VIENNA:
We arrived in Vienna with the Emperor. In fact, we acted as his advance
guard for some time, his train following ours. The Emperor himself was
but a small part of the show, for the officers of his suite outshone all
else, and were swagger to a degree. German and Austrian army officers
are imposing anywhere, but especially so on horseback.
Vienna is a city within a city, for the fortifications which surrounded
the old town have been torn down and replaced by a broad boulevard which
separates the ancient from the modern portion. Within this Ring-Strasse
the streets are narrow and the houses mediæval; without, you will find
one of the most inviting cities of Europe.
Vienna is gay, sparkling and fascinating. Its opera and its shops are
world renowned, and it is a close rival of Paris in setting the modes.
Nowhere in all Europe can so much beauty and grandeur of mountain,
forest and stream be crowded into one day as during a sail on the Danube
from Linz to Vienna.
GERMANY
For now I am in a holiday humour.
SHAKSPERE, _As You Like It_,