Vienna

This time it is the words first, and I will add photos as soon as possible.

It was an early start from London on Monday 26th, but we were still anxious to go exploring as soon as we had deposited our bags at the hostel.

After just a few steps we were walking in light snow, so what better way to celebrate (cope) than to have a mug of hot wine at the Christmas market under the statue of Hayden.

By the time we got to The Ring - a circle road in the centre of Vienna - it was getting quite miserable. I had been warned about the wind which increased the chill factor. We found the state Opera Theatre, and we approached to purchase tickets to a concert that night (this was not a concert in the Opera House). The concert was the one I had selected to go to, so we bought tickets. What a lucky break. We had planned to go to on Tuesday night, but the performance was not on then.

We plodded back up the street to fill in two and a half hours, and finally found a restaurant. It was quite up-market and we looked like derelicts from outer-nowhere, but they were gracious, the food was good and we had a view of the street - and we made dinner last a long while.

The concert presented in a salon with pieces by Mozart with musicians in period dress, some opera, music by Strauss and sequences of ballet and folk dances.