Gellért Hill

Since leaving Passau on Tuesday last, we have ported in rather small, but quaint towns…not so today. We left Krems late last night and ported on west side of the Danube in Vienna early in the morning. Boxer’s first view of this was across the Danube at DC2 (tallest building in Austria) with the crescent moon winking at it.
Our morning tour began in the middle Vienna, once the capital the Austria-Hungarian Empire..now the cultural center of this region. Some of the buildings (and streets) in this part of Vienna pre-dated A.C.
After the guided tour Mimi and I left our group to explore this cultural center on our own.
The Volksgarten was the first gem we found, with its 4000 rose bushes and 800 long stem roses. We found a bench with shade to enjoy the flavor and color of this beautiful garden. We wondered through the manicured lawns carefully staying on the paths. It provided a good opportunity to see what a rose garden on June St in Hood River might become.
Boxer’s edification when he uses Google maps to find his way back to home base has steadily improved in the last couple of weeks. Even in old cities. We did find that smoking is widespread.,.but not only cigarettes…we slipped out of Vienna late in the evening but not before I had an opportunity for a late night walk on the Handelskai (walkway along the Danube) and a chance meeting with a pair of swans.Read more