Deadly serious

We left by train to Brno, which marked the end of our 10 day journey across the Aegean and Vienna. It's easily been the warmest trip we've had in the nine years of travelling and also probably the most tiring. Or perhaps I'm just getting old. The highlight of the trip has to be the Acropolis but really there's been so much, from the mosaics and jeep tour in Paphos, to the endless ruins of Athens, the palace of Knossos, the museum of Heraklion, the food of Crete and eventually here, the architecture of Vienna.

And how many hotels offer sparkling wine for breakfast. We just couldn't resist. We've been in Vienna only briefly but the city's been stunning and the hotel could not have offered more luxury.

And so on Friday morning we had the last breakfast of our trip and the first and only one in Vienna. But it all ended in style. We've had quite a few luxurious breakfasts but this one is certainly up there with the best. It's the first hotel to have soya milk and lactose free yoghurt. I didn't much fancy the veal sausages but we definitely felt spoilt.

On our final walk back to the hotel we came across this loud march in Graben. At first we thought it was a right-wing protest with the tone of the voices and all the police but as we neared we saw a face on the flags and looked up the name. It was for a Kurdish freedom fighter (or terrorist) imprisoned in Turkey. What seemed quite hostile from the distance was fairly good natured once we were near. A few minutes later we were back at the hotel, collapsed on our beds for the final night. What a long day.

The food festival was in the plaza directly between these two buildings, the Town Hall (Rathaus) and the National Theatre (Burgtheater). I'm not sure I recall seeing a single building in the whole of central Vienna that looked in any way out of place. Every turn and every corner is a masterpiece.

It couldn't have been any more perfectly timed that as we approached our final sights we stumble across a food festival in front of an orchestra festival next to a film festival. It was only the former we were interested in and the choice seemed endless. It was almost like finding an oasis in the desert. In fact for a moment it could have been a mirage. Getting a table, however, was not going to be easy. However, as I looked around trying to get some choices Katarina somehow managed to secure one that freed up as a couple left. To start with we had some fried dumplings and bacon (something traditionally Austrian), followed up by a crepe for Katarina and a plate of deep fried tiny fish for me (I'd first had them in Bulgaria and was so happy to find them again). What a great end to the day.   

OK I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to post another selfie in front of this beautiful building.

The statue of Athena in front of the Parliament was yet another huge connection with our Aegean trip. The Parthenon after all was a temple dedicated to the same Goddess. And, wow, does that gold pop.

The Parliament building was almost last on our list to see and as we approached it was the perspective of the road rising up on the left that drew our attention. But very quickly the whole Greek theme overwhelmed us. It was like someone had just transported us back to Athens two thousand years ago. It's a stunning building, as Parliaments often are, but this one just seemed to be so relevant to us given where most of our trip had taken us these past 10 days. If anyone wanted a feel for ancient Greece or Rome they wouldn't need to look much further than right here. A few togas wouldn't look out of place at all.

Around the centre of Vienna is a large ring road which we followed to catch in some more of the architecture. The sun was heating up and our feet were getting more and more tired, but our trek continued through the museums district. We had no time to go in but the magnificent buildings were almost endless. You can see one here just behind the tram. But, no, the tram didn't enter the frame in error, I've included it as the tram systems across Europe always impress me. This one seemed to be so flush with the pavement that it almost seemed to hover.

By mid afternoon I was starting to feel sleepy. Had we sat down and rested our heads, I would have dropped off in a few seconds. So we stopped for some smoked wurst and coffee. It did the trick. Within a few minutes my energy returned and we could continue our long trek through the city. This is Graben, one of the most famous streets in the city and probably one of the oldest. Now it's a huge pedestrianised shopping district.

Turning a corner, the almost unassuming exterior of St Peter's Church didn't give anything away until we got inside. It's a Tardis of Baroque architecture, obviously styled on the Vatican's St Peter's. Sometimes in churches they can get a little sensitive about taking photographs, but there didn't seem to be much objection here. Nothing like the military style policing inside the Sistine Chapel.

