gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

We arrived in Vienna in the afternoon of Friday 5th July and after negotiating rush hour traffic made our way to Unterolberndorf …

… where we checked into the hotel …

… that Margaret’s sister Cathy had booked for us.

When I had free time between attending the wedding and being with family I took a number of walks into the surrounding countryside where I found a number of interesting birds like Marsh Warbler, Bee-eater …

… and quite a few Serins.

For much of the weekend there was a musical festival in aid of the local firefighters right next to the hotel.

Central Europe had been extremely hot in early July with temperatures close to 40c. Fortunately it wasn’t quite so bad on the day of the wedding but it was still reached something like 35c. Wearing a suit and tie under those conditions was a bit of an ordeal.

Here’s the groom (on the left) with his finance’s brother-in-law and best man Martin.

The ceremony was outside which was very nice if you could get a seat in the shade. René and Dani signing the register.

Best man Martin, René, Dani and her twin sister Jenny.

Of course there were other members of the family present including René’s older brother Mark, his wife Elizabeth and their daughters Maria (left) and Aurelia (right).

The last time I visited Austria (Margaret has been since to spend time with her sister) was in 2015 for Mark and Elizabeth’s wedding so this was the first time I had met ten month old Maria and three year old Aurelia. Photos of Mark and Elizabeth’s wedding can be found under the heading of ‘Alps Trip part 7’ at https://gryllosblog.wordpress.com/2015/06/

Mark is certainly enjoying the role of father.

Cathy’s husband Wolfgang arrived that morning from their home in south-east Austria, Maria seems pleased to see her granddad.

Cathy and her granddaughter Aurelia.

Also attending her cousin’s wedding were Margaret’s daughter Anita and her husband John

Margaret trying to keep cool.

René and Dani weren’t leaving on their honeymoon for a few days but of course we left them to their own devices the following morning. The rest of the family (except Wolfgang who had to return south) drove to the town of Klosterneuberg on the banks of the Danube.

We had an enjoyable time walking around this ancient town.

Anita and John had been visiting his extended family in South Africa and on arriving in London on the day of the wedding had to immediately board another flight to Vienna. They just made the wedding with minutes to spare.

Aurelia was full of beans that day …

… but grandma got her under control.

We visited the catherdral …

… but we were unable to walk around its interior, this photo was taken through a iron gate at the entrance.

We walked around the town centre looking for somewhere that was open for lunch and came across this sign for a pet grooming service!

That evening we all met up with René and Dani at a nearby restaurant.

Margaret kept Aurelia busy in the sand pit.

I suppose for me the most memorable part of the weekend was meeting Margaret’s grandnieces Aurelia …

… and Maria.

Here we all are for a group photo before we all go our separate ways. L-R me, Anita, John (kneeling) René, Dani, Cathy, Margaret, Elizabeth and Aurelia, Mark and Maria.