Gay Rights Cross the Street

I'm in Vienna -- the city of high culture -- standing in front of the Opera, where the standard "walk-don't walk" lights have been replaced by lights showing gay and lesbian couples patiently waiting when red and happily crossing when green. It's done in a fun-loving way to make it clear that, in this city, people want to be tolerant and celebrate diversity. (As in the USA, in Austria there is a split society making political news -- basically city culture vs. country culture.)

This is Day 54 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I'm reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Vienna, the Alps, the Low Countries, England, and beyond. Find more on my travel blog.

(This post originally appeared at blog.ricksteves.com/gay-crosswalk-signals-vienna.)