Above - the ice cream that kept me company whilst watching the Dutch knock the Brazilians out of the World Cup.
Above - the inside of St Stephen's Cathedral
Above - the tiled roof of St Stephen's Cathedral as seen from the top
Above - the view over Vienna from the top of the Cathedral
Above - if the sun all gets too much for you then you can be driven around by a horse and cart - they were everywhere!
Above - St Stephen's Cathedral - undergoing some restauration.
Above - the Hofburg
Above - Parliament
Above - the Rathaus (Town Hall)
Above - a statue of Mozart complete with floral treble cleff, a nice touch I thoughtI decided that on Friday I would explore the centre of Vienna where most of the tourist attractions seemed to be located. I began my day with a viennese breakfast at the hostel - 2 bread rolls with jam, orange juice and coffee. I them walked from the hostel into the centre of town without getting lost! Well, it was quite easy - walk straight along a shopping road - even I couldn't go wrong. And I did, by this time, have a map. I went in a few of the shops along the way. The Mariahilferstrasse would appear to be the Viennese equivalent of Oxford Street. When I reached the end I went to the Hofburg - a cluster of buildings that were home to the Habsburg family until the First World War but now houses the Austrian President and many museums. I went to the Papyrus Museum, I wanted also to go to the Globe Museum but couldn't for the life of me find it. Now there's a surprise! After wondering around the Hofburg I made my way to the Rathaus (Town Hall) and also to the Parliament - not quite as impressive as Big Ben it has to be said. In the afternoon, after stopping for lunch and under the shelter of my umbrella - no, it wasn't raining it was just so ridiculously hot, I went to Stephensdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) and took the lift to the top - there was no option of stairs despite it not being overly high up. The views over Vienna were quite pretty, but what was more pretty was the tiled roof of the Cathedral. I then stopped in an ice cream cafe to watch the football - Holland v Brazil. I was very pleased, if a little surprised, that Holland won. I then made my way back to the hostel. The weather was hot and sunny. I don't know how hot exactly by the thermometer by the clock at the train station was reading 34*C and that was at around 18h!!
Vienna, it would seem, is pleasant enough. There are museums and churches, a cathedral and a little history. And then there's a touch of Mozart on every corner. But it didn't appear to be anything special - there was no river (there is one but it seems to run alongside Vienna as opposed to through the middle), no large gardens or green spaces, no main feature. Yes, it's nice as far as cities go but I wouldn't recommend it. I've been to far more interesting places.
