I tried several lenses to photograph this scene: a 28-80mm cheap zoom, mainly at the telephoto end; a 50mm; a 35mm with image stabilisation and close-focus capability; and an old 55mm macro. I thought the 35mm had the best chance of getting the picture, but in the end it was the 50mm.
When I started out in photography it was with a 50mm (well, a 58mm to be exact). On all subsequent cameras I first got a 50mm until eventually digital claimed me and I bought a Nikon D60 with an 18-55mm kit lens. But I soon added a 50mm equivalent to take some proper pictures.