Vienna Friday 22nd January



Ah Vienna! In spite of our reluctance to leave the delights of the Czech Republic, as soon as we crossed into Austria at the foot of a small lake at Neunagelberg thoughts of Vienna gave us wings: we sped through the fields and villages and the excitement mounted until at last we came to the banks of the Danube. There was a stretch of industrial grimness to negotiate before we crossed the bridge into this most elegant of cities.

As there are now sixty-nine of us, there were sixty nine different opinions about the sehenswürdigkeiten not to be missed. The only thing we could agree on was that we should meet this evening in the Naschmarkt where there are a number of jolly little restaurants where everyone would find something to suit the whim of the moment. 

We did the sensible thing and withdrew immediately to Kaffeehaus Demel for fortifying Apfelstrudel and Sachertorte before strolling through the streets and parks of the city. At every turning there is something to draw the eye, to pique our curiosity: the damage to the walls of St Stephansdom (the cathedral with the gloriously tiled roof) by Turkish shelling at the siege of Vienna in 1683 is still there for all to see; we waved hello to Johann Strauss on his pedestal, were awed by the Hofburg palace where we went in to marvel at the treasures of the beautiful, tragic Empress Sissi.


Later in the evening the Naschmarkt proved to be as colourful as promised but we were quite tired and retired early so as to be ready for our rendezvous at the big wheel on Saturday morning.

Saturday 23rd 
The Wiener Riesenrad looked a great deal less seedy than it appears in The Third Man thanks to this morning's bright winter sunshine and the ride up and over to see the view ticked off one of the most iconic must-do items on the bucket list. Eventually by late morning the pilgrims were assembled and we set off again. 

It wasn't all relentless walking, however, as a group of us were tempted to make a small diversion to the lakeside town of Sopron where the Neuslieder See is frozen over. Some stopped to join people skating on the ice but the prime reason for our diversion was to visit the world famous wine estate of Peter Wetzer. Peter himself showed us his surprisingly small cellar underneath his house where he produces spellbinding wines. We had a wonderful time sampling his organic, pure and exciting red wines which were as good as the Wine Society description said they would be. Well refreshed, we came away with a few bottles stuffed into our rucksacks. A memorable visit.

In places along today's route through Hungary there were hills, very exciting in an otherwise flat landscape. Some of the roads were rather busier than they had been in the Czech Republic but the drivers on the whole were respectful. Fortunately much of our route took us along quiet suburban streets and back lanes where the locals looked on, bemused, as we streamed past, striding out at a great pace. 

The nearer we get to Timisoara the flatter and more built up the country. We have just tramped a long way alongside the tram tracks of Szeged but now have stopped in a café to rest our feet before crossing the river Tisa. We are all hoping it will be greener on the other side.

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