In front of the entrance to the Hofburg Palace is Michaelerplatz where all the tourist horse and carriages seem to gather. We didn't take a trip on one but maybe if we'd had the time. They certainly fit in well with the whole nineteenth century feel to the city. The day which began quite overcast (I didn't mind given nine days of sun) eventually cleared but I didn't have any sun lotion. We found a great solution by using a tester in one of the many huge pharmacies that appear to be as abundant in Vienna as the horse and carriage.

But really this is all just an excuse to spend some time with my daughter. Don't get me wrong, Katarina gives me a wonderful opportunity to explore places at such a great pace. We're both a little attention deficited and moving around quickly does suit us. And who else would put up with my almost OCD need to keep moving, to the point of collapse? But despite all the tantrums (that's both of us) it's really about being together, even if it doesn't always seem like that.

Holidays shouldn't be a chore but sometimes, especially with our overambitious itineraries the fatigue is both physical and psychological (not to mention sometimes emotional). Seeing so much can take it's toll on both the feet but also the head. There's just too much to take in. To do Vienna in just a few hours in insane. In some ways it's like flicking through a book and saying you've read it. On the other hand it's also like tasting a dessert and saying you've eaten it. You do get a feel for the place, at least from the point of view of the tourist. It's a context for future visits or to research later or even just to compare with other capitals with visited fleetingly.

Heading south we eventually find our way to the Hofburg Palace. I remember being here 20 years ago and I wouldn't expect much to change with a building hundreds of years old, Vienna itself seems so much more alive than it did back then. I can't say I have a detailed memory of the city but back then it seemed so much less engaging, even if it was just as beautiful. Maybe I've just changed.

It was with good fortune that we noticed inside St Stephen's that they had a crypt tour and at that very moment it was commencing as a large crowd were making their way down some steps. We followed a tour guide who perfectly blended German and English to give us a historical tour of the crypt below which contains coffins of previous archbishops but also the innards of other churchmen and finally the gory dark caverns stacked with thousands of bones and skulls of plague victims. Something like 10-20,000 people were interred here from the 18th century until the decaying bodies began to poison the ground. Our exit was just behind the cathedral as a doorway was opened out of the ground. This was a nice surprise in a largely unplanned day.

So tired and so busy finding our next sight, we've almost forgotten to keep up with the selfies. There's just been so much beauty around us. We somehow positioned ourselves perfectly under this fountain as the gods above us rested themselves on our heads.

The exterior of St Stephen's Cathedral is something to admire but inside it's even more apparent how much effort had gone into building this palace of Christianity. Even as an atheist I still have nothing but huge respect for these building that are essentially the pyramids of medieval Europe. To have almost inevitably come from a poor village on pilgrimage to visit a wonder of the world like this would have made anyone a believer. With busy crowds spilling through I don't know how I got a photo like this.

Largely built in the 14th century, St Stephen Cathedral is quite an imposing figure in the heart of central Vienna. There's no missing it as it's surrounded by tourists and a large plaza. I love Gothic cathedrals and this is clearly a great example. The only problem, with it surrounded by so much more great architecture, is that you can't quite find a good spot to photograph it. We took the opportunity for another few minute to rest and admire the view.

This view conveniently sums up the architecture of Vienna. Perhaps it's missing one of the grand nineteenth century classical facades, but all the same it shows how much architecture plays across the whole of central Vienna. You can't turn a single corner without being confronted with something beautiful. And it all seems to go together so well.

It's one of the tourist sights of Vienna and on our quick route we drew up before leaving the hotel. However, when you've only got a few hours to tour a city it's hard to appreciate some of the smaller details like this Art Nouveau clock built in 1911. We almost found it by accident even though it was on our map. We stopped nearby and found some lunch of fish burgers before getting back on our tired feet and continuing the tour.

