ICELAND

There is so much to write about Iceland that I will probably have a couple of goes.The church abov e is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.The windows are all plain glass and from standing at the back of the church looking towards the altar, the view through the windows behind the altar are stupendous taking in the snow covered mountains which backdrop Reykjavik.We stayed in a guest house Sunna which was great and the family who run it could not have been more hospitable making bookings for us in Icelandic- a language which is absolutely foreign!
The Viking ship picture above is a replica of one which was discovered buried for hundreds of years, and a crew of Icelanders actually sailed it to USA a few years back taking 103 days for the voyage.As it is an open boat one can only admire their courage.

The flight across took nearly 3 hours and we arrived at 10.50 at night and b oarded the commuter bus only to find that the airport was 50 kms from the city.The driver had little or no English and did not understand Guesthouse Sunna -but Carol was confident she would find it.We did indeed after some trying moments and an eventual taxi ride to find the lady at Sunna patiently waiting up for us at 1 am!!

Good fortuune was with us as the weather during our entire visit was perfect even though a little cold.Sun and blue skies are a blessing for tourists. The town of Reykjavik has 130,000 residents and canvasses an area equivalent to that of Rome- so there is plenty of space around and we both felt totally comfortable wandering around the city visiting two of the museums to get a handle on the culture and history. It is an expensive place however, a reasonable meal costs $40 or more. We booked a full day tour for day2 which cost aboout $90 (no meals included).

The tour was in two parts.In the morning we went to the Reykjanes peninsula and were the only people in the bus.This peninsula is made entirely of lava which gives a moon like appearance of the landscape.We stopped at the division between the Continent of North America and Europe where the tectonic plates had separated.The division was some 30 metres and we saw another such division later that day where the separation was much much more pronounced. The sign in the photo above displays the site of the rift. We saw vast jets of steam coming out of the ground just to remind us that this whole area is a mass of hot lava below the ground. The fishing village of Grindavik was remote facing out to the Atlantic Ocean where there are extensive fishing grounds. Back to Reykjavik to join our afternoon tour this time with several other people including 7 Australians!!

We saw the beautiful waterfalls at Gullfoss partly frozen and accompanied by a strong bitterly cold wind which inhibited long time viewing! Had a bite of lunch and a beer and then on to the spouting hot springs of Geyser and Strokkur. You could see the pressure of the hot water building up in the spouthole, and then it would suddenly shoot up 30 or 40 metres into the air.It paid to stand on the lee side!

THE FENS - A POTTED HISTORY

This amazing area covers some 600 square miles and was originally a complete swamp with a few scattered areas where the land was high enough to support a settlement. Ely and Ramsey were both islands in the distant past . The photo above left is of the Holme Fen Posts -this pole was buried in1851 so that it's top was level with the ground at the time.This is now 13 feet above the ground caused by the gradual subsidence of the land due to the extensive drainage of the Fens and the shrinkage of the peat when it dried out. The photo above right is of a tyical canal or drain which supports the total system of draining water to the sea. Surrounding land is usually lower than the canal or other waterwat levels which means that water has to be pumped up from the land into these waterways when flooding occurs.

Ramsey Forty Foot is just a few minutes away from Ramsey and the name comes from the fact that the drain at this point is 40 foot wide!.

Picture at right shows a typical road and canal which goes straight for several miles and is typical of the scenery in the area.

The Romans came to the Fens in 43 AD and established forts in the area. They did some work on drainage building canals,embankments and sea defences.But they left England in 410AD and by the 4th century all traces of Roman occupation had disappeared and the Fens reverted to floods and marshes.

Then there were the Viking invasions in the 8th century,the introduction of religious orders (and the commencement of building abbeys) and the Norman invasion of the 11th century.It was during this latter period that the building of Ely and Norwich Cathedrals was commenced.

