Vienna in the time of Covid
After six months in lockdown, of some kind or another, Vienna is finally opening up. Like the first shoots of spring, little terraces have emerged in previously vacant spaces, cafés spill out onto pavements, nearby bars I didn’t know existed seem to have appeared overnight. I’m struck by a new buzz and din in the city I’ve lived in for the last eight months; a hidden energy that must have been there all along, in hibernation, yearning for release. Befitting of these Unprecedented Times, the upturn in activity at my local Covid testing centre is a sure sign of a subtle shift in daily life. The longer queues of the mostly young and unvaccinated form procedurally at Wiener Stadthalle (‘normally’ a concert venue and exhibition centre). All are braced for the wee stick up the beak which will water eyes and tickle throats but - surely? - open up a weekend of possibility. The staff are always professional yet sociable and on a couple of occasions my surname seemed to gladden and