Today we got up really early to go to the Zahnarzt (Dentist - literally tooth doctor) for a checkup. This was our first visit to an Austrian Dentist (because we went to see Craig when we were in Australia) so we were very excited.

The dentist has a big practice and seem to have lots of assistants. He also has a very strange (for me) X-Ray machine in which one is required to put one’s entire head. This is probably normal here and seems to be very efficient.

We were both sent on our way without any interference with our teeth and told to make an appointment with one of the multitudes of ‘Dental Hygienists’ who were swarming about the place.

Our Austrian Health System E Cards got us the treatment for free. The Dental Hygienists will cost about €90 but by Austrian standards that is really good value.

Teeth are not covered by Medicare in Australia so if you can’t afford private cover you are going to end up being your own dentist. It’s not supposed to make sense.

We have secured a booking for Ein Wiener Salon on Thursday night and are very excited about this. It is getting harder all the time to get in – and we can understand why – because it is the best food in Wien – even when you have to eat in the kitchen, put up with the smoke and have the dog put his head on your lap.

This will be our final knees up as Gwenyth leaves us on Friday. However – we are planning a cycling and barge trip from Bruges to Amsterdam in July.

This sounds like bliss – 7 days of cycling alongside canals and on country roads in Holland and Belgium and in the evening relaxing on a barge with a nice meal and a glass of wine. And – we only cycle about 30 kilometers each day – this will be a doddle – I do this in 2.5 hours in Wien.

I should mention that the snow has gone but it is very cold and the snow that remains lying about is very icy.

And another thing – the Fox network has signed up Sarah Palin. Don’t they already have enough creationists, birthers, death panelists and nitwits?