In 1621 a dutchman Cornelius Vermuyden was brought to England with the brief to rehabilitate the Fens which he commenced to do by employing hundreds of labourers to dig massive canals, and to straighten the watercourses of several rivers with the aim of directing water flow more rapidly to the sea. In1637 the project was adjudged complete. However nature was not be so easily defeated, and severe rain and snow soon proved his plan needed more work.So in 1649 work started again with the extension of cuts and drains and the creation of the Ouse Washes a 4700 acre storage resevoir designed to hold flood waters until it was safe to release them into the river system.This was completed in1656 and the drainage of the Fens again declared finished. Not to be -the floods returned with a vengeance and it became apparent that Vermuyden had overlooked the nature of the land. The area that had been drained was 100% peat and peat is 90% water,and the draining had caused the peat to shrink and hence the land sank.

Windmills were introduced to pump the flood waters up to the now elevated waterways, but with limited success, and it was not until firstly, diesel powered and subsequently electric pumping capacity was introduced that things gradually improved. Even so there were catastrophic floods in the 20th century and millions of pounds were spent on Flood Control Strategy to reach the present day position. Even now there are still risks of flooding (there were major floods in1998-2003) and that, together with the continuing shrinkage of the land, poses ongoing problems for the Fens. In some places farmers are now ploughing into the clay subsoil where erosion has stripped the topsoil.

But a fascinating place to have lived in.

ODD'S N SODS

Having now been here for a bit over 6 months, we have become entitled to register with our local medical clinic and obtain a National Health Membership. The NHS wrote to Carol asking whether she was the same Carol Walker who had an NHS number from 1974 when she lived and worked in London!! They wrote to me saying that they were having trouble finding me and asking where I had lived in UK before (1952 for Gods sake) and whether I had served in the armed forces.Told them my old army number 22144588 L/Cpl Royal Engineers and hope that suffices,
I also saw a pamphlet recently advising a deadline date for claiming the Winter Fuel allowance for over 70's. I rang them up and they sent me an application form which required proof of age and a National Insurance number. I had to go to Job Cente in Huntingdon where the photocopied my passport and driving license to prove age, and then incredibly they searched their computer records and asked me whether I had ever lived in Boscombe and if so in what street. As I could remember Gloucester Road as the address it threw up my NI number from 1952!! Now I am waiting to hear that I have been granted the allowance of L200 ($500) which will be most welcome as the last gas bill was L180!!
As I am over 70 I also get free medicine from doctor's prescriptions and of course we both get free consultations under the NHS scheme. There are some benefits in being here - but I think the Poms arre in front!!!

COLCHESTER AND CONSTABLE COUNTRY

We had an email from Nancy Young a neighbour in Toowoomba wih the suggestion that we might visit Colchester and Constable country where her sister Sue (pictured above with Carol)lives in a small village called Langham. We had met Sue when she visited Toowoomba,so I gave her a call and she was more than pleased for us to call on her. The drive down was all major highway and took us past Stanstead Airport which was useful as we are flying out from there for Iceland next week. Colchester is the oldest Roman settlement in England and we could easily spend a day touring around there. We did visit the magnificent 11th century castle which is in remarkable condition for it's age. Colchester itself has survived a Norman invasion, a siege during the English civil war (Oliver Cromwell and that lot) and an earthquake in the 19th century. We also visited the ruined Priory buildings an original monastery from the 12th century - which although a real ruin was well depicted in it's original form with imaginative illustrations at the site.

We drove out to Langham, Navigator Carol doing another superb bit of work with the occasional blast at the driver -"I said take the second left you ******* ignoramus -get a bloody hearing aid" All in good fun of course!!

Sue lives in a lovely house set on an expansive garden block just off the motorway. We had a drink and Sue rang David and Nancy to have a brief chat. That's when we found out that David's planned itinerary for their visit in May/June included a visit to us at Ramsey during the time that we plan to be in Norway! The school half term is the only time we can get to Norway to see Sarah and Baard so we are waiting to hear what alternative plan can be made.

Langham is in the centre of the district know as Constable country. The famous Landscape artist was born here and painted his memorable works around this area .We drove to Dedham a glorious village where we visited the church which was a lot larger than the usual village church due to the village having been the home of a large weaving industry. The photos above are of Flemish weavers cottages which have been maintained and still comfortably habitable. After a pint of ale in the old pub we took off for Flatford.

This is a National Trust project commemorating Constable's life, and needs really to be visited in dryer weather as walking is de rigeur. However we managed toget a very good idea of this beautiful part of England.The top left photo is of Willy Lott's house a farmhouse built about 1600 and part of the National trust.

Back to Sue's for a delicious late lunch. While feeding ourselves it started to snow and actually just settled onto the ground before stopping thank heavens - driving on snowy roads is something my navigator is reluctant to trust me with!

Sue gave us directions for a quicker route home and we made it back in excellent time having had a most enjoyable day.

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STRATFORD ON AVON

We decided to get an early start on Sunday and go across to Stratford on Avon which is 93 miles west of here. AS usual Carol navigated with consummate skill and we made the trip in just 2 hours. With lots of good signage we soon found Anne Hathaway's cottage and paid 26 quid for a ticket which gave us access to the five major sites celebrating William Shakespeare.

The cottage (picture top right) was in incredible condition for a 16th century building, and a guide their gave an interesting account of the lives if Bill and Anne. Bill was only 18 when he married Anne (who was 26 and 3 months pregnant!) so he was not just a good writer!. The two storey cottage contained several original items of furniture and was set in a superb garden.

Next stop was in the City centre, with plenty of parking available. We visited Shakespeare's birthplace and the exhibition of his liffe and works, all very well presented and most interesting.

The city itself was picturesque and very tourist orientated. We went down to the River Avon and watched a canal boat go through the lock which reminded us of our Murray River houseboat adventure some years ago. The wind was very cold here and we wandered about trying to decide where to have lunch,but finally got the car and drov e to the Arden cottage and farm which was about 4 miles from Stratford. We had a light lunch here and then went to see the very old house that Shakespeares mother had lived in until she moved to Stratford and married Bill's father.Until five years ago it had been assumed that the larger cottage (pictured bottom right above) had been their home, but an investigation turned up evidence that the actual cottage was a little further away on the farm property. The cottage had been inhabited by one family (not Ardens) for many years and was lived in until the 1970's!!

The larger cottage is, as can be seen, in a pretty decrepit condition, but can be inspected inside and one casn only goggle at the massive old wooden beams that supported the roof.The floors are very unevendue to sagging here and there, but again quite remarkable for being 500 years old. The farm itself is interesting and includes a falconry. We were lucky enough to be in time for a flying displpay by a European Owl (photo above). This was one of several owls,falcons,hawks and kestrels which are kept there. The young lady who was running the show was full of interesting infomation and told us that most of the birds had been bred in captivity.

The other fascinating building was a dovecote, a large rotunda shaped building inside which the walls contained hundreds of recessess in which the doves lived. Apart from suppplementing the diet, these birds droppings were regularly scraped up and used as fertilizer.

And so we turned for home,this time managing to geta bit lost and ending up going through Warwick and almost into Leicester due to missing an exit on the Motorway - it didn't make much differencce however. It was still daylight when we stopped at the Admiral's Arms at Holme for a much needed pint for me a mulled wine for the navigator. A great day.

PRAGUE 2

Despite still feeling less than human, but a bit stimulated by the great shower in the hotel, we both fronted for breakfast, and thus reinforced decided that we would take up our pre booked afternoon tour to .

As this didn't start until 1pm we decided to go and visit the Prague Museum in the Wencelas Square. Carol did her usual navigating and we took a different bus and then onto the underground for the first time, and despite the difficulty of reading nameplaces in a totally confusing language we arrived exactly where planned!

the public transport system is the same as in V ienna, buy a ticket from wherever, validate it on the machine in the first vehicle used, and then no one bothers you therreafter!

Prague Museum was a purpose built magnificent building created in the late 19th century, and has to be one the best in the world. It is so comprehensive that a week would be about the sort of time one would need to fully explore it's offerings. We spent more than an hour going through the "Evolution of Life" exhibition with the most extraordinary illustration of the developement of our beginnings which would Gobsmack the Creationists! And the detailed information on each stage of age from pre BC to the modern times was supported with an incredible array of artifacts and relics.

A quick visit to the adjoining Maccas (no more Czech food thank you) and we joined up with our tour. There were a couple from Melbourne,two teachers from London, a Spanish couple who spoke French, and a another young couple from?

