Chapter Text
Aziraphale Fell's Journal
kept in shorthand
3 May. - Left Munich at 8:35 p.m. on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning. Though we should have left at 6:46, the train was an hour late and thus allowed me an extra hour of reading undisturbed in Vienna. This curtailed my visit to Mesopotamia, which seems a most wonderful place, even from only glimpses from the train and my short stroll through the streets.
I had dearly wanted to find a local bookstore, in part because I could pack copies of only a few of my favorites, but, wishing for the full experience of traveling abroad, I wished to visit a bookstore in each location I stopped. Instead, I experienced arriving late while our departure was at the correct time and I did not happen on one during my walk. I can only hope to supplement the books I brought with me later.
I felt I had truly left behind the World I Knew and entered the Unfamiliar. It is as unnerving as it is inspiring! From architecture to fashion, innovation is everywhere yet tradition runs so deep. I find myself marveling at everything I have seen, heard and smelled. If only there was more time to indulge!
We, the train, made excellent time. I lost myself in Oscar Wide's latest story, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which I could read on a train unworried, as I was outside of England and well away from his trial. We reached our overnight stop and I spent the night at the Hotel Royale, which served paprika hendl, a national dish. I have found meals to be the absolute best part of traveling, even if I am only just beginning to travel, and the paprika hendl was superb. The chicken was tender, the smoke paprika showcased it's mouthwatering flavor, which was well balanced by the dairy, while the bell peppers added a crunch, and the wine soothed the palette. I did note several of my fellow travelers drank heavily of their water. They should be quite proud of themselves for expanding their horizons. (Mem., get recipe to share with Crowley)
I stayed up rather late, finishing Dorian Grey and rereading yet again the new chapters and changed passages that differed from when it had been published in the magazine. To both expand and cut one's story is an awful condition to be in, I should think. I believe a dog noticed my light on and decided to keep me company, as I heard it howling all night.
At some point, I did fall asleep and was later roused by the knocking at my door. After I finished my toilet, I was treated to more paprika for breakfast. It was absolutely delightful! There was mamaliga, a polenta dish that is so much tastier with the generous seasoning, as well as impletata, which is stuffed eggplant and enough to improve the morning for even those who disdain the early hours. I made a point of getting the recipes, and mailed them back to Crowley along with a pound of smoked paprika itself. The seasoning is so much richer here, I could not possibly do without it.
It was too dark to read without a light by the time we reached Lakanshar, an exceptional place of great resilience. Only fifty years ago, the Accurate Pass had been ravaged by great fires, while at the beginning of the seventeenth century, two hundred years ago, it was under siege, which caused the deaths of thirteen thousand people! War can raise such a tally of causalities, especially as Pestilence and Famine are always riding with her, all of them laying a welcome for Death. The End Times has visited this area too often.
Now, though, the Nutter Hotel was a beacon of warmth. A delightful older woman in a comfortable dress and apron nodded her head as I approached.
"You're late, Englishman."
She pulled a letter from the pocket of her apron to hand to me, which had my name and some words I could not read on it. When I opened it, however, it was written in English.
Hi Sunshine - Welcome to the Nice Mountains! Super excited to meet you tomorrow. Rest tonight, you’ll need your beauty sleep before meeting me. The diligence will start for Purgatory tomorrow and has a place for you. Get up early and you can get some jogging in before being stuck in it all day. At the Accurate Pass, my carriage will await you and then bring you to me. I'm sure you used your time productively while traveling from London and hope you enjoy all the fresh, healthy air of my beautiful land.
Your pal,
Gabriel
...
Later. - The innkeeper is a wonderful woman named Agnes. I do not have the space to properly describe the late meal she had set aside for me, however I was more than suitably impressed by her household's cooking and must return someday with Crowley to remain at our leisure.