Sweet Christmas Decoration

Christmas trees and houses made of chocolate in the window of the confectionary Gerstner in the city center. Gerstner was founded in 1847 and appointed Imperial Court Confectioner in 1873.

4th Sunday of Advent

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." - W.T. Ellis

Christmas Tree Decorations #2

How about decorating your Christmas tree this year with little dogs? I discovered this cute doggy at MQ Point in the Museumsquartier.

Christmas Illuminations #3

This eye-catching bow currently glows on a building vis-à-vis the Vienna Sate Opera.

Gingerbread Angel

I stumbled upon this cute gingerbread angel at one of the stands of the Christmas Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace. I would use this angel as decoration, I could never devour it.

Little Table, Spread Yourself

I love this richly spread table in the window of a clothes shop in the city center.

Christmas Illuminations #2

This illuminated glass bridge connects the Palais Corso and the Kärntnerringhof which together form the shopping center Ringstrassen-Galerien in the city center. I took this photo Sunday evening, that´s why the bridge is deserted, on weekdays it surely looks different since currently everybody is hunting for Christmas presents.

Christmas Trees #2

The stands of the Christmas Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace are set up around a huge Christmas tree.

3rd Sunday of Advent

A good possibility to spend the Sunday afternoon during the Advent Season is the visit of one of Vienna´s numerous Christmas Markets. My favourite market is the one in front of Schönbrunn Palace. You can find there handicrafts and original gifts such as hand-made Christmas decorations and mangers, but also food and drink stands. If you want to know where the most important Christmas Markets are located, please click here.

Crhistmas Trees #1

Christmas trees welcome you at the Café Mozart in the city center. The first coffeehouse in this location was opened in 1794 (three years after the death of Austrian composer W.A. Mozart), it was a popular meeting point for writers, artists and actors. After the old baroque house had been torn down in 1882, the present building was construted and the newly opened café was named after Mozart in 1929. Graham Greene worked here on his screenplay "The Third Man" in 1947.

Christmas Tree Decorations #1

Some decorations for the Christmas tree that I discovered at MQ Point in the MuseumsQuartier in the 7th district. This shop is a very good address if you are looking for unusual decorations.

Poinsettias

Poinsettias are my favourite flowers during the Advent Season.

Gingerbread House

A gingerbread house in the window of the confectionary of the famous Café Central. Today, in theory is holiday in Austria (The Immaculate Conception of Mary): Offices, bank companies, schools, universities are closed, but since 1995 the shops are open because of the Christmas trade.

Christmas Illuminations #1

A lot of Viennese streets are currently decorated with Christmas illuminations. In this photo you can see the lights on Kohlmarkt in the city center. If you have a lot of money to spend, Kohlmarkt is the perfect place for you: it´s the home of some of Vienna´s most expensive shops.

Saint Nicholas Day

The Greek Saint Nicholas (Nikoloas of Myra) had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. In Austria we don´t have Santa Claus, but today we are celebrating Saint Nicholas Day, an important day for children: Yesterday evening they prepared their boots and during the night Saint Nicholas filled them with gifts and sweets, and at the same time he checked up on the children if they were good, polite and helpful last year. If they were not, they will have a tree branch in their boots instead.

2nd Sunday of Advent

It´s time to make Christmas cookies!

Surprise

The new installation in the main window of the Swarovski shop on Kärntnerstrasse in the city center, called "Surprise", shows a magical ice cave which is also an advent calendar - if you zoom in you will discover parcels one of which will be unwrapped every day until Christmas. I took this photo last Sunday, before the first parcel was opened.

Advent Wreath

The Advent wreath is another important item in the Austrian Advent Season: it symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the lithurgical calender of the Catholic Church. It is usually a horizontal evergreen wealth with four candles. The first candle is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, the next one on the subsequent Sunday and so on, until, by the last Sunday before Christmas, all four candles are lit. In this photo you can see a rather modern Advent wreath that I discovered in a flower shop near my place.

Advent Calendar

An important item in the Advent Season is the Advent calender, especially for children: this special calendar is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. The first "window" is opened on December 1, the last on December 24 (Christmas Eve), each "window" reveals an image, a poem or a small gift such as a toy or a chocolate item. There are a lot of different designs, personally I prefer the antiquated looking calendars.
I thought it would be nice to transform this blog into an Advent calendar, so stay tuned and discover every day within the next few weeks a new "christmassy" photo .