The tour took us some 70 kilometres into the country which was completely snow bound, and during the drive our guide gave an excellent commentary on the development of the Czech Republic.The destination was Kutna Hora which was a very wealthy tin mining town in the 16 th century. First we stopped at a shrine (ossary) where some old monk had used the bones dug up from a cemetry which was being replaced, to create all sorts of adornments. It was bitterly cold and the whole thing reminded me only of the Pol Pot scene - not my cup pf tea.
It was here that the young lady on the bus came up to me with a pair of ear muffs and a scarf and said I would like to borrow. God Bless her - as at this stage I was frozen stiff.
The visit to the cathedral (another one) although very much dedicated to the mining community of the time, was OK. Then on to the Mint where the various vintages of coins minted there were on display. Then into a cafe and a glass of hot wine which felt to me to be the highlight of the whole trip!!! Sounds like I was still not well does it not.
Home to Prague - another early night - a prepaid taxi to the airport and then home thank God.

PRAGUE

Above - the detail above the entrance to the Prague Castle Cathedral, and a view of the City froom the Castle. To the right is a shot of the Presidential Palace which is also part of the Castle.

Things didn't work out very well for us in Prague.Carol had a cold when we left and this got rapidly worse. We had arranged for a car to take us from the Airport to the hotel as we were arriving late evening. Sure enough there was this young man with a sign "Carol James" and he took us out to the car park where he had his two door Skoda of unkown vintage. But it bumped and rattled it's way into the city and we found the Seifert Hotel with no trouble. Then he gave us a bill for 750 czech krowns about $60!! At least we were helping a poor Uni student!!

The hotel was excellent and we crashed ,only to wake up in the morning suffering from the virus that we had brought with us. After brekky we headed to the Old City which was about half and hours walk away. Very interesting because of the spray can graffiti which adorned evry spare piece of wall. We discovered the beautiful Old City which is absolutely original. During WW2 the Germans occupied Czechoslavakia (as it was then known) without any resistance so there was no war damage that so afflicted other European cities.

We decided to become good tourists by having a "traditional Czech lunch". In Len's case this was Roast Hares legs in red wine sauce served with dumplings. Not a success - the hare's legs were like 10 year old Biltong and the dumplings?Once cut into edible portions and consumed they took little time in joining up again in his gut and forming a cannon ball type feeling. After lunch we walked up to the Prague Castle which is not really a Castle in the traditional sense, but a collection of churches/residences/palaces over an extensive area, all overlooking the city. After an hour the pain in Len's guts was becoming unbearable and we quickly started to make our way back towards the town where we intedded to bus back to the hotel. I knew I would'nt make so we jumped into taxi waiting at the kirbside.The driver quoted 400czech krown for the trip. At the hotel he changed this to 475 - wrote an illegible receipt out and then promptly said he had no change from the 500 offered!!

While Carol argued the toss with him Len raced into the hotel, threw himself at the loo and evacuated his bursting stomach in forceful fashion. Several hours later we both had thoughts only of lying down and dying!

Needless to say we did not venture out into the Prague night deciding to have a totally good sleep in. Woke in the morning still feeling like hell but as we had a wallking tour paid for with a tourist agency, we bravely staggered into the Old Town and found our guide who was absolutely delightful. We were the only two on the tour, and drove in a bus up to the C astle (thank heavens I could not have stood anbother climb up all those steps). So we learnt a lot of the history of C zech Republic and the time during WW2 with the Germans and then subsequently the communist regime.

End of part 1.

OXFORD

Today we decided to take off for Oxford which is almost 100 miles away. We made to mistake of being lazy about getting away and were sorry when we realised that we were spending more time driving than we had to sightsee in Oxford!

So after finding a car park ($13 for 3 hours) we walked into the city centre and there was just so much to goggle at. It is a bit like Cambridge but with much wider streets to accomodate the hundreds of bicycles. The other significant thing was the continual procession of coaches and buses - there is a coach service to London with a coach departing every 10 minutes!

We headed for the University college area and spent quite some time in Christ Church which is both a college and a cathedral. It dates back to the 12th century and is awe inspiring. The tower at the entrance (photo above) was designed by Christopher Wren who I am sure every one knows designed St Pauls Cathedral in London.

