SEPT. 17 - EVERY DAY IS UNPREDICTABLE

We skipped breakfast, planning for a leisurely lunch in the vineyards of the Wachau. Again, so much for plans! Left the Rivers Hotel/Apartment about 11 AM. What a day it turned out to be.

We set off driving slowly along the Danube, dodging bikes on the narrow roads, and enjoying the beautifully painted buildings and churches in the small villages.

Went through Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, about 200,000 population. We didn't realize what an industrial city it is, but drove through some ugly areas with huge steel and chemical factories emitting steam and fumes. (I was too slow to grab the camera, so didn't capture images of the enormity of these complexes.)

I am always curious to learn more, not that I can remember it, so I "google" and read that this industrialization began in the late 1930's when Austria became part of the Third Reich. The steel complex, then called Herman Goering Works, was built. Because of the large armaments industry, Linz was a major target for air attacks in WWII. It was struck 22 times, but, luckily, the beautiful, Baroque city center was mostly spared. Linz has had a reputation as a dirty, industrial city, but is making strides to remodel itself as a hub of culture and arts. Several new museums have been opened, and cultural events and performances offered. 

The large platz in city center is beautiful - we actually saw it TWICE. In the Hauptplaz is the Holy Trinity Column, a "towering monument to souls lost in the plagues, wars and disasters". The Linz cathedral is the largest  in Austria, seating 20,000, and known for its stained glass  windows.

We passed from an area of rather dreary, old concrete apartments, then through an area of slightly more modern buildings, dozens of them with numerous exterior, glass elevator shafts. And then we came to an area of ultra-modern, innovative buildings. 

Passing through Puchenau, a "suburb" of Linz, I kept remarking about the long, concrete bunker-looking buildings with very small windows. They went on and on, and I was trying to figure out if they were industrial or if people actually lived in them. Again, curiosity, and Google to the rescue. It turns out this complex is called Gartenstadt, and won awards for the architect, Roland Rainer. He was focused on "social housing" and reducing the footprint of the single-family home for many environmental and economic reasons. He designed it to be semi-independent of cars, which were parked in external garages, so the complex could have greenery and pathways. He planned almost no windows on the external facades to ensure privacy (that is the unusual, ugly part I was noticing). But inside the units have large windows overlooking the garden areas that are a central part of each apartment. It seemed he was a very forward-thinking designer, and was opposed to the typical high-rise solutions for urban housing. He designed and built the Gartenstadt in stages, the original area opening in 1965. It took 50-years to complete, and is a massive 66,700 acres! There is today's architecture lesson.

Driving along the Danube beyond Linz, we came to the town of Grein with an imposing castle looming over. It was a bustling spot, and we thought about stopping for a bite to eat, but we weren't yet in the Wachau, so we continued on.

We had discussed that we were very low on cash, and that it isn't a good idea to be without. So, Ron said he would get cash as soon as possible. Shortly after, we came upon a bank on a round-about with easy access and plenty of parking. So, he went into the vestibule to use the ATM. He left the car running, and made an offhand remark to the effect, "Tough if they don't like it running." We had been admonished a couple times along the way about that issue.

We continued on. Ron hadn't realized how far it was to the actual Wachau area. We should have left at 9 instead of 11 AM - OR taken the autobahn part of the way. In the village of Lubregg, we saw a small hotel, Pichler's Landhotel. I had heard of the Pichler name associated with restaurants. Ron pulled in, saying even if they weren't serving he needed the "facilities".

Once again, he left the car running, this time inadvertently, as he had lowered the windows for me. I noticed it running and pushed the "stop engine" light, but nothing happened - which, apparently, as it turned out was a VERY GOOD THING. 

They were closed, and I later read that the restaurant I had read about was just 2-km. further down the road, Pichler's Hotel Donauhof. This is an enigma - was it a good thing we didn't wait and stop at the Donauhof instead of the Landhotel? If we'd driven  that extra 2-km, we would most probably have gone in for a lovely lunch. And then what?

But, back to the facts. When Ron got back into the car he noticed the "Key not in Vehicle" light on the dashboard display. Puzzlement - "This is not possible" Ron said. There was no reason for them to be out of his pocket! He searched his pants' pockets, the car console, the floor, the panel of his door, the ground. Consternation and alarm - what is the reason, what are the solutions. Most answers were not good. We reconstructed the route we had taken since leaving Passau. We had stopped for petrol right after Passau, so knew the car had been turned off and successfully re-started at that point. Our only other stop was the ATM somewhere along the way. No idea what town, nor even what bank (which hadn't provided a receipt).  The challenge of not having readily available Internet faced us. I turned on my International Roaming, which we had suspended due to the outrageous costs, but the US bank did not allow me to log in. At this point it was like shock turning to tears or panic or both. 

