Our voyage of discovery to the Michaelergruft was a complete failure. I thought originally that I was going to Stephansplatz (which I can just find) but Melissa pointed out that we needed to go to Michaelerkirche (which is of course where the Michaelergruft would be - wouldn't it!).

I then got lost going to Michaelerplatz (which I always do unless I go from the Ring) and we arrived there barely on time – to discover that the tours are done in the German language (without pictures) so there was not much point in our going in.

It always astonishes me that I can get so lost so often in Bezirk 1.

So we went on to our next objective which was the Kunst Historiches Museum which (it being Monday) was of course closed. I am not sure how many times I need to be caught before I understand that most Museums don’t open on Mondays.

Melissa should also know better as she comes from Paris.

However - the Sacher-Wurstel and sandwiches at Café Schwarzenburg were delicious and revived our spirits.

Wien is starting to come to life again and there were many more people around today. The ducks are also out in force and there are more ducks in Stadtpark than I have ever seen before. They were all bobbing about discussing their holidays.

Monica went to the vet today for a check-up prior to being booked in on Wednesday to be (ahem) ‘neutered’.

She has been very – how shall we say it – edgy for a while now and we think (Melissa and I) that this is the cause of some of the friction between Moni and Muffin.

I haven’t discussed this with Moni but I am sure that she doesn’t want to have any more kittens. I saw her six weeks after she had Sissi and Balu and the other three and by then she was well past thinking that motherhood was a good idea.

I hope that the minor surgery will settle her down and that there will be less hissing and snarling around here.

Moni will be in and out the same day so there is no need to send flowers.

I spent an hour or so talking to an Indian Gentleman about my Australian 3 Handy. It worked fine in Australia but since we arrived home it cannot receive telephone calls or SMS messages. I can send these but cannot receive them.

Well we tried everything including a factory settings reset but to no avail.

He eventually lost interest (and who can blame him) and told me to get someone in Australia to call me three times at five minute intervals and then to sacrifice a goat on the terrace.

Apparently the three calls (which of course I cannot receive) will help 3 identify the problem.

The goat is an alternative solution which 3 thinks has as much chance of working as anything else.

I told him it would be impossible to get a goat into the elevator so he said a duck would do.

I have no confidence in either strategy and expect that this problem will endure for some time until the cosmic forces align and someone in 3 gets lucky with a wild guess about what the problem may be.

Melissa and I found a proper Japanese restaurant and had a delicious (and cheap) meal. It was one of those places which has pictures of meals out the front and these should usually be avoided - but was really very good.

We are off the Melk Abbey – to which I have been so many times that I could give guided tours. But Melissa hasn’t seen it and it is certainly a must see as the finest example of a working Abbey that I have seen in my travels.

It is of course a church so I will have an allergic reaction when I see bits of the cross and the bones of saints but I will take a peg to bite on.

We will drive back through the Wachau Valley and I may stop and suck a few Gruner Veltliner grapes.

http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grape_profiles/gruner.htm