Happy Halloween!

These tow friendly pumpkins, discovered in the window of a confectionary in the city center, wish all of you a very happy halloween!

Theseus Temple #3

My last Sunday afternoon walk led me to the Volksgarten and the still immaculate white Theseus Temple.

Wiener Schnitzel

Wiener Schnitzel is the best known speciality of Viennese cuisine. It´s a thin, breaded and deep fried cutlet from veal. In Vienna "Figlmüller", founded in 1905, is THE restaurant for the perfect schnitzel. Although Viennese-born I went there last Saturday for the very first time...

Sunday Flowers #55

"I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some." - Herbert Rappaport

Signs of Autumn in The Stadtpark

Yesterday was National Holiday, Austria celebrated its Declaration of Neutrality (1955). Although it was a rather dark and dreary day, I took a walk in the Stadtpark and tried to enjoy the signs of autumn. Have I ever mentioned that autumn is not my favourite season?

Autumn Sun

The autumn sun shining on the grapevines on the hillside of the Kahlenberg.

View of The Town #6

After a nice walk between the grapevines and - maybe - a stop at the wine tavern for some "sturm" you are rewarded with this view from the top of the Kahlenberg.

Buschenschank

On my recent promenade on Kahlenberg, I passed by this busy "Buschenschank" (wine tavern). The people lined up for "sturm", semi-fermented grape juice from the first grape harvest of the season, it's low in alcohol and comes in red or white.

Before The Show

Last Friday a colleague of mine asked me to accompany her to a "bizzare musical comedy" in the former dispatch hall of the Anker Bread Factory. We both loved the atmosphere of the lcoation and had a cheerful evening thanks to the brilliant artists.

Sunday Flowers #54

"Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time." - Georgia O'Keeffe

Mr. Big

The sculpture "Mr Big" by the Austrian photographer Ilse Haider is located outside the Leopold Museum and serves as a teaser for the current exhibition "Nude Men". Unlike the controversial exhibition posters (see yesterday's post) this sculpture seems to upset nobody.

Nude Men

Today starts the exhibition "Nude Men" at the Leopold Museum. The show offers an overview of the depiction of male nudes from 1800 to the present. One of the posters showing the photograph "Vive la France" by French artists Pierre & Gilles that has been placarded in the streets, has quickly proved controversial. After a spate of complaints the museum has now decided to cover the "intimate parts" of the football players. Although I was lucky enough to take a picture of the original version of the poster, I´m showing you here only a moderated version to avoid any problems... Please click here for the original verison of Pierre & Gilles´ artwork.

Villa on Kahlenberg

A villa on Kahlenberg. I love the white window frames and balcony lattice.

View Through The Grapevine

Walking between the grapevines on Kahlenberg last Sunday, I suddenly discovered this nice view of the modern Donau City.

Grapevines

731 hectares of vineyards are located within Vienna´s city limit. Here are some grapevines on the hillside of Kahlenberg.

Café

When I passed by this café, located in a passage in the 6th district, the yellow and red immediately caught my eyes.
And now, let´s talk about quite unbelievable news: Yesterday Austrian Felix Baumgartner broke the record for the highest ever skydive by jumping out of a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon 39.045m above New Mexico. He achieved a 4 minute and 20 second freefall and a maximum velocity of 1.342km/h. It took about 10 minutes for him to reach the desert surface below. I followed the mission for hours on the tv and took a picture seconds before he jumped. I wanted to publish this photo but then had second thoughts because of possible copyright issues. Please click here for a video of his jump from space.

Sunday Flowers #53

"There ought to be gardens for all months in the year, 

in which, severally, things of beauty may be then in season." - Sir Francis Bacon

Too Cold to Sit Outside

As the days are getting shorter and colder, the end of the outdoor areas of the restaurants/cafés is near...

Window Cleaners

When I was out and about in the city center the day before yesterday, I saw some movement on top of one building from the corner of my eyes: Two workers were cleaning the windows of one of so many roof extensions.

Photo Booth Art

On Wednesday evening I attended the opening of the exhibition "Photo Booth Art" at the KUNST HAUS WIEN. The show presents the world of the “aesthetics behind the curtain”, which range from the photo booth’s “original” function – producing photos for the official authentication of a person’s existence – through artistic ways of playing with identities to the telling of short stories or the creation of individual worlds. The exhibition runs through January 13, 2013.

Zacherlfabrik #4

 

On the first floor of the adminstrative building of the "Zacherlfabrik". After World War I, sales of insecticide were stunted by expensive import taxes and the growth of chemical industries. The company struggled for survival for several decades until in 1958 the name Zacherl was deleted from the register of companies. The factory building and its gardens stood empty until 2006. Since then, exhibitions and music soirees have been held in the still family-owned building every summer.

Zacherlfabrik #3

On September 30 the Europan Heritage Day took place, a joint action of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The annual programme offers opportunities to visit buildings, monuments and sites - many of them are usually closed for the public. This year the Austrian motto was "(Hi)stories within Monuments".
I visited the "Zacherlfabrik" in the 19th district. The insecticide factory was built in 1888 in an oriental style recalling the company's economic relations with Georgia. The sculpture in the staircase of the adiministrative building shows Johann Zacherl (1814-1888), the founder of the company, in an oriental outfit. Click here and here for mores photos of the Zacherlfabrik.

Zum Schwarzen Bär

The baroque building "Zum Schwarzen Bär" in Spittelberggasse, constructed in 1708.

Sunday Flowers #52

"Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking 
the successive autumns." - George Eliot

Night Falls on Leopoldstadt

Another view from the parking deck where the "Parkfair" took place, this time in direction of the "Viertel Zwei" area.

The Moon Over The Stadium

When I was at the "Parkfair" two weeks ago, I didn´t only take a look at the artworks on show but also enjoyed the nocturnal view from the parking deck. The Ernst Happel stadium was built between 1929 and 1931 and originally was named Prater stadium. In 1992 it was renamed in honour of Ernst Happel (1925-1992), an Austrian football player and coach.

Flower Kiosk

A flower kiosk in the city center. I have never bought flowers there, but I love to pass by this little square.

Doorway #5

An eye-catching door in the beautiful Spittelberg area. I love to look at doors and windows and ask myself what is going on behind...

Reading in The Park

I´m admiring people who do their reading in a park. I don´t have the necessary peace of mind and let myself easily distract from the things going on around me. This young boy chose the Setagaya Park for his reading.

October Theme Day: Silhouette

The "BLK River Festival", devoted to street and urban art, is held in Vienna every September: Representatives of the international street art scene realize projects in various locations all around the capital. In 2010 the festival activities were based at the Vorgartenmarket in the second district, and the Spanish artist Sam3 who is known for his massive scale silhouette paintings, left his marks on the walls of this market.