14.08.2007

Because we were leaving Vienna today (because we wanted to be in Prague tonight for a particular concert) we got up and did the fastest self tour of Vienna that we could. We wondered the streets and saw some great sights. We saw numerous churches, buildings and took a tour of Mozarthaus. This is one of the apartments that Mozart stayed in in his time in Vienna and today is a museum dedicated to him. We took the tour, but unfortunately the musical performances are currently on summer break. We walked through the Hofburg palace complex, which includes the Spanish riding school and the famous Lipizzaner horses. Unfortunately the riding school is also on summer break so we couldn’t see the horses either, good time to visit Vienna L.

The drive to the Czech border was reasonably quick but soon slowed right down as the Highway disappeared and we found ourselves overtaking endless caravan convoys of Czechs and Italians on a road that seemed to pass through every town it could. I think that our GPS was to blame as we later saw that there was a Highway that would have halved our time on the road.

The Old town of Prague is nestled in the kink of the river Vlata, and is full of squares and small alley ways meant purely for pedestrian traffic. Finding our way through this to our hotel on the other side was an experience. I would gladly sign a petition for the local council to more clearly mark the borders of vehicular accessible and pedestrian only areas as we found ourselves more that once backing out of cobbled squares with lots of bemused onlookers.

Our room in this guesthouse is awesome. We didn’t think that anything could top Singapore, but this might. We have a huge apartment on the top floor of our building. From our balcony in the roof we can see the spires of the Gothic Church in the old square, just next to the famous Astronomical Clock Tower.

After parking the car and cleaning up, we raced to the venue for the concert of one of our favourite bands “…and you will know us by the trail of dead’. We got there shortly after they started (9pm! What’s up with that?). They played a great set, even though the 2^nd guitarist was sick and couldn’t stand to play. They apparently hate their latest album, calling it a total failure and so played a set probably the same as any set from four years ago. Pity because we like that album anyway.

We then had a late dinner in the old square, right next to the astronomical clock.