Is it blue?

Before setting out to explore Krems, Jakob and I started the day by having breakfast with Papa. The food in the hotel restaurants is fantastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast buffet: fruit and fruit juices, a huge selection of breads, eggs and locally-cured bacon, cold meats and veggies, and even cakes. (No, I didn't sample everything this time!) Werner was in a rush to get to the university, but Jakob and I lingered a little longer before going back to the room and getting ready to head out.

Armed with a map from the front desk, we eased our way down the hill and past the university and walked towards the centre of town. I must have looked like a local, because a few times I was asked for directions.




There were a number of baby-related shops in the shopping district, but all the toys that I saw that were too bulky for travel and I didn't have much luck finding more sleeping bags for Jakob. I did buy one little thing form me (Stillzart) and at a C&A department a little velour long-sleeved t-shirt for Jakob. I stopped at a Spar gourmet grocery to buy bottled water, some fruit, and some snacks for back at the hotel.

Also at the C&A, I had to use one of the phrases Werner taught me: Wo kann ich mein Kind Bruststillen? I hadn't been able to find anywhere suitable to feed or change Jakob, and the only wheelchair-accessible (and therefore stroller-accessible) washroom I'd found required a key which I didn't know how to find. I'd even tried the train station, but no luck there, either. Not even a bench indoors where I could sit to feed Jakob. The clerk at C&A told me I was welcome to use a bench in a corner of the children's section, so there, tucked behind racks of kids' clothing, Jakob had lunch.





I eventually had a sandwich at Nordsee. There were some shops that had delicious-looking sandwiches, but I was driven back by cigarette smoke. So Nordsee it was, before bathroom-desperation sent me back towards the hotel. On the way back, we saw this birth announcement:


We walked back through the university and hiked up to the hotel. After settling back in, Jakob and I went back to the Cuvée-Club for Kaffee und Kuchen. We sat by the fire, and while I enjoyed kokoschnitte and tea, Jakob played in his stroller.



Werner joined us when he returned to the hotel and told me about his day. Being Ash Wednesday, the hotel's restaurants were offering only a seafood set-price menu, and we decided to walk into town for supper. While it was really pleasant to get out for a family walk in the fresh air, it was challenging finding a restaurant that was suitable: stroller-accesible and not completely clogged with cigarette smoke. Also, many other restaurants were offering seafood-centric meals for Ash Wednesday, and seafood in a landlocked country just didn't appeal. Eventually, we found an Italian restaurant which was open and not too smoky. There was even a non-smoking section, with two tables! There were five or six stairs leading down to the entrance, so Werner had to carry the Bug (with Jakob) into the restaurant. Once we'd finally ordered, Jakob got really fussy. I ended up nursing him right at the table, which calmed him down. We still rushed through our meal, but had a nice walk back up the hill.

Lots of walking our first full day in Austria - and we still haven't seen the Danube.