Both John and Charles Wesley studied here and were ordained in the cathedral - going on to found the Wesleyan faith. Bob Hawke also spent time here drinking yards of beer although there does not seem to be memento of his incumbency!!

Walking away from this College you are immediately amidst many of the other colleges and the Bodlian Library -sadly all off limits to visitors. Hunger struck and we had an excellent lunch of fish and chips (how do they do it so well) and then we had to hurry off to the carpark before our time expired. We really haveto go back to Oxford and spend a lot more time there.

The drive home was one of Carol's map reading specials avoiding the motor ways! We passed the Woburn Safari Park. This is part of the magnificent Woburn Abbey estate which is the home of the Duke of Bedford who's family have lived there for over 400 years. The estate comprises some 3000 acres of parkland stocked with many types of deer, and there is a brick wall around the whole thing! It seems t o go on forever. The safari park was an initiative of the current duke's parents who decided post WWII to underake extensive renovations rather than pass the property over to the National Trust to settle enormous death duties. We are certainly going to return there for a visit

SPALDING AND STAMFORD

It was a beautiful Spring like day - just ignore the fact that it was only 5 degrees and the clear blue skies provided a sun which failed to project any warmth!
We took our new neighbour Zel with us on another tour of the nearby market towns. Zel is an IT Teacher from New Zealand on a 6 months contract.
We drove to Spalding and wandered around the market place, which was fairly ordinary but SWMBO managed to find some things to buy. Had a look at the parish church which is part 12th century and, like many of the churches here, contains quite a lot of history of past parishioners and patrons.
We took off for Stamford to seek somewhere for lunch and passed a 17th Centruy pub (pictures above) 17th century and very quaint so we pulled in and had an excellent meal and a decent pint of London Pride. I have developed a real liking for English Beer and much prefer it to Fosters!
We had been to Stamford before. It is one of the prettiest market towns with a river winding through the town.
On Sunday I decided to put the car through the car wash but when I had paid my 3 quid for the pleasure I found that the wash was frozen and had to get a refund.Went back a couple of hours later but it was still the same so came home and handwashed the bloody thing with a bucket as we don't have an outside tap or hose. Looks good though!

CASTLE RISING

We took advantage of our recently joined membership of British Heritage to visit Castle Rising and later that day Castle Acrea. We were lucky in that when we went into the reception to get our tickets, the custodian became very intertested in the fact that we were from Ramsey. Turns out he is an Archaeologist and has an intense interest in St Felix who was an original Monk associated with Castle Rising back in the 7th Century - before the current stucture was built.
He regaled us for about an hour on the history of the area, and his work in tracing the activities of St Felix. In the nearby church is the original font that graced the original church on this site, and carvings on the front of the font illustrate three faces - each with cats ears! It was a joke by Felix the cat.He told us that Felix's bones were originally buried in Ramsay but later removed, and as we had never heard of St Felix in Ramsey he was intrigued and asked if we could make some enquiries for him.
The Castle was built around 1140 and although the roof has fallen in there are still some rooms in perfect condition.This together with the massive earthworks which are some 12o feet high in places makes the site of great national interest.The castle passed to the Howard family in 1544 and remains in their hands today, the current owner being a descendant of William D'Albini 11 who pioneered the building!! No relation of Johnnie I suspect!
We then drove some 20 miles to Castle Acres a magnificent village near a 13th century Abbey.The abbey is in ruins but incredibly major parts remain intact and there are still some rooms which are habitable.
The top picture left is the ramains of the original front of the abbey. The other three being Castle Rising.
Had a lovely lunch in a pub there (lambs fry and mash(!) a pint and a glass of excellent red and then home to Ramsey.
Spent Sunday on the web researching Cornish Cottages and have booked a five night stay in The Cobblers Cottage at Charlestown and 18th century fishiing harbour.
Two (!) photos of the cottage abov e!

