On Sunday we were having some trouble getting the new GPS to work, so we decided to hike in the one park where it is impossible to get lost: the Donauinsel. We just turned south from the parking lot instead of north this time.

We had a good five-mile hike, picnic, and cappucino break (of course!) on the island, which was crowded with people on one of the first days of spring. The sun was shining, forsythia was blooming, and birds were singing, but it was only about 60 degrees with a stiff breeze off the river. Still, in Europe, that’s spring, and time to start throwing off clothes. I would love to have posted photos of the scrawny, chain-smoking topless women sunbathing on the rocks beside the river, or the leathery old dude who was cycling around the island in his Speedo, but that would be rude. Anyway, if you’ve lived in Europe, you’ve already seen those signs of spring!

The most interesting sight on this hike was a group of statues installed by Herbert Traub in the early 1980s. Called Die Passanten, or “the passers-by,” it would appear that the anatomically correct individuals portrayed are doing anything but. It is definitely one of the weirdest public art installations I have seen, and judging from the other people who were standing around scratching their heads, I am not alone in that opinion. The site is not as well-maintained as most other parts of the island which may offer some indication as to the views of the Vienna city government.

So, anyway, here it is, posted without comment (because this is a family blog.) You figure it out!