December Theme Day: Time

Last Sunday I passed by an Italian café/bistro in the city center called "Il Tempo" (= time). Through the windows I saw that inside the café is decorated with a lot of clocks which explains its name. Unfortunately my attempt to take a photo of the inside didn´t work out, so I just can show you the sign of the café.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Chrysanthemums

What a funny composition in the window of a fashion store on Praterstrasse: A vase of chrysanthemums and a headdress very much looking like one of these flowers. (If you click here, you can see another headdress that caught my eye in this shop window some months ago.)

Demel Shop #1

The shop of the famous K.u.K. (Imperial and Royal) Court Confectionary Bakery Demel (founded in 1786) in the city center is set up in the historic salons on the ground floor. You can find here a wide range of sweet products that have been poured, filled and formed by hand for over 200 years. If you go there, be sure that you have enough money in your purse... You can check the prices by clicking here.

1st Sunday of Advent

In Austria we are celebrating today the start of the Season of Advent - it begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. The word "advent" derives from the Latin "adventus" which means arrival and denominates the time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.

Cakes

Heart-shaped cakes (and their reflections) in the window of the "Patisserie Zum Schwarzen Kameel" in the city center.

Yellow sculpture

This wooden sculpture by Belgian artist Arne Quinze can be found in the Swarovski shop on Kärntner Strasse in the city center.

Old-fashioned

Bars of milk chocolate in the shop of the famous confectionary Demel in the city center. I love the old-fashioned wrapping!

Colourful Clothes

I will never understand why in autum/winter most people dress in muted colours, therefore I was very glad to find these colourful dressed mannequins in the window of a fashion store in the city center.

Pink Bicycle

I discovered this pink bicycle some weeks ago in the city center. It´s the same type as the ImPulsTanz Bicycles I discovered in July near my place.

You can stand under my umbrella

In autumn you should never leave home without an umbrella... I discovered this beautiful selection of umbrellas in the window of Wilhelm Jungmann & Neffe, a company which has been offering since 1881 a wide selection of the finest cloths, ties, scarves and accessories (as for instance handmade umbrellas in various styles and original designs). One of the company´s most famous customers was Empress Elisabeth.

Sweet Sunday #8

In Vienna, the days in autumn are often dull - therefore I decided to post colour themed photos within the nex few days to cheer me (and you) up. Let´s start with the current decoration in the window of the confectionary Oberlaa in the city center. I think it´s a nice way to promote their macaroons (they call them "LaaKronen").

-50%

These mannequins in the window of an outlet store in the city center seem to have already lost more than 50% of their clothes...

The Town Hall

The Town Hall seen from Heldenplatz in the city center last sunday. Click here to see more photos of the Town Hall.

Winter in the MQ #2

The "Winterlight" projection on the outside facade of MuseumsQuartier shows what you get in the courtyard. If you click here and then on "Preview Winterlight" you can see a short video of the projection.

Winter in the MQ #1

During "Winter in the MQ" (11 November - 23 December) the inner courtyard of MuseumsQuartier (MQ) in the 7th district is transformed into an atmospheric winter location. In six new ice pavilions the MQ restaurateurs serve up unusual punch varieties and delicious treats. DJs provide a diverse mix of music, there´s an ice curling rink and a race track for remote-controlled cars, and video projections on the facades bathe the MuseumsQuartier in a very special light.

MUMOK #2

This photo was also taken inside the Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK) and allows you to catch a glimpse of the area of another exhibition currently on display ("The Moderns"). The MUMOK is a rather dark building, except for the puristic white exhibition areas, but I like it anyway. For an exterior view of the museum, please click here.

MUMOK #1

Yesterday the admission at the Museum Moderner Kunst (MUMOK) was free thanks to a cooperation with the auction house Dorotheum. I went there to see the exhibition "Hyper Real" where I took this photo. The two ladies are standing in front of the painting "Cargo Cults" (1984) by Amercian painter and sculptor Eric Fischl.

