Anyone for a ride?

Leaving   Stephansdomplatz

While we were in Vienna, we were struck by the horses that drew the visitor-laden carriages around. We particularly noticed them as our niece, whose marriage we attended at the end of the holiday, was very horse-mad as a teenager. She was even intending to become a mounted policewoman.

The animals looked well looked after. In the searing heat, around 35ºC, they were supplied with plenty of water from standpipes found at the places they did their trips from. 

Stephansdomplatz,  waiting for passengers 

Stephansdomplatz,waiting  for  customers

Outside  the  Hofburg complex, with Michaelerkirche  in the background

Queueing  up in front of the Hofburg  Palace

The idea of such a ride looked wonderfully romantic, an echo of a past era, the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, trying to get into such carriages is totally impractical if you are a wheelchair user.

We assumed such horse-drawn carriages would only be available in Vienna, so imagine our surprise to see them available in St Wolfgang, a village in the Salzkammergut area near Salzburg.

Waiting at  St Wolfang

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