The impression of our two days in Vienna was determined by the heat we had to suffer there. We had temperatures of 35º C, with no place to go. It is a bit disappointing to see how unprepared Vienna is for such weather conditions. It was hard to find a place with air conditioning, including cafés and public transport. I know that these are not usual temperatures for Vienna, but with the global warming somebody should be thinking about it.
I also wanted to take my parents to the circle tramway around the Ring and, to my surprise, this line has been surpressed and now the two lines (1 and 2) cover three quarters of the Ring, but one has to change tram in some place or the other. It is also a pity that the Town Hall (or whoever) has decided this, as this circle tram line was one of the best things in Europe.
To mention the last negative events, we visited the Town Hall (impressive with its gothic spires) the day after the Gay Parade (or something similar), so the area around the Town Hall looked and smelled like rubbish. The visit to the cathedral left us with the view of a very dirty façade and the smell of horses which are parked around it.
Needless to say, not everything is negative in Vienna. The palaces and the atmosphere of the city are simply wonderful. This time we enjoyed a lot the parks, which in former times were just the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Not only Schönnbrunn has remarkable gardens, but also Stadtpark is a wonderful place where to sit and enjoy an island of happiness in the city (but not on the grass, as the guards will quickly kick you out of there). The Karlskirche is simply wonderful, as the Hofburg and the Burgtheater. I specially liked a statue in Hofburg (see above), where somebody is ready to hit another person: it may have thousands of interpretations...
All in all, despite some negative experiences which may be highlighted too much in this post: Vienna is still a wonderful place to visit (but try to avoid it when it is too hot).
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