Eyes On

Vienna is currently taking part in the European Photography Month: With more than 200 photography exhibitions as well as an extensive program of events taking place at more than 100 different sites "Eyes On - Month of Photography" is Vienna´s largest photography festival. Some days ago I went to the old markethall in the 3rd district to throw a glance at an exhibition of young photographers. The ambiance was very peculiar but also interesting as the market hall is currently a construction site. Some of the photographs were really good, unfortunately I didn´t note any name - that is why I can´t tell you who created the photograph pictured above.

The curious plant

Unfortunately I don´t know which kind of plant this is, but I like how it grows through the "window" of a garden wall. It seems to me as if the plant wants to know what is going on outside the wall.

Triton and the nymph

A detail of a fountain in Volksgarten, a public park in the city center. The two figures represent Triton and a nymph. I love the yellow leaves in the background.

The colour of the sky

When I saw the colour of the sky during my recent walk in the northern outskirts I just had to pull out my camera...

The blue door

I recently discovered this house in a quiet street in the northern outskirts. It´s rather unspectacular, but I love the autumnal colours of the plants as well as the colours of the house and the entrance door.

Waiting for Frida

The Bank Austria Kunstforum in the city center is currently presenting the very first comprehensive exhibition of Frida Kahlo in Austria. The exhibition is a big success, within two months it was attended by 200.000 visitors. The show runs through December 5, and I can highly recommend it. Be sure to buy your ticket online otherwise you will have to line up.

Glamour Hunting

The Swarovski shop on Kärntnerstrasse is currently presenting the installation "Glamour Hunting" in one of its windows. It´s dedicated to Josephine Baker and her love of glamorous outfits and shows "La Baker" sitting at her vanity table awaiting her grand entrance.

Girls, girls, girls

I saw these pictures of girls in the window of a shop or gallery in the city center. They seem to be used as visual protection so that nobody can see the renovation works going on in this place. I will have to pass by soon to find out what these girls are currently hiding.

Let´s have some tea

Today Austria is celebrating the "Day of the Tea". According to a study of the Austrian Tea Institute one third of the Austrians is regularly drinking tea - women because they want to maintain their slim figure, men because of its stimulatory effect. I don´t know to what extend the general public is aware of this special day, but as tea is my favourite beverage (I´m drinking it literally at any time of the day), I have to mention it here. And it´s a good reason to show you a part of the rich selection of teapots in my favourite tea shop.

Strudlhofstiege

The Strudlhofstiege is an outdooir staircase near the Liechtenstein Museum, designed by Johann Theodor Jäger. It was opened in November 1910 and is regarded as an important Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) work. It is named after the sculptor and painter Peter Strudel who owned property on the street above the staircase.
In 1951 the Austrian author Heimito von Doderer published a novel named after the staircase, around which some central plot points take place: "Die Strudlhofstiege oder Melzer und die Tiefe der Jahre" (The Strudlhof Steps or Melzer and the Depth of the Years).

A walk in the park

The Liechtenstein Museum is surrounded by a public park which was newly designed some years ago in the course of the reopening of the museum (2004). It remembers not only the original baroque garden but also pays tribute to the nineteenth-century landscape garden. On the other side of the park there is the "new" summer residence which was built for Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein and designed by Austrian architect Heinrich von Ferstel. It is not part of the museum, but serves as office building.

Liechtenstein Museum #2

This baroque garden palace houses the Liechtenstein Museum which shows a large part of the Princely House of Liechtenstein´s baroque art collection. The palace was constructed during the reign of Prince Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein (1657-1712) who was one of the greatest builders of his day. He assigned the planning to the Italian architect Domenico Egidio Rossi who designed a real palazzo instead of an airy summer house. This photo shows the garden facade of the palace.

All Soul´s Day

In the Catholic Church today is All Soul´s Day which commemorates the faithful departed. It´s a tradition to go to the cemetery and to light the candles and decorate the graves of the loved ones with flowers. Unlike yesterday´s All Saints´ Day today is no holiday, yet schools and universities are closed. Unfortunately I have to go to work...

November Theme Day: Public Transportation

I took this photo already in summer, but I think it suits the November Theme Day... The bus itself is not particularly exciting, but I love the text on the display: "Driver and bus are taking a break!".
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants