Contrasts

I was just going to post my pictures of a snowy first of April sojourn in the hills above Vienna today, but the recent weather has just been so summery I can't resist letting a little bit of it into this post. So in honour of the lightening quick thaw and rapid acceleration to 25+ degree temperatures over the last few weeks, I am presenting one album of photos separated by only a little under 4 weeks showing the two separate worlds we Vienna-inhabitants have experienced during the last month.

First up we have the lingering grip of the returned snowy weather, plastering the trunks of trees and turning the forest almost white, colour provided only by the dead leaves of the previous year. This batch were taken one evening when I embarked on a brief walk up the steep path to the Leopoldsberg more for the excercise than anything else, although the Leopoldsberg's lonely atmosphere is always welcome, strengthened this time by the snow, clouds and distant misty sunset colours behind Klosterneuberg. I ended up returning to normal Vienna level by wending my way through the wintry vineyards.

And secondly we have pictures hot off the press from earlier this afternoon, when a friend and I slathered ourselves in suncream and set off to the very end of tram line 60, right at another part of the official edge of Vienna, SW of the city. This was our first outdoor, real rock climbing trip of the year and although I am stil a bit rusty it was fantastic to finally set foot on actual rock again after an absence of what must be several years. Climbing outside will always feel more real than indoors, no more brightly coloured holds and routes set by humans to be a certain exact difficulty!

Hopefully this post sets the stage well for some posts displaying my other springtime April activities. I must say the dramatic weather change and the buzz of late night Vienna now that everyone sits outside on the restaurant terraces instead of huddled inside over a coffee is most welcome. I cannot remember the last time I was quite so happy with how lovely the city of Vienna is!

Der Tom