Our hotel, apparently the oldest in Vienna, was just on the edge of the city centre, so only a couple of minutes to our first tourist spot, the church of St Rupert's. As often happens, we wasted a few minutes getting our bearings with the map. But once here it was quite a surprise to find such a medieval gem among the rest of Vienna's quite imposing architecture. The stained glass windows are apparently untouched in six hundred years. Inside it really did have the very simple architecture you might expect from the period. We saw nothing else like it for the rest of our day touring Vienna.

After freshening up we headed out with our guide book and a rough plan to walk the streets of Vienna for a few hours. We didn't have much time but it's always surprising how much you can see of a city in just a few hours. Our first stop was some ice cream. This time sugar free and Vegan. Not bad and just what we needed after little sleep and a long day ahead.

Our transfer from the airport didn't go as planned as I'd wanted to try Uber. Unfortunately, we couldn't quite find the location of the driver and even the rail transfer didn't work out as they didn't accept card payments. In the end we found a taxi from the arrivals terminal and the drive was quick. Arriving at the hotel I was immediately taken aback by the traditional luxury of the hotel. It was almost as though we'd been taken back a hundred years, but all in a good way. The staff were so helpful and the room was luxurious, together with a walk-in wardrobe, to help us contain the mess we inevitably create as soon as we arrive. It was a shame we were only staying a single night.

We haven't seen much of clouds in our whole Aegean trip but our flight on to Vienna gave us this spectacular view. We actually sorted out our boarding cards very late and all I could find were seats far apart. I went ahead and booked them. Then as we checked in I noticed they'd somehow put us back together. That was a relief.

Aegean Air, a budget airline, has impressed us. With six flights this holiday, two were with Aegean and both had ample leg room. This one, where we would appear to have been pushed up to business class seats, probably had room for another seat on Ryanair. It was definitely appreciated after a serious lack of sleep. We stopped off at Athens just in time for our connection to Vienna and a few minutes sleep before we build up the energy for one last day of walking.

We booked a taxi for 4.15am and were up by 3am, so probably had less than four hours sleep. But it was our last day touring so we'd figured we'd just persevere. The airport was only 2km away so not much of a journey and apart from a slight wait for the baggage drop off to get going, it was a simple check in for our flight to Vienna. Perhaps a little out of place in our tour of the Aegean but a convenient stop off for our journey through to the Czech Republic to see family.

The short walk back to our hotel gave us a little more insight into the life of a Cretan cat. Here someone has deliberately left out food and water. Nice to see given how many seem to run wild. Back at the hotel I got to see my legs and unfortunately I'd misjudged the protection of the umbrella by the beach. My legs were as bright as the sun, red raw from UV exposure. Oops. By then what did I expect after 9 years in the shade.

And so after wandering the streets a short while looking for a place to eat we settled on the restaurant we ate at for our first night in Crete, Fifty Fifty. I kept to meat and Katarina had pasta with a serious fish sauce. And, of course, it was all topped off with my third serving of local spirits. In all we were probably an hour behind schedule but it was worth it. Another great meal and a fine end to our nine days in the Aegean. 

It was  Stroumpoulas again that stole the show as we caught the few second after sunset at Haraklion harbour. I'd hoped to be here for the full sunset but a souvenir shop owner was very eager to show us all his gifts and tell us tales of Cretan mythology. It delayed us by about half an hour. But I appreciated his enthusiasm. Maybe that was worth more than yet another sunset. After all the magic actually happens just after the sun dips behind the horizon and we must have missed it by only seconds. What a sky.

By 5pm we decided it was time to return to Heraklion. We had a stupidly early rise for a flight to Vienna and had to make sure we were packed. After drying ourselves off and getting back into our regular clothes we walked back to the bus stop dodging many English tourists riding up and down the streets like it was a Fast and Furious audition. We even had one girl flashing her breasts as she rode the back of a bike. The good old Brits, eh. Just as we arrived at the high street we saw the bus arrive and made a mad dash for it with bags jumping all over the place. We made it.

Given my experience with video cameras it was embarrassing how many times I had the camera set incorrectly to take video when I wanted a photo. Still a GoPro was invaluable as we made our way through the waves eager to get that shot of the waves.

