Welcome back to anyone out there who actually reads this stuff! Well, it's your lucky week as today saw me embark upon my latest Tennis Tourist Trip. The occasion this time is to support the British Fed Cup team as they take on Slovakia in Bratislava for the right to qualify for the Finals which take place in Budapest in April.

The most common route to Bratislava from the UK is to fly to Vienna Airport, which is only an hour's bus ride from the Slovakian capital. In fact, Vienna and Bratislava are the world's closest capital cities. Not being one to buck a trend when it suits me, I followed this route and decided to spend 3 nights in the Austrian capital before heading across the border.

Having booked a morning flight from Heathrow, I spent the previous night at the Terminal 4 Premier Inn, and started the day with a breakfast buffet, of which I took full advantage!

The BA flight was pushed away from the terminal bang on time, but it was still another 30 minutes until we were airborne. The reason? A rubbish excuse - literally (or should that be litter-ally?) The high winds had blown the ubiquitous waste on to the runway which had to be cleared, causing a tailback. Hey, I've got a great idea - why don't we all throw our rubbish away responsibly? Now, that's a rubbish idea that's actually good!

Once airborne, with a westerly wind behind us the flight took just 95 minutes, making up for lost time. Having done my homework I knew that the average temperature around these parts at this time of year is around zero Celsius. Therefore I was fully prepared for sub-zero temperatures. So we duly arrived in Vienna in a cloudless sky and the temperature in the mid-teens! Not that I'm complaining!

Getting through the airport was seamless (so easy with free travel between countries) I then boarded a train for the 30 minute ride into the city, followed by a short metro journey and I was at my accommodation about an hour after touchdown.

After checking in to the lovely and convenient AirBnB apartment that's my home for the next 3 nights, a quick trip to the supermarket and partaking of a light tea of bread, ham and cheese, I decided to take advantage of the mild evening and explore Vienna at night. This little saunter turned into a 3 hour hike around the city as I saw many beautiful sights beautifully lit. They included Weinen Statsoper, Burgtor (used to be the castle gate), Maria Theresa Monument, Michaelerplatz (entrance to the Hofburg), Wiener Pestäule (an amazing monument to plague victims) St. Stephan's Cathedral, Karlskirche and various theatres and music venues.

The highlight though was Rathausplatz. The building itself was beautifully lit but was almost outdone by what looked like Christmas decorations in the square. However, it was all part of the annual Wiener Eistroum where the whole square is turned into a massive ice rink / skating course. It was packed as the locals took advantage of the balmy evening.

It was a great start to the holiday but after staggering back to base all I wanted to do was go to bed - it had been a long day!