Wien: The Longest Days

Dear Great Gran,
we are at the end of our week's holiday in Vienna. Ruth has decided to take full advantage of the daylight hours by sleeping very little at night (we found a great apartment - but it does not have block-out curtains.)

Views over Vienna with Schloss Schoenbrunn in the foreground: The view the other way of the Gloriette:
Detailed view of Gloriette's torte and struedel
St Stephan's church had a beautiful sculpture inserted into the nave: the triangles represent angel's wings.
View of Hundertwasser Haus

View of Kunsthaus Wien - also by artist Hundertwasser
View from our balcony -

Naturally, playgrounds were on our itinerary. Ruthie called this big red truck an ICE train.Another playground view:
Ruthie enjoyed the horses and buggies in the city

And we all enjoyed the cafes...


much love
Brendan

Deep South

Dear Great Gran,
we had a lovely time in the deep south of the Black Forest - it is really quite a different place, people and language than Berlin!

We walked in the Black Forest and here's Ruthie asleep as we meet some locals.
Enjoying an Eis outside the Wolfach Rathaus on Julie's one afternoon off during the conference.
Getting wet in the Kinzig river.

I used to have the impression that Julie's conference was a resort - until I visited it. Now I think that if this fad for maths research ever fades, then the research institute would make a fantastic high-class sanitarium!
We spent the weekend in Linz, Austria - which meant that Ruth and Julie came with me to visit the Solar City development I was interested in. It was the longest day of the year and stinking hot - it was solar all right: we really cooked! Fortunately - there was a great swimming lake there to cool off in. Here is Ruthie in the Solar City town centre.
There was the Johann Strauss Orchestra playing at the beer garden where we had dinner - Ruth thought it was great and want's to learn how to waltz.love from,
Brendan

Berlin extra

Dear Great Gran,
it is really lovely to see a picture of Sandra with your second great grandchild! We are all very excited about little Shush over here in Vienna.

To keep things chronological, I thought I'd include a couple of Berlin pics before moving south.

Here's J and R touring Kreuzberg 63 near our Berlin flat - a posh area dating from around 1850.
And here's Ruthie getting into the Fussball spirit on a rainy day under the colonnade of the Tempelhof airport.
all good wishes,
Brendan

Zuruck mit Kleinkind

Dear Great Gran,

It has been a good first week - have settled into apartment and hasn't taken long to feel at home here again - although it is a little different mit ein kind!

The weather has been very hot until today - 5 weeks without rain is in fact a drought here! There is even some yellow grass. On Sunday we went to Schlactensee lake and enjoyed swimming - recent news headlines reported that a giant catfish there recently bit a swimmer (although catfish can grow to be a couple of metres long - they don't have teeth, so they're not exactly a whitepointer). Ruth enjoyed swimming, of course, but also enjoyed the numerous dogs at the lake.

Technical difficulties at internet cafes prevent me sharing more than the the following 2 pictures at this point.

This week, Ruth and I have enjoyed visiting many architectural wonders and their associated spielplätzen. For example, the playground below is next to Carl Legien Wohnstadt which is, needless to say, the 1928 urban housing masterpiece by architect Bruno Taut. One night we had dinner at a outdoor restaurant with Julie's colleagues while Ruth enjoyed the water playground-sculpture next to it. This is the restaurant-pub that we have previously taken many visitors to, but Ruth is the first member of our party to fully immerse herself - in every sense - so fully in the place.
love from
Brendan

set to go

Dear Great Gran
the first pictures with the new camera:
Here is Ruthie with fellow Cosmonaut Pippa
must go!
much love
Brendan