We traveled all night from Esztergom, and morning found us moored about 5 km north of Vienna. The bike tour offered several "excursions", including a guided walking tour and a guided cycling tour of the city. On our last visit a few years back, we took a half-day cycle tour which I highly recommend as an awesome way to explore this beautiful city, especially for a first-timer. But this, our fourth visit to Vienna, was more personal - we had a date to meet my German teacher, Manuela, for Eiskaffee at the famous Zanoni & Zanoni ice cream shop in the heart of the old city.
We walked from the ship to the light rail station and took a train into Vienna. We had about an hour before our meeting time, so we wandered around our favorite neighborhoods. We ducked into St. Stephen's Cathedral, which was filled, packed actually, with tourists. We stopped to say hello to my favorite statute, of Johannes Gutenberg, the German craftsman and inventor who originated a method of printing from movable type, revolutionalizing the distribution of the written word. Yes, one of my heroes. Unfortunately, the sun hid from us again, making the light too flat to capture these magnificent markers. Arrrrrrrg.
We had a wonderful visit with Manuela! Not even the flat light could dampen this snapshot!
After our delicious Eiskaffees, Manuela offered us a tour, and we headed in the direction of the Castle Complex. We had wandered through this part of the city many times, but then we came around a corner and.... Roses. Everywhere, roses. From all over the world, and seemingly all in bloom. It was magnificent!
We ignored the gathering storm clouds for as long as possible until the skies opened and thunder crashed all around us. A mad scramble ensued - we were lucky to find the last bit of real estate in a shop doorway. The deluge of rain caused the streets to immediately fill and overflow. We waited, and waited, for the rain to let up, but after about thirty minutes, we decided to make a run (swim?) for it, wading out into the ankle-deep water. Luck smiled on us, and we miraculously found an available cab and were back at the ship in a short time. True to form, the rain stopped, and the sun appeared as we exited the taxi. Too bad my battery was dead!!! Memories will have to suffice for today.