Sunset in the City

It was mid-September and the last really hot day of the year. Riding my bike home after a long sweaty day, I nearly fell off right in the middle of the Schwedenbrücke, the link over the Canal between Schwedenplatz and Taborstraße.

The reason? The most gorgeous sunset Vienna has ever granted me. Past the non-descript buildings along the Canal and up towards the first hills of vineyards on Leopoldsberg, silhouetting the plump, lacy spire of the church Maria am Gestade, a bank of clouds shaped like the northern coast of Canada was glistening gold at the edges.

Beams of sunlight were radiating across the entire sky like a giant halo. The pinks and purples and silvers and blues were extraordinary. I watched for a full 15 red lights. Every pedestrian who crossed the bridge whipped out their smart phone and took a photo. And every driver of every car that rushed by – didn’t notice a thing.

- Félicité Thibodeaux