May I present to you "Miss Vanillekipferl"? I discovered her in the window of the confectionary Demel. Vanillekipferl are small, crescent shaped biscuits traditionally made at Christmas. They are usually made with ground almonds or hazelnuts, flavoured with vanilla and have a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. 
White Christmas in the window of the Chanel store... Aren´t the Coco dolls cute? I would love to have one of them! Unfortunately I don´t know if they are only for decoration or also for sale. (Even if they were sold, I couldn´t possibly afford one of these dolls.)
Do you believe in unicorns? Currently you can see two of these mythical creatures in the windows of the department store Steffl on Kärntnerstrasse. Here´s one of them...
A bakery in the city center used a lot of Christmas tree decorations to create a festive window. If you zoom in, you will see how many different decoration pieces have been used.
I hope you aren´t yet fed up with Christmas, because I still have some christmassy photos to share... This oversized coffee cup is a part of the Christmas decoration of the confectionary Oberlaa in the city center. It is 2,8 m high, has a diameter of 3,5 m and consists of 5.800 LEDs.
I like the colorfoul lights on this balcony on Neuer Markt in the city center.
I think the huge chandeliers on Graben in the city center are Vienna´s most gorgeous Christmas illumination. They even have a facebook fan page!
The Christmas tree on Stephansplatz in the city center, right next to St. Stephen´s Cathedral... In Austria we are celebrating Christmas this very night: The presents are placed under the Christmas tree which is lit for the first time and the whole family gathers to sing Christmas Carols. Young children believe that the presents are brought to them, as a reward for good behaviour, by the "Christkind" (Christ Child) who is also responsible for the decoration of the tree. My very personal programme for today: In the morning I will have brunch with some girlfriends and in the evening I will celebrate with my parents.
You can get these handpainted Christmas tree decorations at the Christmas Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace. This market is the only one that is open until December 26, all the other markets will close on Christmas Eve.
I discovered these colourful handcrafted Christmas tree decorations at the Christmas Village in front of the Upper Belvedere.
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.
How about decorating your Christmas tree this year with little dogs? I discovered this cute doggy at MQ Point in the Museumsquartier.
This eye-catching bow currently glows on a building vis-à-vis the Vienna Sate Opera.
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.
I love this richly spread table in the window of a clothes shop in the city center.
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.
The stands of the Christmas Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace are set up around a huge Christmas tree.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
Heart-shaped cakes (and their reflections) in the window of the "Patisserie Zum Schwarzen Kameel" in the city center.
This wooden sculpture by Belgian artist Arne Quinze can be found in the Swarovski shop on Kärntner Strasse in the city center.
Bars of milk chocolate in the shop of the famous confectionary Demel in the city center. I love the old-fashioned wrapping!
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.
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.
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").
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 seen from Heldenplatz in the city center last sunday. Click here to see more photos of the Town Hall.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
