SNOW!

Above - Mr. Snowman.

Above - looking out of the front door.

Above - looking out of the front door.

Above - the view out of the bathroom window.

Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Above - an explaination of why the Planetarium is the shape it is.

Above - a 24 hour analogue clock.

Above - the Planetarium.

Above - the largest telescope in the UK.

Above - the meridian.

Above - an explanation of how the sundial below works.

Above - The dolphin sundial

Above - what remains of Herschell's telescope.

Above - the view over London from the Observatory. You can see Canary Warf. The Millenium Dome is just out of sight to the right.

Anglesey - Mynydd Bodafon

Austria - Day 5, more Salzburg

Above - the stormy rain clouds hanging over the hills

Above - Mozart's home, now a museum

Above - the view from the top of the castle over Salzburg

Above - looking up to the castle

Above - the view over Salzburg from the castle

Above - looking towards the hills from the castle

Above - Getreidegasse

On Monday I ate breakfast at the hostel. The breakfast at this hostel was better than the breakfast at the hostel in Vienna as it was buffet style so you could choose what you wanted as opposed to be given a set plate of food. There was also more choice. I had two bread rolls with cheese and tomato, orange juice and coffee. Delicious.

After breakfast I had to change my sandals for socks and shoes as it was raining! It was still humid and warm but wet. Out came the umbrella again - this time to shelter me from the rain as opposed to shade me from the sun. I decided that I would begin my tour of Salburg with one of the two Mozart museums seeing as it was raining. I walked along the river and crossed at the bridge to the museum that was easy enough to find. Salzburg has two Mozart museums - one in the house where Mozart was born and lived with his family and a second in the second house of Mozart that he moved into with his family later in his life when the other house was considered too small. Inside the museum were pianos and violins belonging to Mozart as well as photos and originally manuscripts of his compositions. There was an audio guide which told you about Mozart, his life and his family as well as his travels around Europe. After the Mozart museum I crossed back to the other side of the river with the intention of heading to the second Mozart museum however the rain was so heavy I went into a coffee shop for coffee and apple strudel. The rain eventually stopped however it kept rumbling with thunder. After the coffee and apple strudel I continued to explore and walked along Getreidegasse - a main street with lots of shops each with metal signs handing out into the street. I visited the Glockenspiel, Rathaus and Cathedral. In the afternoon the weather had brightened and I decided to head up to the castle - Hohensalzburg. I walked to the top but there was also a cable car. The castle was situated on top of a hill and had a museum of army related items as well as beautiful views over Salzburg. I spent the rest of the afternoon in and around the castle.

Austria - Day 4, Salzburg

Above - Strawberry Youth Hostel where I stayed in Salzburg

Above - the view from the hostel along the banks of the river Salzach

On Sunday I got up and headed into the centre of Vienna for breakfast before returning to the hostel for my suitcase and heading to the train station. I bought a ticket and got the 11h45 train to Salzburg. The train was so hot - there were no windows nor air conditioning! It was the type of train that has a passage way down one side and then compartments with doors. I don't they such trains exist in England. It was so stifling hot I thought I was going to melt! And I had to sit there roasting for 3 hours all the way to Salzburg! When we finally arrived and I got off the train I couldn't tell you whether it was actually any cooler or whether just the moving air made it feel fresher. Salzburg train station, like Vienna's, was under going restauration and, like in Vienna, it took me an age to orientate myself and head off in the right direction to the hostel. It was only a short walk - the hostel was situated on the banks of the river and you could see the hills in the distance. Already I was finding Salzburg an improvement on Vienna. I'd also decided it was cooler too, although still warm there was a refreshing breeze and the odd cloud too.

After checking in at the hostel I headed along the river into Salzburg for something to eat. I stopped at a restaurant where I read my guide book and planned what there was to see and do over the next two days. I ate a spinach and ricotta calzone with tiramasu for desert.

Austria - Day 3, the last of Vienna

Above - Karlskirche at Karlsplatz

Above - another statue, this time it's Strauss rather than Mozart

Above - Gloriette in Schonbrunn Palace grounds

Above - looking back down towards Schonbrunn Palace from Gloriette

Above - looking through the waterfall towards Schonbrunn Palace

Above - Schonbrunn Palace and gardens

On Saturday I went back to Schonbrunn where I had first come to visit the zoo. This time I wanted to walk around the gardens and go in the palace. Schonbrunn was out of the centre of Vienna slightly but within easy walking distance of where I was staying. The Palace was very grand - like a stately home. The gardens were grand and impressive too. And there was a beautiful fountain and then a hill with a monument (Gloriette) on the top of that gave good views back down towards the Palace. The weather was very hot with the sun burning down, it was exhausting. As I was walking to the top of the hill I stopped at the fountain to take a photo looking back down towards the Palace. I had to wait an age to take that photo - there were so many tourists all wanting to stand by the fountain and have their photo taken. I swear the Korean/Japanese/Chinese tourists are the worst. They photograph everything - they're worse than me. Snap, snap, snap - do they even look at what they're photographing?!

In the afternoon I took the metro to Karlskirche (Karl's Church) and also to the Stadtpark. I then walked back towards St. Stephen's Cathedral and via the Hofburg stopping off to watch the second half of the football - Germany v Argentina, before going back to the hostel. Another exhaustingly hot day in Vienna but I had seen everything I wanted to see. I was ready to move on now to Salzburg.

Austria - Day 2, more Vienna

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 thought

I 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.