I do feel quite welcomed by the beautiful city of Vienna. Imagine flying for 15 hours,running thru a tight connection in Paris and being deposited by the airport driver in a little alley that will be your new home for 30 days. Now I see a handsome man waving at me from an open window and saying “This is it!” Christian, my landlord, ran down and took my bag and led me into my beautiful high ceiling, spacious apartment.

I love the view from the rear windows flung open to the little pedestrian alley where I had earlier arrived. Even more surprising is that the apartment opens to the front onto Judenplatz, a pedestrian square lined with restaurants and pubs. As I get my bearings I see that my apartment is above the famous Grimm bakery, the oldest in Vienna and the only remaining bakery that still bakes on the premises.I will learn later that the 5 am aromas wafting up are both a blessing and a curse.

For now I roam the blocks surrounding my place. I met Dario who runs a pretty little coffee shop and Janna, who owns a leather shop and is expecting her baby boy any minute. She tells me she has a choice of taking 1 year off and receiving 1000 euros per month or 2 years off and receiving 600 per month. I see my local market and go in to discover a 3 story gourmet food shop with wine tasting bars in the section where you buy wine, fresh oranic fruit, stunning flowers and floors of tempting new products. Heading back I see a small bookstore in the alley underneath my window. Though tiny it is full of books that I know my literary Laura would spend lots of time browsing.

I’m a wee bit hungry now and fortunately next door to Grimm Bakery is Ofenloch, a cozy Austrian Cafe. I am welcomed warmly and brought my aperol spritz followed by a delicious beef cheek goulash. Yes , I think I’ m going to be ok.