With effect of today the Schengen treaty is suspended in Austria until the end of Euro 2008, the European Football Championship hosted this time by Switzerland and Austria (as you should know by now).
This means that you can enter Austria only if you do not look like a football rowdy (for what you do not need to know the tiniest little bit about football, it will suffice if you just look 'rowdyish' enough).
Public viewing areas grow out of nothing all over the city of Vienna, and in dedicated fan zones there will be, as has been pointed out recently to us Austrians, rigorous controls of the items you bring with you. Keys, it was said, are perfectly allowed, wallets too, even the mobile phone, and a tiny flask filled with non-alcoholic fluid (well, obviously not to sell the more fluids - non-alcoholic and alcoholic - in the fan zone but because fluids may contain explosives).
Incredibly, the only beer served in the fan zone won't be an Austrian one but one of the international brands even though there exist several excellent Austrian breweries. But no domestic beer will be tolerated in the fan zone during Euro 2008, period.
And finally, one other important fact: cameras aren't allowed in the fan zone; except if they do not 'look' professional. Which basically means that small pocket cameras you'll be able to 'smuggle' in, but that's about it. So don't expect photos of Euro 2008 here on this blog.
Instead you'll probably get some more of these:
Which is another orchid, as you may already have guessed: this time Dactylorhiza incarnata (Fleischrotes or Fleischfarbenes Knabenkraut - Early marsh-orchid).
