When you have to hold onto your woolley hat for fear of it being blown away, you know it’s a windy, windy day.
Having looked at the weather forecast of strong winds (which was confirmed by the exaggerated swaying of the rather precariously positioned tree right outside our appartment window) we ventured out for our first full day in Vienna thinking that we were prepared for the wind (52 mph) However, it was not until we were outside that we fully realised the strength of the air current.
Emerging from the tube into the centre of Vienna, I wrapped up, zipped up and try to glue my hat onto my head. My hands were safely tucked inside gloves and then pockets and my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck. A loud clang to our right made me jump in shock as I thought a piece of construction material was about to hit me. It turned out that the huge sudden gust of wind had blown over a set of low railings where improvements were being made to the nearby area.
Although we had to battle against these intermittent strong blasts of bitterly cold wind on our self-guided tour, we still did manage to look up and admire the grandeur of the beautiful buildings, which are certainly plentiful in Vienna. It’s quite a majestic city.
As we continued to stroll along, I glanced to my right and noticed a street cleaner – the poor man was frantically trying to use his litter-picker to grab twigs and small branches (that had fallen from trees in the wind) as they danced and swirled in defiance off the pavement and across the road. He tried to work as quickly as possible before the next gust swept them up out of reach. His dedication to the job was unquestionable!
Due to the piercing wind, it felt like sounds around me were being picked up and thrown about by each hefty gust: a bell ringing, then snippets of a conversation from a passer-by’s phone call and then the angry rattling of some plastic red and white tape that was cordonning off a statue in repair. Every noise seemed momentarily enhanced and then swept away.
Despite the wind, we still managed to soak up the city of Vienna. After visiting the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the vastness of the buildings here felt accentuated. Ornate archways, interesting statues and sculptures and impressive structures make it a city to visit – wind or not!
I will end with my favourite monument, which made me pause and reflect – the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial. Brilliantly designed by Rachel Whiteread, this library is described as ‘introverted and non-accessible’. Those words gave much food for thought and contemplation about this monument and what it represented.
A peaceful square in Vienna 
Look close up…
Let Luce! 