Well, we’ve been out of the country for almost three weeks. Seven countries (eight, of you count the unplanned overnight at a Paris airport hotel), seven languages, five different currencies, five major cities, a National Park, mountains, the Adriatic seacoast, cool days and sweltering days, rain, thunderstorms, mist and blazing sun – all in 19 days – it’s been a whirlwind trip. We spent 13 days with 24 wonderful, personable and generous individuals, ranging in age from 19 to 80ish, and shared great times and many laughs. We had a great leader, Katerina Svobodova, 
from Prague, who acted as guide, advisor, teacher, and friend. At times, we proceeded at an exhausting pace, but it was a blast! And we made some wonderful friends to top it off!
So now we are winding down. The planned activity for today, our last in Europe for this vacation, was a food tour. I’m a huge fan of these and have participated in this activity in many cities – Rome, Florence, Paris, Madrid, as well as Boston, NYC, Seattle and Chicago. I can now add Vienna to the list. Not surprisingly, this tour was very meat oriented. On Central and Eastern Europe, the main focus of the meal is meat, usually pork, with potatoes and cabbage as the accompaniment. Needless to say, the main color palate of ones meal is limited to brown and tan.
We convened at Café Sperl, located just outside the Ring Straße, the main thoroughfare surrounding the old historic part of this city of 2.1 million. Because it is off the tourist trail, this café, established in 1880, maintains the classic old world ambience – a quiet place to enjoy a coffee and sweet treat, read a book or share a conversation with a friend. 
We had our choice of coffee,from an espresso (called a moka) to a melange (cappuccino), of even a Marie-Theresa (coffee with orange liqueur and whipped cream). Of course there was apple strudel ( with a layer of bread crumbs under the flaky crust) and the specialty of this café, a cake of chocolate meringue and marzipan.
Then it was off to the Naschmarkt, the city outdoor market (actually covered market stalls) that extends for 1/3 mile over the Wien River. Although not frequented by the locals due to the high prices and touristy bent, there are some specialty shops to which that local chefs still shop. We sampled Austrian cheeses 
and flavored vinegars, 
and then proceeded to a meat shop that specializes in using the “lesser” cuts of meat to produce a baked meat loaf- type product. 
Sort of like bologna on steroids, these mostly pork-based products had chili peppers or pickles of spinach added. Besides pork, there was a horse meat variation, which I was told tasted like a hot dog. (I can’t stomach the thought of eating horse meat!) 
Moving to within the Ring Straße, we visited a wine cellar to sample three Austrian vintages – two white, one red) and then to the “best chocolate store” 
in Vienna (Xiocolat) to taste an apricot truffle. )We did not try the asparagus chocolate.) The oldest bakery in the city (Grimm) was the next stop where four different local breads were sampled ( a rye sourdough, one with fennel and cumin, a ciabatta and a 100% dark rye). 
The last stop was at the last remaining butcher shop in Vienna where the characteristic ham, a dried sausage, and a fried meat loaf were on the plate, along with shredded fresh horseradish. 
Tour over, we strolled back to the hotel for a rest before dinner. We are meeting two of our Rick Steves tour mates who are also here in Vienna. Then it’s packing time – the challenge, how to jam all the liquor and chocolate into two already full suitcases!
Camino Musings 