Archive for October, 2011

My First Cup of Coffee with the President of Austria

Disclaimer: The title is misleading

I did have my first cup of coffee today, and I did get my picture taken with the President of Austria, but those two things happened in different places.

Today was Austrian National Day- the anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality in 1955- and the President was speaking in the Hofburgplatz.

In other news, I did have my first cup of coffee today.

When I told people, especially co-workers, that I had never drank a drop of coffee, they usually do not respond.  In their hearts, there is a base distrust, a recognition that I am, at best, strange and incomprehensible.

But today, in Vienna, in the ancient and famous (and touristy) Cafe Central, I had my first cup of coffee.  One of the origin legends in the history of the drink has it that when Kara Mustapha’s Ottman army was driven from the field outside Vienna in 1683, the opulent camp abandoned in haste contained hundreds of pounds of coffee beans.  The Emperor Charles, not knowing what to do with the strange produce, gave it to a scout,  Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycki, that had provided valuable info on the layout of the Turkish forces for King John and the Winged Hussars just before the rout commenced.  With this boon, the first (or third, depending on the course) coffeehouse in Europe was opened, the the taste for the beverage spread rapidly.

While almost certainly a myth, the Cafe Central seemed the right place.  Lenin, Trotsky, Altenburg, all plotted and argued on the corner here, under the vaulted roof of the Cafe.

Still, like most of life’s virginities, what was an elating moment in theory and perhaps memory, was, in reality, somewhat disappointing.  But with that one out of the way, I might be able to get on with my life, as several caffeine addicted friends have suggested.

Tomorrow, we say goodbye to the City of Dreams and move downstream into Slovakia, Eastern Europe, and soon, November

To Carry the Schwarzwald

Last night, we finished the portage to the source of the Danube.  It is just over 100 kilometers of steep, winding roads from the River Rhine to Donaueschingen, all cut through dense conifer forest and high altitude farmland.  Just as we entered Germany and lost sight of the Rhine, the weather finally turned.  After nineteen days of hot, sunny days, the temperatures dropped into the 30′s and the rain began to fall.  Our portage took us over three passes, the highest of which was the Feldbergpass, just below Feldberg, at 4980 feet, the highest mountain in the range.  Snow fell most of the day, leaving four inches on the pass.  It was well worth it- after three days of portaging- 24 miles a day, uphill, in the snow, we are 100 meters from the legendary spring that feeds the River of History, Danuvius.  

Bescancon

In Bescancon, there is a massive citadel that looms three hundred feet above the river, and it is full of monkeys. Agile gibbons, golden monkeys, buffoons, and so on. In a fortress older than the United States, in France, on the side of the river we are paddling, there are lots and lots of monkeys, monkeys living monkey lives. Also, a tiger, and flamingoes, etc. Just another day in France. (Five days to Germany, tally ho.)