However, it was worth it. Although the height of autumn had already passed, the woods were still lovely. I heard wild boar as well as spotted deer in my walks. Only as I was leaving did I spot the display case in the hallway that gave the Sophienalpe's history: it was apparently built by the Emperor Franz Joseph for his mother, Duchess Sophie. The place was originally served by a cable railway. However, the original route is now a hiking trail (and presumably a cross-country ski trail in winter).

Unfortunately, the winter weather came in faster than expected and I had to move down to the city a day early on the 10th. This is a photo of the Hotel Capricorno where I stayed: The Capricorno was a typical hotel with the exception of the continental buffet breakfast (actually, both the Sophienalpe and the Capricorno had great breakfasts so I presume that lavish spreads of hams, cheeses and breads are standard over here).

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The Hotel was at the end of Vienna's main shopping street, Karntnerstraße (Karntnerstrasse). I've lost count of the number of times I've walked Karntnerstrasse - it runs across the Innere Stadt and provides an easy route to most of Vienna's historic locations and museums.

One of the first places I visited was Stephansdom (Saint Stephen's Cathedral), just a couple of minutes walk from the hotel. There are quite a few majestic Roman Catholic churches all around Vienna - it is still a very Catholic country. One thing touched me: one night in front of Stephansdom, a group lit candles across the plaza to form the word ARMUT (poverty).

In fact, Vienna's Innere Stadt has retained much of the old city structure. Much of the old moat round the original fortress town is still visible and the exterior of buildings have been preserved. In fact, it took me a while to figure out where the shopping centres and movie theatres were - their outside facades look just like thee neighbouring buildings.

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On Sunday the 11th, the day before my course was to start, I went to Judenplaz to pay my respects at the Mahnmal für die 65.000 ermordeten österreichischen Juden und Jüdinnen der Shoah (Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial). I also visited the Museum Judenplatz next to the Memorial. This Museum is the entrance to an underground excavation of the medieval synagogue. The synagogue was burnt down in the 1420 Viennese Geserah when the Jewish commuity were forced to apostatise and the remaining faithful expelled. The Viennese justification for the Geserah was much like that of the later Holocaust: the Jewish community was rumoured to be aiding Hussite rebels.

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Waking up early on Monday morning (12th), I dashed off to the Augarten to gawk at the Deutsche Luftwaffe Flaktürme (flak tower). Built during the Second World War, these anti-aircraft emplacements also served as air raid shelters and sanctuaries. Pity I didn't visit the Haus des Meeres, a Flaktürme converted into an aquarium.

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The Saturday morning (17th) right after my course, I went to explore the Naschmarkt, a large outdoor market near the Karlsplatz. It being a Saturday, the Naschmarkt stretched even further up the road with a long row of flea market stalls. I was quite happy browsing through old books and postcards - even picking out a postcard from Pasir Panjang!

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Having guided the Maria Theresia exhibition at the National Museum, I of course had to go see the museums where the artifacts came from: the Schloss Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace) and the Schatzkammer (Treasury) in the Hofburg. Here is a shot of the Michaelerplatz side of the Hofburg (above photo) and the Roman ruins there (photo on right).

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This is the Spear of Destiny (photo on left) kept in the Schatzkammer which I visited on the 17th, the day after the end of my course. This spear is said to be the one that pierced the side of Jesus (there are actually at least two other spearheads with claims to be the Holy Lance). Actually, I have no idea if this is the actual object or whether it is a replica. The replica sent by the Schatzkammer to be displayed in Singapore is said to be identical in appearance to the original.

The day after running around the Hofburg (Sunday 18th), I went to the summer palace: the Schloss Schönbrunn. The Schönbrunn was majestic but the greenhouses and the zoo (the world's oldest) were perturbing: having desert and tropical environments in the snow made me feel uneasy..... and the sight of a rhino gazing in the snow was somehow very wrong.

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Through the weekend (17th to 19th), Christkindmarkts were opening all across Wein. Selling Christmas gifts, decorations and food, I found them fascinating to wander through. The various punch stalls helped to keep away the cold too! I had various punches and mulled wine but couldn't find cider.

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If you are a tourist in Vienna during the Christkindmarkt season from late November onwards, I'd suggest doing your trinket shopping at the Christkindmarkts. Finally, I leave you with a photo from the Christkindmarkt in the university: