Vienna

I've just enjoyed two glorious days in Vienna. The city was at its best with crystal clear blue skies and warm weather. A very beautiful place indeed.

Some of the architecture is astonishing. The Museum Quarter off Maria Hilfer Strasse is particularly stunning with many very grand buildings. Sadly the computer I'm using at the moment disallows me to grab a coupel of photos off my camera. I'll fix that later but for now trust me; it's brilliant.

One of the highlights for me however was one of the transport options available within the city. A project called City Bike Wien (see their home page) is just fantastic. Fifty bike stations are located across the city and after a quick and cheap registration of just €1 you can hire a bicycle and ride across the city. The first hour of usage is free and additional hours begin at €1. With bike lanes everywhere and so many bike stations, it's a very attractive mode of transportation. Even better, you don't have to return your bike to where you hired it. Simply return it to any station and you're done. Sydney isn't nearly as bike friendly (geographically if for no other reason) but I'd love to see something like this there.

The other big highlight for me was without a doubt the food markets. I was in heaven, seeing and smelling the vast array of fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses and more on offer. Being a Saturday the markets were bustling with activity as well. A quick stop for a local beer and some freshly made hummus and flatbread recharged the batteries and allowed for some people watching. Again, when the opportunity arises I will definitely post some pictures.

Two days is, of course, never enough time to see any place but I do feel like I had a chance to begin to see the heart of Vienna. I was greatly impressed.