Thursday, or Room and Errands

My host shows me my room, and very nice it is too. There is a small trolley (or a cart) with a kettle, a coffee maker and such, but the breakfast part of the deal is contained in a mini fridge on top of the washing machine in the... bathroom. Every morning he will leave some bread on top of the fridge, and I can help myself to whatever I want. I pass. On the positive side he is charming (and very good-looking, a delicious blend of Austrian and Italian), and he plies me with local info to the gay scene, and to the best beaches around Vienna. Unfortunately there would be no beach fun for me here as the weather has turned rather autumnal, and it looks like it would rain for much of my stay here.
My first priority, oddly, is to get to the local Apple store - I had looked it up at the Misery Cafe. I make my way there with my sick i-Pod, and soon run into navigational problems - the street is so small its name is not printed on the map. I know I am in the vicinity, but can't find it. A pleasant, friendly, polite and helpful man, busy arranging the window display of his store (did I mention what it was? a gun shop) willingly shows me exactly where it is. Am I the only one who find it ironic? It puts a wry smile on my face, but his directions are perfect, and I find the place easily. It really is a small side street, and the "store" is barely visible but for the black apple sign outside. Something tells me we are not in London anymore. The place is just a little workshop of a sort, with a jumble of various parts and bits on display, really a service centre, a small service centre. The girl I talk to tries to charge, reset, look at the other side of the patient, but can only utter "no warranty, warranty expired, you vill haff to buy a new one". WHAT?!! That's another £300 one year and 3 months after I bought my first one. I don't think so! And what about the 11 GB already on it? Lose it all - yet again? (OK, some of it is not strictly mine, but from Limewire, but still, I love it so) I see that no joy will come from this place. Frustrated, I leave, resolving to take it to the Apple Store in London, where I bought it, and give them a piece of my mind.