I have to admit it was Katarina who made the most of the sea, while I mostly just walked around kicking the waves. I think we may have also caught sight of our first clouded sun in about 8 days. It lasted about 10 seconds. The water was cold as first but felt warm very quickly. If anything it was a nice refreshment from the heat.

And then we finally made it together into the sea, once I'd packed all our valuable into a wet bag. We'd last gone into the water together in 2007 in Camber Sands, on the south coast, but that was hardly the Med (Katarina almost got hypothermia). I must have looked like quite a freak in my hat and t-shirt and sunglasses but, hey, I got my feet wet as promised. I even got my t-shirt wet. And it's nice to walk into the sea without stepping over sharp rock or broken shells. In fact, here you could walk a few hundred metres before the sea even got above you shoulders. That's my sort of beach.

Back at my lounger, I did my best impression of a statue while the sand dried on my feet. That's probably a sight I've not seen in two or three decades. Maybe those old Greek statues are really just sun bathers who stood too long in the sun. After days walking in the sun, my body appreciated the stillness.

OK, so finally I was convinced to make my way alone to the water, kitted out with shorts I'd originally bought for our Pafos jeep trip. But don't expect me to remove that t-shirt and expose my pale skin to the sun. A part of me would really love to dive into the waves and swim off to the little churchly islet, but then I'd also love to fly to Mars in a rocket ship. My compromise was standing like a statue in the water while the waves did their best to sway my stubborn body.

Our sun loungers were right next door to the place where everyone booked water sports. Every few minutes a new group of (mainly English) teens would arrive eager to try out activities from paragliding and jet skis to being dragged by a motorboat while sitting on a small rubber dinghy. Yeah, whatever.  We'd chosen this beach out of many in Malia because it was the nearest to the town (we were walking) and I was worried it would be too busy or commercial but it never felt that way even if there were quite a few people around.

So, after all these years travelling Europe we finally made it to a beach. It's no secret I'm no fan of the sun but I think we've done well in the end to get a beach as good as this. It seems to have everything: plenty of space, the sea just a few metres away, beautiful white waves and even a little islet with a church. After days of sun it wasn't so bad sitting in the shade giving our feet a rest. Katarina got some sun and I tried to catch up with the blog, already days behind.

It was a short walk to the bus station for our last day in the Aegean. We'd contemplated further excursions but figured it was too much after days of walking in unforgiving heat. So instead we would sit in the unforgiving heat. The bus hugged the coastline to Malia, the nearest major beach to Heraklion.

After such an exhausting but wonderful day it was very disappointing to find a cockroach on the floor as we entered the room. It ran as I went for it so we went down to reception to get some help. Someone came up to help but we couldn't find it. Once they left we also left the room with the lights off. After 10 minutes I returned and found the cockroach by the curtain. I chased it up to the curtain rail and then sprayed it with some deet. It fell and I caught it inside an upturned bin. I left it to the guy from reception to dispose of. Unfortunately it took up all the time I'd dedicated to this blog which is why this is all now so late. 

And this was to be the conclusion of Tuesday, our first day in Crete, a meal of the finest meat in the whole region, according to the owner of the restaurant from the night before. And I couldn't deny it was the best meat I'd ever tasted. Cooked slowly for up to 4 hours (sometimes even 8 hours) this lamb simply melts in the mouth. Parts of the meat I never thought were edible became rich and succulent. We could order in kilo portions but kept it small. It was easily sufficient. Of course we also enjoyed the traditional free melon and brandy at the end. Definitely worth the slow tired walk across town. 

We often joked that you cannot get to the end of a road in Heraklion, no matter how short, without making way for a car and moped. It was a rule rarely broken. Roads are narrow and labyrinthine with few pavements but drivers are always polite. 

As the sun set on route to the restaurant we caught this view of Stroumpoulas, a sacred mountain which has a pyramid shape when viewed from Heraklion. I'd loved to have climbed to the top but not on our current schedule or remaining energy. It can be seen from all over the town and has held a special religious significance for a very long time.