A lazy day today. The weather has relaxed its grip considerably, with today somewhere around the 26°C, a world of difference from the 32 – 35°C we’d been enduring for what seems like weeks now.
We ascended the Südturm of the Stephansdom this morning; all 343 steps of it. The view from the top of the tower was partially obscured by renovation work, so the climb was of dubious value.
In the afternoon, we walked around Rathausplatz, admiring the very impressive Rathaus, from which the sqaure obviously takes its name. There’s a film festival going on here during the months of July and August, with a film in the open air every evening. It’s one of those moments when you realise the sacrifice you’ve made by deciding to have a baby.
Dinner this evening was courtesy of the Sacher’s room service. We’d had lunch very late and neither of us felt like going out again, so we did the lazy thing and had dinner brought to the room in time for the day’s Tour de France stage on Eurosport. This is the life, all right.
And so our time in Vienna comes to an end, more or less. I’m stuffed from all of those dinosaur-sized schnitzels and energised from a steady stream of excellent Großer Brauners. What a great city!
For the first couple of days here, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Vienna nearly as much as the other capitals we’ve visited on this trip, but now I’d have to say that it comes close.
Vienna has an undeniable style, with its grandiose and bombastic architecture, its fountains and statues, and its wide boulevards. Its cafés offer the perfect seat for people-watching, their coffee and cakes a delicious feast for the eyes, nostrils and taste-buds.
It’s an expensive city, there’s no denying that, but it’s a rewarding place to spend time. Its many parks are a free and easy way to relax in the shade, enjoying some respite from the baking heat. They’re also a good way to meet the Viennese, themselves. Before you know it, you may find yourself playing football with a couple of local children; we did.
Tomorrow, we head back to Czechia, to the country’s second largest city of Brno for two nights.
And so begins our gradual return to Amsterdam. From this point forward, we’ll generally get closer to Amsterdam with each day’s final destination. Actually, that’s probably been the case since we entered Hungary, but because we still had another country to visit, it felt like we were getting yet further away.
The diminishing geographical distance notwithstanding, Amsterdam feels further away than ever. The nomadic lifestyle suits us well and I, for one, will be sorry when this trip comes to an end. What will we do? The answer is obvious: start planning our next trip!