Vienna; Saturday, 19 November, 2005

With more chicken pate and cheese inside me than is really sensible I headed out from the hotel to the U-Bahn station to catch the train into town. First stop, as with last night was the cathedral, though this time to actually go in rather than just to take photos of the outside!

Inside the cathedral is quite dark, and heaving with tourists, apart from that the inside is not particularly spectacular. However, the roof is and a lift whisks you up the North tower to the big bell and from the viewing platforms on the outside of the tower stunning views of not only the centre of Vienna, but also of the beautiful mosaic tiled roof. Easily beating the similar roof on the Cathedral in Budapest (You would never have guessed Austria and Hungary were once the same country!)

Descending back into the comparative darkness (and warmth!) of the Cathedral I had a bit more of a look around before having a brief wander through town. Last night I had gone round the outside of the town on the tram in the dark so, with a heavy snow shower starting, I decided a nice warm, dry tram ride was probably best. 25 minutes and one full lap later the blizzard had subsided to a few flakes in the wind so I got off at the stop connecting with U1 underground line and caught the train out to the Vienna International Centre and Donaupark (Danube Park).

In one corner of the park is the Donauturm (Danube Tower) this was my next stop. The express lift whisks you to the viewing platforms at the top of the tower from where there are stunning views of not only Vienna, but the now almost dead straight course of the Danube and the next bout of weather. Descending two floors from the viewing platform, you can exit the warmth of the tower and go out onto the open observation platform for an even better view.

I walked back up the stairs to the café to grab a bit to eat and watch the world go by (literally, as the café rotates taking just under 30 minutes to do a full lap of the tower. Lunch was made even more pleasant by the knowledge that I was not only missing another even heavier and longer snow shower, but also being able to see that this was the last weather front going through and the remainder of the afternoon looked dry (and cold!).

From the Donauturm I walked on to the U6 & S-Bahn station further north of the tower and caught the S-Bahn round to the Prata. The area has been a fairground area for centuries and since the 19th Century has been home to the Riesenrad (Ferris wheel). The largest fixed site observation wheel in the world right up until London smashed the record with the London Eye Millennium wheel in 2000!

From the original wooden carriages you get a spectacular (if slightly vertigo inducing) view over Vienna. A total turn takes about 20 minutes and with the wheel stopping every time a carriage gets to the bottom to unload and load you get plenty of time to experience the views (and the wind shake!) at the top. After descending, I had a wander around the park. With the light rapidly fading I headed back to the hotel to defrost and drop off my bag before heading back out for the evening.

First stop was back to Prata to get some shots of the Ferris wheel lit up, and then I caught the train down to the Südbahnhof to check the times and prices for going to Slovakia later in the trip. As I was leaving the station I spotted another of the many palace complexes in the city, Belvedere, so I stopped for a while to take some pictures before catching the tram round to the Rathaus to do a spot of early Christmas shopping (and a spot of late Glühwein drinking!)

With most of the market closed down by 9:15, I made my way back to the hotel.

Weather

Light Snow Heavy Snow
AM PM
Mild (0-10C, 32-50F)
1ºC/34ºF