The Living Nightlights in the Prater

The Wiener Riesenrad (Viennese Big Wheel) in the Prater is a ferris wheel spinning with 15 gondolas and when they mount to the top of the wheel, one can enjoy a sweeping view of the city. I was a tad nervous before getting in the cabin but the ride was nothing like those experienced on the loop-the-loops roller coasters. I kind of expected the wheel to stop though (like it did in the Bond film, The Living Daylights) but I was told, if anything gets stopped for me, it should be the London Eye (twice as large as the Riesenrad), just to make it count.

Summer Heat, Ice-Cream Treat

Founded in 1952, Tichy Eissalon has grown into an institution that boasts of serving one of the best ice-creams in the Austrian capital of Vienna. It is, however, more frequented by tourists and devoted locals than by discriminating ice-cream gourmets. No wonder. The Tichy products are the hallmarks of the 60's: tons of sugar and loads of cream. It is a lovely retro scence, superb for a journey in time back but they definitely do not cater for the taste and calorie needs of modern people. (The whole phenomenon somehow reminds me of our beloved Jégbüfé in Budapest, that used to be one of a kind and we can't help but keep loving it ever since, although it has long ceased to be the greatest sweet shop in town.)
Tichy offers around 17 different flavors of ice-cream and 40 different types of sundaes, including the famous and patented Eismarillenknödel (small dumplings of vanilla ice-cream with apricot filling and in walnut coating) invented by Kurt Tichy in 1967. It was cloyingly sweet and excessively rich for my taste but the experience is definitely worth a try.
What I really like though are their posters illustrated by the lovely Susan Gal that were made for the opening of season 2009.