KIRBY HOUSE

Yesterday was a pretty quiet day - it actually started to snow in the morning so we had a day at home.Did some washing and took it to the laundromat in St Ives for drying and then came home for a crib tournament. So this morning we decided we had better get out and find an English Heritage property to visit and settled on Kirby which is about 38 miles away.
This old Mnsion dates back to 1570 in the reign of Elizabeth the 1st.It is a truly magnificent structure and although technically "a ruin" is still a substantial building and able to be walked through.The gardens are remarkable and a tribute to English Heritage who maintain them.
This is an unusual history because "The beauty of Kirby's decline is that it was private and without violence.The house was never burnt, ravaged, used as a quarry or assaulted by mobs.It simply lapsed". A fitting tribute paid by a 20th century architectural historian

On the way home we called into Oundle a pretty market village of great antiquity. We went into a wonderful old Pub where Len had a pint and Carol regretted having a glass of Merlot which, being French was bloody awful!!

ISLE OF WIGHT

Back from Vienna courtesy of British Airways who had excelled themselves in the catering department. On the flight over to Vienna we were given "supper" which consisted of two white bread cheese and pickle sandwiches. On the flight from Vienna to Heathrow we were given afternoon tea - Yep - two white bread cheese and pickle sandwiches. Wowee.Took the ferry from Southampton to East Cowes - a trip of just under an hour and calm as a millpond. Drove down to Freshwater Bay where we found the Hotel Albion perched on the sea front and our room leading onto a walkway on the seafront - very comfortable with magnificent views. The Island is not very large of course, and we visited every area. Osborne House at Cowes was built in the 19th century by Albert the consort to Queen Victoria. He must have been a remarkable man because the substantial house had central heating and insulation incorporated in it's construction.It was used by the royal family as a Summer residence - Queen Victoria had 9 children and the place had the feel of a family home (albeit very substantial) Albert died when he was 45 and the Queen went into mourning and dressed in black from that day until her death some forty years later when she instructed that she be buried in a white funeral to appear as a bride for her re-union with Albert.We also visited Carisbrook Castle a 12th century construction high on a hill (aren't all castles?) and used originally for the defence of the island. Later it was famed for housing the imprisonment of Charles 1st who was taken from there to London to have his head chopped off.The Hotel Albion gave an impression of Faulty Towers in its layout (but much more efficient) and most of the guests were elderly and genteel! We played scrabble in the lounge while waiting fofr the dinner gong. The weather was great - although one morning was minus 4 degrees and it took some time to de-ice the car! On the morning that we were leaving, we woke to hear the waves crashing on the walkway, and heard spray splashing heavily on the windows -so we were pleased that we were going.
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ISLE OF WIGHT PHOTOS

From the top -The Needles and a shot of the coast next to the hotel.
Len sitting on the walkway outside our bedroom. Carol at Carisbrooke Castle and an early morning sunrise.

A BIT MORE VIENNA

On Christmas Eve we went on a coach tour of the Danube Valley. Only 12 of us on board with an excellent guide who did his commentary in English,French and Spanish!

The main feature was a visit to a Benedictine Monastery set hign on a hill top overlooking the pictureque town of Melk. The monastery was enormous - with guest wing Used by royalty)treasure house, library and a most ornate Baroque chapel. There are still 12 monks living in the place which by any standards was an over the top demonstration of what religion produces. Photos above are of the facade of the monastery and the town of Melk taken from the balcony of the monastery.

After a detailed guided tour of the monastery we went on to a village on the banks of the Danube for lunch, following which we went to an ancient village Durnstein which is built into the side of a hill on top of which are the remains of a 10th century castle. Narrow streets with vintage cottages. As it was Christmas Eve everything closed down at lunchtime in Austria as the Christmas celebrations are held that evening - so no shopping (Hurray). The tour gave us a good look at the Austrian countryside and the V ienna Woods - all very beautiful.

VIENNA ON CHRISTMAS DAY

As we had booked seats for a Mass at the Imperial Palace Chapel ( the only time I have ever PAID to go to church) we were up early and off on the underground to the Old City and took our place with the crowd of other Mass goer. The chapel was quite beautiful, and although the Mass was in German it was easily followed. The orchestra with choir provided a Mozart Mass which was absolutely magic. At the end of the mass, the Vienna Boys choir assembled at the front of the church and sang three Christmas Carols -just beautiful - and I was not suprised when there was a prolonged applause.

