A new day in Vienna.. I decided to walk south away from the centre to look for a swimming pool... I was aiming for a facility called Stadionbad...close to the Danube. Maps can be deceptive when walking.. much longer than expected but mostly under trees and lots of benches to rest..
I started walking along the Donaukanal, a strange pale aquamarine colour.. ( I know it looks light brown in the photos, but it really was light aquamarine...)
A nice touch on a recycling bin....
From there I walked through the Arenawiese, a public park with a real natural feel; nothing manicured about this park..
Finally arriving in the vicinity of the swimming pool I was really surprised to find a Rugby club with juniors playing touch rugby: Club Donau.... I wonder who they play against....
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| Quite an attempt at a flying intervention...! |
Close by is the Ernst Happel Stadium, Austria's equivalent to Wembley , but with parking and (after I had left the area), public buses back to the city centre...
I found the swimming pool, in fact a large complex of pools, chalets, cafes and open space; possible to spend the whole day there. Surrounding this are tennis courts, a golf course, cycling areas and a running track... none that my foot wished to try...
Having walked here through the Arenawiese, I decided to return by walking along the Danube. Having found it, and its not easy to access it, I was surprised how little boat traffic was on the river; other than two speedboats none at all.. No markers for highway traffic.. nothing..
The river bank in the distance is an island.. there is another Danube channel on the other side of the island...
Along my river walk, Hilton have a large hotel immediately by the river front.. A typical nondescript corporate hotel; certainly close to the Danube, but 2-3 miles from the old city centre.
I did notice this writing on the side of the hotel...
It says.. '9 out of 10 CEO's told their assistants to tell us: "Great Hotel"..' thumbs up!
I hope the other '1 out of 10' had the decency to tell the hotel themselves... what a crass thing to write on the side of your hotel....
As I got closer to the city centre, the looming black monolith of an office building on the other side of the Danube became unmissable...A black thin rectangle with a fashionable 'ruffled' front facade.. 'because we can...'
It also has a friend with a 'blade'.. just like a building in Reading.. called the 'blade' and just as superfluous... '
The black monolith is the first of the 'DC towers'... a second was meant to be built but hasn't started yet... The architect is Dominic Perrault..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Towers
This is why UNESCO have added Vienna onto their 'World Heritage in Danger' schedule due to the high rise development happening or being planned for Vienna. This building doesn't help the cause of Vienna....
More to follow.....
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