Vienna by rooftop

Alison and I have three cities which stand out, above all others, as our favourites: Paris, Prague and Vienna. There is no doubt, Vienna is a beautiful city, made all the more impressive for us this time as we have at last seen it bathed in sunshine. What a difference this has made. Our first visit two years ago saw all the trees bare of leaves, and the skies dark with rain clouds. This time around, there is greenery and vibrant colour everywhere.

One of the many lovely fountains in the Volksgarten, literally the people's garden.

The Volksgarten's roses are in full bloom.

We haven't felt the need to do much this time, as we've seen most of the big attractions before. This has meant we could walk around at our leisure, eating our favourite ice-creams, sitting in our favourite parks, etc. Today, we will return to the Schonbrunn Palace by tram, and who knows where we'll head after that. We leave Vienna tomorrow for Munich, via Salzburg, another place we remember more for the atrocious weather than for the city itself. Hopefully, tomorrow will be kinder to us.

A view along the Ringstrasse, a beautiful boulevard which goes past many of Vienna's most lovely buildings.

Our hotel, which is lovely, has a delightful rooftop terrace, where we have spent an hour in the evening watching the sun go down over Vienna. It has been magical, and we still have to pinch ourselves sometimes that we're actually here. 

Vienna from our lovely rooftop terrace, just before the sun set for the day.

This is Vienna's national library.

Alison looking very impressed by a statue, whose head I cut off trying to take the photo.