Hello again everybody,
Yesterday morning I visited the Hundertwasserhaus, a delightfully whimsical place in
the centre of Vienna, full of colour and creative mischief and plants. I found
myself wishing very hard that I could live somewhere just like that, however
perhaps not that exact place as the crowds of tourists gawking around the base
of the building would get very old very quickly, especially as they seem to
stand right in front of entry/exit doors and garages, with complete disregard
for the comfort or convenience of the people who actually inhabit the building.
MM, it made me think of the discussions we’ve had about a community house – I
reckon something along these lines would be perfect. J
Whimsical - but note the crowds.
I was a tiny bit in love with this building - but it was very hard to get a good photo as it was at the corner of a couple of very narrow streets.
Hundertwasserhaus - detail.
The rest of the street the Hundertwasserhaus was on was singularly unimaginative. I think the construction of this building must have come as quite the shock to the neighbours.
After that I headed towards Hofburg Palace and was just in time for the
daily show at the Spanish Riding School. This was pretty funny – the famous
white stallions were on their summer break, so instead the show consisted of a
few younger horses being put through their paces, and at one point they brought
in part of their Lipizzaner breeding herd, consisting of some of their brood
mares and their foals. This bit was very cute – they all came in in an orderly
enough fashion, but as soon as the mothers’ bridles were let go, everything
started to fall apart very quickly, and it ended by the trainers putting up
their hands and basically letting the herd do as they pleased – whether it was
the mammas rolling in the sand which covered the arena floor, with their leggy
little foals awkwardly trying to imitate them, or the babies staging
play-fights with one another. The audience was probably more taken by this than
a stiff display of good behaviour by these graceful creatures anyway, who
reminded me more than anything else of a group of large, hoofed (hooved? I
should know that) dogs, as they ran and played together, responded to whistles
from their trainers, and nuzzled up to their humans for treats.
Out the front of the Spanish Riding School. Note the horses and carriages out the front, which give you some idea of the size of this place. Even so, nothing prepares you for actually being there - I stood and gaped when I came around the corner and saw it for the first time.
Best behaviour - processing round in a circle.
Oh whatever. One mare going for a roll in the sand, another going for pats from an adoring crowd, and babies everywhere. The babies were about 2-3 months old and all brown, which is the colour they are when they are born - a couple were just on the point of starting to turn white like their mothers, which they will all eventually do..
After that I decamped, and after pushing myself pretty hard for the
first couple of weeks it was nice to slow the pace a little yesterday. My legs
might not be much to look at but they’re tough buggers and have uncomplainingly
carried me the tremendous distances I’ve been walking each day – however my
poor feet have temporarily given up the ghost and needed a bit of a spell. So I
hopped in the car and headed for a leisurely drive up the Wachau Valley, past
centuries-old abbeys and terraced vineyards, and then turned towards Salzburg.
I didn’t quite make it to Salzburg yesterday though – I spent so much time
idling through scenic little villages that when I pulled up for a break in a
lovely spot by a village near some mountains around 8pm I decided to camp there overnight. I slept
well, and at one point woke to the most exquisite night I’ve ever lived
through. The warm breeze was soughing through the trees, the moon was shining,
and beyond it was a sky full of stars. It was the kind of night which it was a
joy to be awake for, however I did drop back to sleep and woke to see the
morning breaking over the nearby mountains.
Day planning - note the feet propped up on my backpack!
View over the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wachau Valley. I had lunch not far from here.
Drove through fields of nearly-ripe corn.
Found little old buildings - this byre must have been centuries old, going by the waveriness of its roof line. Note the tiny windows in the brick - this place must get so cold in winter.
Geraniums in window-boxes are everywhere! I particularly loved this window, with its frame bent with age and its pots of bright red geraniums.
Late afternoon. Proper mountains in sight.
Late afternoon. Proper mountains in sight.
This morning was again spent pottering along through hills and dales. I
would often find myself with a small smile on my face, and when the first
proper mountains hove into view I was so full of happiness at being among them,
and their forests and lakes, that I thought I couldn’t possibly feel happier
than I was at that moment without splitting down the middle and having my soul
go out to be a part of all the good and beautiful things there are in the
world. You’ll be glad to hear that at this point I got lost so this didn’t
happen as I had to shift my attention to finding my way back to civilisation
(this always seems to happen when I’m mooning about over something – I like to
think of it as a healthy balance ;P).
I finally arrived at my camp at Salzburg around midday. It’s not quite
like Heaven (an idyllic place in Scotland run by people who truly understand
camping and were obviously at pains to make sure their guests had the best possible
experience, and which JG and I found after a few nights at fairly sub-standard
places during our UK road trip) but pretty close! Green and quiet and shady,
with a swimming pool which I plan to spend the afternoon sitting beside. And
then tomorrow I aim to take the longest, cheesiest Sound of Music tour I can
find (AL, doesn’t that remind you of the singalong we went to a while back?!). J