Ron said the only thing we could do was re-trace the route, and eventually find the bank. I had made a note on my phone at 12:26 that we had withdrawn cash, so figured we had to drive back about 1.5 hours at the most. We were hoping it was going to be in Grein, but no. Then, hoping it would be in Perg, but no. Not Mauthausen either. I turned my International Roaming Data back on again, and was eventually able to sign in to the bank in the US, which had already posted the transaction and showed that the withdrawal was from the OberBank in Ottensheim - on the other side of Linz. By then we were already in Linz, but it seemed not on our original road, as we missed all the industry. We stopped and entered Ottensheim into the GPS, and came to the town, and still did not see anything familiar. Of course the US bank had not given us the address of the Austrian bank, only the name. I happened to think of "Points of Interest" on the navigation system, and sure enough, they had "Cash Dispensers" as a category. We were able to punch in OberBank, and got an address that we would never have found otherwise.

I had to grit my teeth and wait while Ron went in. He said he felt like sending me in because he couldn't bear the disappointment if the keys weren't there. What if this wasn't where he lost them, what if someone had taken them, would "finder" take them to police station or what? Were there Citroen dealers in Austria to make a new key fob (an expensive proposition). Questions, questions. Ron had decided if the keys were not to be found we would have to drive to the apartment in Vienna (luckily we had a full tank of fuel), park in the garage, and try to get a new key within a few days and a few hundred dollars.

He came out of the bank with keys in hand. What a relief, but a spoiled day, and he said it took five years off his life. It was a horrible feeling, so much stress and worry, plus the concern about doing something so absent-minded. I told him not to worry about senility, as it isn't a new phenomenon, and reminded him of one of our last trips when he left his wallet in Munich, and we didn't discover it until having lunch on a beautiful golf course in Feldkirchen (1.5 hours south of Munich).

By then, we were both hungry and needed bathrooms, so programmed restaurants, and went to the nearest place, Hofmuhle Wirtshaus. It was a very rustic, old-fashioned gasthaus with equally rough, unshaven proprietor. The redeeming feature was a very convenient, clean, accessible bathroom! 

I had chicken schnitzel and Ron had cevapcici (a grilled dish of minced meat originating in the Balkans). He was surprised to see it on the menu, and loved it when we lived in Nurnberg.

I always say never order Asian food in a small town. Now Ron says the same can be applied to cevapcici.

But, it wasn't a day to be looking for a gourmet meal. We finished our meal, somewhat de-stressed, and were ready to face a two-hour drive on the autobahn to Vienna. 

The GPS led us accurately through all the construction and then through the small streets of our Hietzing neighborhood (near Schoenbrunn Palace) to find our apartment on Lainzerstrasse. There was so much construction and detours, and once again, Ron followed the GPS instructions to turn, and it was into a 1-way street. Managed to miss the motorcycle and other traffic awaiting the light there. After several more turns down narrow streets we came to the apartment. Of course, getting into the private drive/courtyard was also complicated. First, Ron had to park on the street and go up to the apartment to get the garage door opener. Thankfully, the tram passed by before he opened his door - the trams are moving at a VERY high speed, and the streets are VERY narrow. When he came back he used the door opener, which opened the doors at a snail's pace. He then drove into the inner driveway, where he unloaded the few bags to take up that night. I waited in the tiny foyer, holding the heavy door open, while he parked the car.

Then we took the glass elevator up to the third floor. Then there was another door to open with a code, a foyer opening to three apartments, then another time to use the keypad to get into the apartment. So, there are three times you have to enter the combination. Once you enter the apartment, there are three small steps up.

When we finally got inside, it was lovely. Very spacious rooms, wood floors, everything modern. The shower is wonderful - probably the best we've had this trip. It is a large walk-in and even has a glass door to close and keep the water in (most unusual in Europe). The apartment is a long, central unit with windows only on the front (living room) and back (bedroom). Off the bedroom is a terrace with table and chairs, and that is where we settled with a big Scotch and a big glass of wine to recuperate. The day gave us a lot to think about.