The sun is shining and the birds are tweeting, the ducks are quacking and the Viennese are laughing and smiling. Well I made that last bit up but you know what I mean. Merisi is out there with her camera so you will soon see shots of a revitalized Wien on her Blog.
I took David on his first bike ride in Vienna and we rode around the city,along the canal, through the Prater, across the Donau, along to the Kraftwerk and back along the canal - the last part in the teeth of a howling gale. Someone explained to me once why it is always so windy in Vienna. I have forgotten what they said - but it is inevitably windy when I ride.
The Donau doesn’t seem to be any higher than usual but the water is sure moving along. It is roaring out of the Kraftwerk gates and creating a giant undertow. It is not blue.
Nearly 28 kilometers today and David held up remarkably well. He may not be able to walk tomorrow but today he is fine, albeit with a sore bum.
The place is soaked at the moment. The canal has overflowed its banks in parts and a little cafe I was going to visit today down near the Kraftwerk end is flooded and inaccessible. Large parts of the Prater are very soggy and the whole city looks waterlogged.
The streets have been washed clean of all the usual stuff and I should send a warning note to the cities downstream that they can expect a gazillion cigarette butts and the equivalent amount of dog poo to arrive soon.
I am confident that Spring and Summer will resume as normal in Vienna and all will be well.
