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Stadtpark Vienna

With an hour to spare on a work trip I decide on a hot day 29.6c to take a walk around the park opposite my hotel. 

Stadtpark is a municipal park in the centre of Vienna , the largest Central Park and has been here since 1862. It hosts numerous monuments and is home to thousands of ducks . 

Vienna is a city I have visited many times but never had the opportunity to peruse the city and its buildings. I suppose the potential number of places to see is around 50 as the tourist stopping hop on and off bus does have 6 routes and 50 stops. 

The park is busy. It seems obligatory to drive a taxi at 140 kph and the numerous skateboards and scooters at the same speed.

 Hoardes of predominantly Chinese tourists congregate in front of each monument to have their photo taken. The saving grace is that I did not see a single selfie being taken nor selfie stick. 

The denizens of Vienna decorated the grass areas and many intently read their books. Differing hair colours seemed the norm . If not on the grass then they sat on te rather grubby wooden benches some curiously protected by steel cables to prevent theft. 

I found myself yearning to be an hour or so away in Slovenia where the parks and cities are so different. 

There was graffiti scrawled aimlessly across various small wooden boxes that might sell ice creams. However none of the delightful street art that adorns many EU cities. 

This is not a park that I warmed too. There seemed little grace and beauty and mostly it can be described as functional. 

Would this be in my 50 places to visit in Vienna? I don’t think so . A single sign did make me smile though!