A family trip to Vienna had been in the diary since last year, primarily to see our nephew who had been invited to conduct the Vienna opera at the State Opera House, a big deal in his sphere of working, as he is still only 34 !.
We had a wonderful time in a cold and snowy Vienna, wandering the xmas markets and seeing some of the main palaces and museums, eating too much Shnitzel and drinking Gluevine (mulled wine !) and the opera was spectacular and well received by a full house of 2,500.
There was no time or opportunity for birds, but I did keep an eye out as we wandered the city streets and ended up with my Austria list on a measly 13 !. Black Redstarts and Great Tits seemed to occupy every courtyard that had any vegetation and in one of the city parks, Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and a lone Fieldfare were added to the abundance of Hooded Crows.
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| St Stephen's cathedral in the day |
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| and at night |
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| The impressive Shonbrunn Palace, owned by the Hapsburg dynasty |
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| Typical of many city courtyards, including Black Redstart and Great Tit |
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| Inside the Opera House |
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| Daniel conducting |
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| Perhaps the nearest I got to a decent bird ! |
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