Although plans for a family Christmas in Vienna have been foiled, the festive spirit here is going strong and with the famous ice rink at the Rathausplatz set to open next week, lockdown clearly isn't getting between the Viennese and their Weihnachten!
Rathausplatz on the first Sunday of Advent
Decorations in the stable courtyard of the Spanish Riding School
Since the last update, work from home continuing plus the temptation of snow in other parts of the country has meant I've been exploiting the benefits of my railcard by going on some fairly far flung day trips.
Starting closer to home, I visited Klosterneuburg with a friend. We took the tram there then decided to head back on foot in the direction of the Kahlenberg Transmitter which was poking out from the trees in the distance. It turned out to be A LOT further than expected. We trespassed over many muddy fields, jumped a fair few ditches and even marched along the side of the mountain road into the disapproving eyes of drivers; it was at this point that sleeping the night in the forest seemed an ever more likely fate.
Thankfully we did eventually make it and the view was, as ever, worth it!
A day or so later, I woke up to snow! It was gone by the end of the day but was a very welcome surprise and got me dreaming of trips to Tirol and Vorarlberg in the future.
In search of more snow and in an effort to make the most of one of Austria's many bank holidays, I went on a day trip to Salzburg. Fairly crazy given the 2.5hr train journey there and back but it was actually so much fun and I highly recommend! Being Covid time and all, I didn't go to a single museum but did walk up to the fortress (spookily empty), visited Schloss Mirabell's stunning gardens and ogled at all the Christmas displays along the famous Getreidegasse.
The view from and through the Hohensalzburg Castle!
Not a soul to be seen....still wondering whether I did in fact break in?
Worth the trespassing fears!
The best Strudel ever..or so I thought....
This Salzburg success led to a day trip to Linz on the weekend - another city that's been recommended to me countless times and is simply too close to Vienna not to visit. I went with a friend and together we made our way over the river from the station towards Pöstlingberg.
[Quick complaint about Austria - the lack of signage for walking trails is quite impressive. A first signpost and confident declaration of the distance to your destination gets your hopes up and gives you enough motivation to set off, naively assuming that the next must just be around the next corner. Many corners later and you admit defeat and have to hope that you make it before the sun goes down. We used the snowy turrets of Schloss Pöstlingberg as our North Star and did finally reach it..probably walking double the distance necessary.]
Another reason for visiting Linz was to source the infamous 'Linzer Torte'. After the fairly long trek up the hill, we practically ran back down we were so hungry and duly found a respectable looking bakery to satisfy our culinary curiosity.
I have to say though, it's got nothing on Apfel Strudel - the one I had in Linz now holds the title of 'best one yet'
Back to Vienna for a final week of revelling in the festive atmosphere before I head home for Christmas and (providing crossing the border in this wonderful Covid-cum-Brexit time goes well) return to Vienna for January!
Ice skating at the Wiener Eislaufverein just steps away from my flat!
P.S. You can read a more general YA post I wrote for a University outreach blog here :)
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