honest, written French was a foreign language too me.  He shot out, zipping up I hasten to add.

We walked back to the hotel, both with a nice buzz on, and I noticed that on the corner of the street, there was a cinema.  I love cinemas and try to get to one on each of my holidays.  I suggested that we both go and see what was on (never mind that it'd all be in French)  It turned out to be a porno movie... and the cinema was closed, so we took a slow walk back, and went to sleep.

End of Day ONE



Intro to Time Travel 101

Okay, I'm a blogger...

It sounds rude but this is my first blog.  I know I have another blog called "Selly's Place" but this is going to be memory driven.  It's not going to be in chronological order but it'll be memories.

"Why this title", you say?  Actually you say bugger all, as you've not read this yet.  Well, it's a way of keeping a little piece of me alive...  and when the dementia sets in (HA Too late)  I'll have memories of people that were, and are special to me... and as I type about them, they'll exist in your minds too.  The thing is, immortality will exist for these people and for the most they deserve it.  The "time" bit is, well it's the years I've spent on the planet and the "space" bit is that various memories, will be in different spaces.  All that and shoot me, I'm a whovian.

I'll try and make them an entertaining read but some times something a little sad will pop up and I'm not apologising for this, as without sadness, we wouldn't know the importance of joy.  It's become my mission...  and I chose to except it...

YAY! First post