Our time in Vienna was short. We had not originally planned to come here at all, but our plan of catching a train from Krakow to Budapest collapsed when it was realised that major track maintenance work in Slovakia was going to delay the direct rail journey. We found this alternative of flying from Krakow to Vienna (a one hour flight cost £31 for the two of us) and then train to Budapest the next day. Well, this is now the next day, and our train leaves at 14:30.

After catching the U-bahn into the city centre (see the earlier post about Michaelerplatz excavations) we walked up to the Hofburg complex of museums and palaces and public gardens. We wandered in awe at the history on display, learning later that many of the structures had to be rebuilt after the allied bombing of the city during World War II, and after one of the palaces was severely damaged by fire in 1992. The beautifully manicured gardens were springing back to life, with signs that indicated ice and snow had only just melted from these outdoor spaces.