Awoke sore but happy after a full, full day before. Did some writing and then got to the hotel breakfast. Man the coffee is so good here in Wien. Every sip of every cup is each and smooth and brimming with flavor. I can’t get enough. I decided that this was the day I would walk the Ringstrasse, this is the street that encircles the old town district of Wien and has views of all the good stuff, buildings, palaces, museums, coffee houses. I recalled that the open air market I saw, the Nasch Markt was on the Ringstrasse and figured I would hit that when I came to it.

Took the U1 metro to Karlsplatz and hit the road. It was a beautiful morning and Wien looked fresh from a light rain the night before. Talk about a bustling town! People walking, taxis weaving in and out of traffic, trams lumbering back and forth. As I was crossing the street to walk on the sunny side a tram stopped just to my right. Across the street were a group of school girls watching the tram waving at the tram driver and watching the traffic looking desperately for a break so they couldn’t catch the tram. The tram driver was a large blond woman, her hair pulled tightly back into a thick ponytail, her eyes hidden by stylish sunglasses her attention on the queue of passengers boarding the tram. Some of the girls across he street were waving and jumping up and down, others were poised like sprinters ready to spring into the first traffic break. A woman at the end of the boarding queue called the drivers attention to waving leaping kids. The driver looked at the schoolgirls, smiled, waved back and signaled that she would wait for them. A cheer went up complete with squeals of delight and a moment later the light changed. I crossed against a mass of blonde pony tails, shining faces, coltish legs and laughing voices. Wien is a big city, but it is still a community, at least at that moment.

As my wandering continued I passed the Museum Quarter. There I would visit The next day to see the The works of Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and Alberto Giacometti. But right now my morning coffee was making its presence felt in my bladder so I needed a rest stop. Up ahead was a beautiful coffee house with a inviting outdoor area to sit and relax. That is just what I did. Glanced at the menu of treats. The waiter came by and I ordered A hot chocolate and a Sacher torte mit schlag. That last one is basically chocolate cake with whipped cream but man you have never had chocolate cake like this. I retired to the WC after ordering, still getting used to men and women having a common entrance to separate private stalls. Returning to my table refreshed my cake was waiting for as I took a small bite my chokolat arrived. I was in heaven. Waiter came by, his name tag said “Herr Josef”,

“Is everything alright sir?”

“Oh yes this is perfect thank you”

And it was, the sun was out but not hot. There was a tender breeze blowing a cool caress onto the back of my neck at very agreeable intervals. The chocolate was rich and sweet and thick as melted bars bars of sweet cocoa, and the cake… Every bite was better than the previous. The whipped cream was freshly made and touched only with some vanilla bean.

“How long has this coffee house been operating”

“Well sir only for about 140 years”

“Really?”
“Yes sir, Dr. Sigmund Freud was a regular customer”

“That is amazing! Did you serve Dr. Freud, when he came in?”

I saw a twinkle in Josef’s eye,

“Why yes sir I served him often, in fact I was here on the day we opened. The coffee and pastries we served have preserved me in a youthful state”

We looked at each other for a silent beat and both broke out laughing, albeit my laughter was much more animated than Herr Josef’s

I left the coffee house and continued to wander around the Ringstrasse. I thought that I surely would have seen the Nasch Markt already, but I pressed on. He Ringstrasse starts to lose its charm the farther you go away from the museum quarter and I remembered then market being in a rather charming area, but I still pressed on. Perhaps the big day prior had worn me down a bit because I saw I was approaching the completion of the circle and still no Nasch Markt, what I did see though was a place called Billabong that advertised itself as an Australian beer house. After all the Austrian beer I had been drinking, I figured an Australian brew would be refreshing.

The barmaid was another big blonde girl with tattoos on both her upper arms, monochrome, tigers and, eagles, and I think a rhinoceros. She had the face of a schoolgirl though, innocent and sweet. Her name was Selma. We chatted about nothing in particular and I asked if the restaurant served Kangaroo. She said they do. I asked how it tasted. She said she didn’t know,

“It’s embarrassing you know,” she sighed in accented English, “I lived in Australia for a year and I never tried kangaroo”

I started to tell her about the Austrian dishes I had tried and she said,

“I wouldn’t know I’m from Denmark”

“Well you are quite the traveller aren’t you?”

“After I finished with school, I decided to travel. First Australia, now here, maybe the States next. Where are you from?”

“The States. I’m traveling too. I’m taking the trip I should have taken when I was your age”

She gave me a serious look,

“Well you’re taking it now and that is what matters, don’t have regrets. Regrets are a wast of time. Another beer?”

I nodded yes and she bounced away. I thought about what this girl in her twenties just said to me. Just then the Rolling Stones came on the juke box, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. Here I was, A footloose man not really getting what I want, but ready and willing to embrace what I need. Selma returned with the beer, I was no longer going to sit at the feet of that she with the glass of wine in her hand. It was time to act.

“Say Selma, how do I get to the Nasch Markt”

“It’s easy go to the Karlsplatz and get the metro. One stop and you are there”

Bingo!! I was back in business. I downed my beer dropped some euros on the bar and headed out Karlsplatz was my starting point for the day, and now for the rest of the day. Nasch Markt here I come.

According to Google translate The German word “Nasch” means “nibble” and I guess that is where the Yiddish word “nosh” comes from. Boy Nasch Markt is the place to nibble. I got there and plunged in, nibbling on fresh felafels, almonds, good cheese, vodka, and a lovely crepe Alec Nutella washed down with a few glasses of Prosecco. The Nasch Markt is a place where the seats of borscht, pad Thai, briny olives, strong cheese, fresh fish and a hundred other good things to eat all blend together into a mouthwatering perfume that makes you want to eat and drink.i took some pictures, enjoyed the people and saw a side of Vienna that isn’t on the travel brochures. A lot of people immigrate to Austria, and from all over the world. All the immigrant communities are represented at the Nasch Markt. Immigrants working hard and moving up in the world is not just the American success story, it is the World’s success story.

By the time the sun was setting I was blitzed. Back to the hotel for me. Travel day coming up. Venice is looming large in the horizon.