Back to the hotel where we had lunch with a nice bottle of Austrian wine which induced a welcome snooze in the afternoon. In the evening we attended a Mozart and Strauss concert in the salon of the Austerlitz Palace. It was a most intimate setting with only about 250 people. The Chamber Orchestra was superb, and a baritone and a soprano sang beautifully.

VIENNA PHOTOS

This is the Imperial Palace where the Hapsberg's live for hundreds of year. Then Carol posing with Fiacres in the background, and the one on the right is of the Empress's chambers in the palace.

The top pictures are of Len getting stuck into a much needed Gluhwein, St Stephens church and Schoonbrun Palace which was the Hapsburg summer residence about 6 miles from the Impreial Palace itself!!

VIENNA FOR CHRISTMAS

Wednesday, December 22

Arrived at 9.45 after a flight with BA, and having had our Christmas celebration with Peter and Mary. We’re staying at the Tourotel Mariahilf which is comfortable – large room and large bathroom and very good heating! It’s good that you can open the windows when it gets too hot!

Thursday, December 23

Started off the day with a buffet breakfast that set us up for lots of cold and sightseeing! We decided to walk into town to get our bearings, and on the way it started to snow! By the time we got to the Staatsoper (Opera House) I had the perfect excuse to buy an umbrella! Lots of artists (musical type) there who try to flog you tickets for evening performances – all quite legitimate and it seems to be an expected part of their craft/art. We decided to take a city tour to get ourselves oriented as the walk in hadn’t solved a lot of problems. That was great in giving the idea of the Ring Roads around the old city, and the major landmarks. After the tour it was snowing quite consistently, though it wasn’t cold enough for it to settle on the ground – anyway gave the perfect excuse to drop into the Sacher Hotel which is a major Viennese landmark and the origins of the famous Sacher Tortr. There we had a lovely lunch (though Len’s sausage/Frankfurt was a bit sparse!). Of course had to have some Sacher Torte – and it was truly delicious. Snow stopped during lunch so then we walked up through the Inner City to St Peter’s Church (a very gilded Baroque Church) and St Stephen’s, probably the best known place in Vienna. Wandering through the old streets was magic, but by 4 we needed a refreshing gluhwein and punch to warm up the inner and outer self. By the time we were set to head home, all the Christmas lights were on, making the streets a veritable wonderland, so instead of going home we went to the Christmas market in the Town Hall Square. What a great family atmosphere, and so colourful. Right next door is the Kunsthistorisches Museum, a wonderful museum of art and artistic objects that also is staging an exhibition of Goya paintings. between Goya, Titian and velasquez etc we were very cultured by the end of nearly two hours – and very warm, too. A very pleasant meal back at the hotel, with a very nice Austrian white wine was the end to a very white Christmassy day.

Friday, December 23

First thing on the agenda was to go to the Practice Session of the Lippizaner Horses at the Imperial Palace, so it was an early start and breakfast across the road at a delightful bakery that has been operating there since 1885. It’s a real Viennese place – great coffee, great bakery and the paper supplied for you to linger over – pity about the German type! After 90 minutes of the horses (and how they train and love them was easy to see) we picked up our tickets for Christmas day mass at the palace, where we’ll also hear the Vienna Boys Choir. The Imperial Palace is a huge complex with so much to see and do there. We saw the Treasury and the Imperial Apartments where they’ve made the assassinated Empress Elizabeth into something of a cult figure. The most unexpected and most moving parts of the day, though, were two impromptu choral performances, one by a tenor and one by a group of 30 or so young people, outside the Imperial Apartments. The sound was truly glorious and quite moving.

We’d anticipated getting to Schonnbrun, the Summer Palace, too, but by the time we arrived (spent too much time with the Empress) it was almost closing time for the palace. What we hadn’t known about, though, was the very upmarket Christmas Market in the Palace, and the wonderful setting of the market, the lights, and the giant Christams tree. What a fairlyland, wonderful setting, and it gave a wonderful sense of the ‘wonder’ of the Christmas pageant. having seen snow and seen the Schoonbrun with its lights and tasted the warming gluhwein again, we really feel we’ve experienced a European Christmas.