The Long Wiener Weekend

We spent a glorious three day weekend in Vienna, exploring the extravagance of the Habsburgs, the wonder of its musical history and its modern lifestyle.

But we began on Friday in the world's oldest zoo, officially known as Tiergarten Schönbrunn.

Clockwise from top-left, a red panda, some lions, a jaguar and two year old giant panda Fu Hu.

Again from top-left, a loud gibbon, a bearded vulture, some playful elephants and banded mongeese.

The zoo, once a menagerie for the Empress Maria Theresa, is situated in the grounds of the Schönbrunn Palace.

Also within the grounds are a series of mazes which we entered with childlike enthusiasm and exited with jaded annoyance.

In the evening we wandered the historic centre which had its fair share of exceptional buildings.

Saturday in Vienna was perhaps our most sophisticated day yet, beginning with a morning visit to the Spanish Riding School.

No photos were allowed during the performance, but this video shows what we paid good money to see.

In the evening we went to the opera to see The Marriage of Figaro at the famous and grand Vienna State Opera.

Also while in Vienna we saw the Danube for a second time.

We went to the amazing gothic town hall, which was temporarily swarming with teenagers attending a video game exhibition.

It was all too much for some.

On Sunday we strolled along the Naschmarkt Flea Market. It is perhaps the most extensive antiques market we've seen on this trip. The woman on the left was even selling old sets of keys.

The neighbouring food market.

In Austria it seems strange men like to hand sauerkraut to children from a barrel.

Speaking of sauerkraut, Josh drank some sauerkraut juice. Here he is preparing for sip number 3. It was unimaginably bad, but on the plus side, he now likes the taste of everything else.

The Musik Haus, a fun and informative museum dedicated to the science of sound and the history of Viennese classical music.

Finally, we paid a quick visit to the Wurstelprater amusement park. You may recognise the Ferris wheel (the Wiener Riesenrad) from films including "The Third Man".

We like this photo...

...because the facial expressions sum up our visit to Austria; Ticklish, Cramp-Inducing, Rather quaint and Oh My God My Legs Are Falling Off!!!