Thus with a kiss I die

Dying might sound exaggerated because I am still here writing about it. But let me start from the beginning and hear my tale of woe.

Saturday started with coffee in a place near my home. As usual I was meeting my friend to talk about life, news, wishes and worries. It is a great start to the weekend to get everything right off my chest and then be relaxed for the rest of the time. I had a good laugh already that morning when I saw that the coffee shop had internationalized their menu. It might be funnier for the German speaking followers but basically they are offering kitchens (really, more than one!) with their New York breakfast, including a bread roll that’s missing a letter.

The rest of my morning was spent with meeting friends with kids and taking a nap after. Even though they are not mine, sometimes just looking at them leaves me exhausted. Maybe I try to sleep for their mothers?

That afternoon I picked up my sister’s friend from his hotel room and we started our three day weekend/sightseeing bonanza. Since it was hot and muggy and he just arrived that morning in Vienna, I decided ice-cream was in order and took him to the Eis Greissler (link only available in German, but basically the ingredients are mostly organic and regional).

Ray looks happy while I look mostly exhausted. Partying really drains my energy and I remember feeling as if all my marrow had been sucked out. All the better that we had a quiet evening planned with Shakespeare in the Park. This year they were showing Romeo and Juliet and I was immensely looking forward to it. I had loved last year’s play of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so I expected an evening entertainment without too much exertion. But as we all know, expectations are the root of all evil!

Of course the evening turned out completely different. At first all was fun and play. We arrived at Cat’s place, shared a drink and then left for the theater (or better the park). Once there, Pimms were in order due to this being an English play. One cannot go wrong with Pimms here, something we had already tried and tested last year. While waiting indoors and keeping refreshed, a slight drizzle started to fall. Maybe not so much a drizzle as some single raindrops? You can see from these pictures that there was no rain in the background (I know it was raining elsewhere in Vienna but not here).


I especially like the thumb in the left upper corner. The lady who took the picture knew how to make herself unforgettable!
So although there was basically no rain, the play was not in the park but indoors. And indoors turned out to be a small room where the windows had been barricaded with plywood and any air circulation seemed to be forbidden. After ten minutes I felt the sweat running down my body in rivulets. Honestly, I would not have been astonished to find myself sitting in a pool of sweat at break. As it turned out though the room got so overheated from all the people that we all ended in a steam-bath. So at break we cut the cultural excursion short and fled the steamy scene. It also transpired that Sylvia dislikes Shakespeare and Cat doesn’t care. So Romeo died for all of us, we just didn’t see it.

We invited ourselves to Cat’s place again not only for the unlimited supply of drinks and snacks but for the other goodie as well aka Thomas the formidable host! Ray tested every color of Austrian wine including also sparkling wine, beer and schnapps. Coming from another country is always a good reason to test-drink the available offers. We stayed well past midnight and tested Sylvia’s patience, as usual she was the only one not imbibing. Which was perfect since we needed a lift to the nearest taxi.
Yours, Pollybert