Vienna

After my first trip to Vienna I'm completely in love with the place. Not only because its architecture & art are so beautiful, but also because Vienna's last makeover was in about 1989. I don't mean the place is retro and hippyish, just a bit out of date! Most of the hairdressers have faded ads for perms in the windows; the loos in the airport had a vending machine for sweets instead of condoms; everyone smokes, all the time and everywhere, I bet even in hospitals. And I only saw two modern structures - everything else was built around 1900, in Vienna's heyday. It's now ranked as having the fourth-highest standard of living. Which is fair enough - who can say no to eating Torte and Schnitzel against stunning backdrops?