Travelling Hopefully

I'm scared of heights.  I don't know why.  I wasn't as a child and in my youth I went bungee jumping without more than the appropriate level of terror associated with jumping off a three hundred foot high bridge with an elastic band attached to my ankles.  Sometime between then and now it has developed into something approaching a phobia.  For this reason I decided to eschew visiting the Belvedere Palace and instead went to the amusement park at the Prater.  I thought I would face my fears by taking a ride on the massive ferris wheel they have there from which one can see beautiful panoramas of Vienna if indeed you can take your hands away from your eyes.

So off to the Prater I went and, taking my courage in both hands (so it didn't run away), I bought a ticket for the big wheel.  If nothing else the locals could be amused by the sight of a middle aged man weeping hysterically in a corner.  My frame of mind wasn't improved by the sight of a workman wandering around carrying what looked suspiciously like ferris wheel components over his shoulder.

After all the build up it turned out to be a bit of a bust from a "facing the fear" perspective.  The compartments are fully enclosed and big enough to walk around in, I think I've been in smaller railway carriages.  So my fears didn't get properly faced but I did get great views of Vienna.  Or at least I would have if I hadn't chosen an overcast and rainy day to visit the Prater.  As it was I got great views of mist.  I took photos.

Of  course there were many other far more dramatic ways I could have faced my fears, rollercoasters, spinning towers and the like but on reflection I decided "screw it" and went on the miniature railway instead which was pulled by a baby steam engine.  I took photos of that as well.

Still on the subject of outdoor activities, the Augarten was conveniently close to my accommodation so I went down there for a look.  The Augarten is a public park which is rather like saying the Titanic was a boat.  Tipping the scales at over fifty one hectares there is plenty of space in the Augarten for one to stretch out and relax, walk ones dog and admire the porcelain factory which for some reason is situated there.

Looming above the ornamental flower beds and dwarfing the rows of handsome trees are the flaktowers.  The flaktowers date from World War 2 when the Germans turned most of the Augarten into a military base with bunkers, armoured vehicles and flaktowers.  These two monstrous constructions mounted batteries of anti aircraft guns to protect the city from allied bombing raids.

When the war was over and the Austrians decided to stop being German and start being Austrian again the Viennese reconverted the Augarten to a park and attempted to eradicate all evidence of the German presence there.  However the flaktowers were so solidly constructed that they quite literally defied demolition.  There they are and there, for the foreseeable future, they stay.  I must admit I didn't mind them.  Yes they spoil the look of the park and they are quite monstrously ugly but it does no harm at all in my opinion to have a few reminders of darker times around us, particularly in the middle of beauty.

That's pretty much it for my visit to Vienna.  I saw quite a bit, I didn't see an immense amount more but now I have to make my way home and bring this somewhat tedious collection of self indulgent travel ramblings to an end.  Somehow I don't think Mark Twain will be shivering in his bed.  Many thanks to Stefan and Zuzanna who lent me part of their home and were gracious and welcoming hosts.  A special thanks to Stefan (and his father) for their fine gift which I greatly appreciated.  All that remains now is to see if Emirates can be as efficient at dumping me back in Sydney as they were in depositing me in London.