Auf Wiedersehen, Sommer?

Rainy and cold since Saturday. What gives, Vienna? This weather isn't doing much for your "Most Livable City" designation, is it?

Last Thursday I met my favorite guy for lunch at a preferred little beisl near the Main Post Office, a Viennese restaurant owned by the same family for four generations and not at all discovered by tourists.

Gorgeous blue skies and a rare peek into a neighbor's open courtyard to start my journey out of the neighborhood.

A little early for our meet-up, I wandered around the old medieval quarter, past Ruprechtskirche, Vienna's oldest church, now crowded by modern construction.

 Then down Roterturmstrasse, the Red Tower Street;

 and along a pretty lane before returning to Schwedenplatz and prime people-watching.

 The Captain looked as if he was waiting for someone, too.

 One beer in the right hand and three more in the left. I hope no one was waiting for this chap.

And lunch? How lucky for me that Backhendl Salat was one of the day's menus, made even more enjoyable with blue skies, warm sunshine, and a handsome lunch date. (For the record, I was a little underwhelmed with the dressing, but only a little.)

Friday was even prettier than Thursday. A friend and I played tourist for the day with our dear friend who leaves this week. We raced through the Albertina (Monet! Picasso!) and the Kunstkammer (Hapsburg tchotchke!) at a pace not unlike the Griswald Family in European Vacation. 

No photos of the art or tchtochke, sorry. Just the MEXICAN FOOD we found at the Rathaus Summer Film Festival after our warp-speed museum tour.  This was a single order of nachos, and we each ordered a plate. Good thing we also ordered large Sangrias to go with. 

Then the weekend arrived. The Neustift Kirtag was underway, and a large group of us reserved a tent to wish our departing friends "Auf Wiedersehen."  Grey and dreary, rainy and cool was the mood outdoors...

 ...but not indoors. We all donned our Lederhosen and Dirndls and made merry while the rain poured. Jack looked so authentic that at one point he was mistaken for the waitstaff and told to, "get back to work!"

I think we ladies rocked the Dirndls.