A very long day in Vienna

Discovering Vienna on foot is a very nice experience, but it comes at a cost; mega mega blisters. I had to chuck my old shoes out as they were just about to fall to pieces, and my new ones have very nearly destroyed me. I am 5 minutes away from just cutting my legs off, and anymore sightseeing, at least for the next few days, I think will be done exclusively via open-top bus.

Priscila (did I mention she is very lovely?) recommended that I explore the centre by walking, so really it's her fault. The Austrians go all out for the Roman classical style architecture, and its Imperically disconcerting but incredibly beautiful all the same. You don't have to plan your route all that intricately to happen upon the Burggarten, Volksgarten, Rathaus Park and Sigmund Freud park, along with all the stunning museum buildings and the Austrian parliament, in one extremely pleasant stroll. For a city in which he only lived for 2 years, Vienna goes a little overboard with their Mozart connection, and every street in the city centre has a 'Simply Mozart' souvenir shop on it. It makes me very curious about how crazy Salzburg will be with him.

The national library. Or uni. I dunno.

The parliament building

Dude punching a horse

There's currently a film festival running in the evenings outside the city hall, and throughout the day the world food stalls and beer tents continue to operate. It was a lovely place to sit for a while taking in the setting, and, more importantly, some beer, while listening to the local radio station play British hit after British hit. I didn't realise Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz was even a thing outside the UK anymore. Then I walked up to the Votivkirche church, which unfortunately is under major renovation work, so there isn't much to see inside apart from a load of sweaty shirtless workmen hammering and slinging scaffolding about. I don't know how people managed to pray with that going on.

Heading back into the centre of town, I walked through what appeared to be the main shopping district to the Stephansdom. The strange thing about the cathedral is that it is a lot less ornate than the first church I visited, lacking the intricate stained glass windows and surrounding murals of the Votivkirche. Along from there, the buildings and statues of the Hofburg, the former imperial residence, continue the classically violent theme, with many depictions of heroic beatings, courageous slayings and general historical shit-kickings.

Stephansdom

Brave.

I jumped on the U-Bahn to Prater, which is the location of the world-famous Ferris wheel and surrounding gypo-like fairground. It would have been a right laugh with some mates, in an ironic way, but I just felt a little bit of a weirdo wandering round a fairground by myself, like some pervy Scooby Doo villain. I went on the Ferris wheel though, purely because it was the setting of one of the most iconic scenes, and speeches, in movie history; Orson Welles explaining his logic behind his penicillin racket to Joseph Cotten in The Third Man. Watch it now. WATCH IT, I SAID!

or if you can't see it, click here

I got back on the U-bahn and headed to Alte Danau: the Old Danube. The canal is famous for its purity and, on a day like today, filled with peddleboaters and swimmers. I felt like finding a shop to buy some trunks and a towel, because the urge to jump right in was almost overwhelming. Instead I sat alongside it for a couple of beers and some pretty good schnitzel, and tried my very hardest not to stare at every bikini-clad girl that walked past. I need to buy the inventor of sunglasses a drink.

Back at the hostel, I watched the first half of Bayern Munich vs Barca, then went for a shower. I thought I'd end up going out to see more of Vienna in the evening, but, after my massive trek today, I just went to the hostel bar again. It involved a lot less walking. I chatted to Priscila and the hostel owner's daughter for a good while, then ended up talking to a very nice couple, James and Lily, from London, and shared a few stories from our respective trips.

After a while Lily went to bed, and James stayed for another drink. A group of young Russian lads came in and generally made nuisances of themselves; they were loud, boorish, obnoxious, and when they started pissing about in the women's toilets, Priscila went to kick them out. James and I went with her as backup, but there was really no need; she well told them where to go. She marched after them down the corridor shouting, and for one minute I thought she was going to get in the lift with them so she could shout some more. What a girl.