Vienna Heurigen Show

This was a mini tour- Vienna sightseeing has brochures in the many hotels across the city and pick you up from your hotel and meet the buses at a designated area and divide the tourists into destination, and language.  For example on the evening trip the Guide switched between four languages just like that!

To start off the night we had a ride on the oldest Ferris wheel in the world.  It is 65 ft high and has 15 cabins- which look like mini tram cabins.  It was built at the end of the last century and was set in this wonderful, elegant sideshow alley.

Every second carriage was a dining carriage- so you could book one and enjoy the sights of Vienna.

Or marvel at the other rides in the park.

 Yes those dots are people.


 Then back onto the bus and a ride into the hills- well it just seemed a few blocks away to a neighbourhoods full of small taverns- everywhere- these are the traditional wine houses- the one we went to- the Wolf was built in 1649.
We had a set meal of meat, fried potato and sauerkraut, followed by apple strudel- with a '1/4 litre' of the vintage of the tavern.  Our Guide told us that there were about 150 taverns in Vienna.

And music and brief operatic skits and dance were part of the deal- we enjoyed it.

The visit to Vienna drew to a close- not without a last event- robbery!  We were jostled in an elevator after leaving the underground- not a nice place in Vienna- and Kel's wallet stolen... hustled and hassled... so a visit to the police station- to try and get a bit of justice- how hard not to speak German- no one around to help- a salient lesson as we made our way to the Cat train to the airport..thankfully not much stolen and the cards were cancelled immediately.  Ah Vienna!  With an organised gang of pickpockets( on the tube) or station.