Beautiful Chandeliers

The chandeliers on Graben in the city center are Vienna's most gorgeous Christmas illumination. Tonight they light the "New Year's Eve Trail": from 2 p.m. until 2 a.m the next morning gastronomers serve punch and culinary treats, and there are entertainment areas with various show programs (operetta, rock, pop, DJ lines, hit music). On Graben you will find the "classical area". Whatever you do tonight, I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve and wish you all the best for 2017!!!

Franziskanerplatz by Night

Franziskanerplatz is located in the very city center. Its name derives from the Franciscan Church and monastery, built in this square in the 17th century. Although there are some taverns it's usually a rather quiet square. Please click here for a photo by day.

St. Peter's Church

The construction of the Baroque St. Peter's Church started in 1701. The design was inspired by the St. Peter's Basilica of the Vatican in Rome. The church was the first domed structure in baroque Vienna. In 1733 St. Peter's Church was consecrated to the Holy Trinity.

2016 Christmas Illuminations #6

A lot of lights in a commercial center in the first district...

2016 Christmas Illuminations #5

Eye-catching is the perfect adjective for the Christmas lights in Rotenturmstraße in the city center.

Second Day of Christmas

In Austria today is St. Stephen's Day, a public holiday. Saint Stephen was the first martyr of Christianity... The photo shows Christmas tree decorations at the Christmas market in Stephansplatz, adjacent to St.Stephen's Cathedral.   

The History of the Christmas Tree

Christmas trees as we know them today first arrived in Vienna during the Biedermeier period from northern (Protestant) Germany: In 1814 reports compiled by the state police contain the first mention of a Christmas tree festivity held in the salon of the Arnsteins, a Jewish bankersfamily. Those attending were given lavish gifts, a custom that was not usual on Christmas Eve in Vienna at the time. However, it was via court circles that the Christmas tree spread rapidly to the living rooms of the middles classes. The wife of Archduke Karl, Henriette of Nassau-Weilburg brought the custom from her German (Protestant) home. Christmas 1816 saw the first Christmas tree, festively decked with candles in the Habsburg family. Emperor Franz I attended this celebration and was so taken with the magical aura of the Christmas tree that the ordered a tree to be put up in the Imperial Palace at Christmas from then on. Subsequently it became the norm in Catholic families to celebrate Christmas around the tree. Contemporary accounts record that while it was still almost impossible to procure a Christmas tree in 1821, by 1829 there were already street vendors.

Merry Christmas!

In Austria we celebrate Christmas this very night: We set up the Christmas tree and light it for the first time, gather around the tree, sing Christmas carols, unwrap the presents and have Christmas dinner and maybe go to the Midnight Mass. Merry Christmas from Vienna! Frohe Weihnachten!

Almost Last Minute

In Austria we usually set up the Christmas tree not until Christmas Eve, still it's high time to buy a tree. In Vienna you can do so in nearly 300 locations, even in the very city center (The photo was taken on Graben). I read that the Viennese prefer to buy a fir tree because of its rich colour and blunt needles...

The Gifts Are on Their Way

Out of the way! The gifts have to be delivered in time!

Snowy Christmas Tree

Yesterday we had the first snowfall of this winter. After touching the ground, the snow quickly melted. However, in the afternoon, when I had to run an errand for the office, the cars, the plants and trees were covered with a thin layer of snow. I would love to have a white Christmas, but according to the forecasters the odds are bad.

Winter at the MQW 2016

If you are not into kitschy Christmas markets, the MuseumsQuartier Wien (MQ) is the perfect address for you: In the inner courtyard you can find so called "ice pavilions" where you can savor unusual punch specialities, listen to a varied mix of music provided by djs and have a look at artistic projections on the facades of the MQ.

Christmas Bow

This bow is the eye-catching Christmas decoration of a clothes store in the very city center. Pleae click here for a nightshot.

4th Sunday of Advent

"Each sight, each sound of Christmas

And fragrances sublime

Make hearts and faces happy

This glorious Christmastime" - Carice Williams

2016 Christmas Illuminations #4

The not so restrained Christmas lights of a confectionary in the city center.

2016 Christmas Illuminations #3

The famous Café Central in the city center is decorated with rather restrained lights.

Locked Cookies

The Christmas window display of the Imperial and Royal Confectionary Bakery Demel shows cookies in cages. Who wants to free them?

2016 Christmas Illuminations #2

The Christmas lights in the upscale shopping district "Golden Quarter" in the city center.

2016 Christmas Illuminations #1

During the Chrismas season the Ringturm (which houses the headquarter of an insurance group) is decorated with lights in the form of a Christmas tree.

Christmas Outfit?

The perfect outfit if you want to feel like a living Christmas tree... 

3rd Sunday of Advent

"As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is." - Eric Sevareid

Christmas Cookies

When I was a child a highlight of the Advent season was the baking of Christmas cookies with my mother. I haven't baked cookies for years, but I still like to eat them and luckily my mother still bakes a variety of cookies...

Behind the Scenes #3

The Theater in der Josefstadt has an own workshop where the stage design is created. There we discovered a drawer unit with colour powder. I fell in love with this bright pink.

Behind the Scenes #2

The last preparations on the stage of the Theater in der Josefstadt. Everything has to be in the right place.

Behind the Scenes #1

I am late with this photo from September... Back then I participated in an instawalk at the Theater in der Josefstadt. Founded in 1788, it is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna. Our group got a guided tour behind the scenes, we could even take a look from the sky-high fly floors at the stage.

Saint Nicholas Day

Today is Saint Nicholas Day: During the night Saint Nicholas checked up on the children if they were good, polite and helpful last year and if so, he filled the children's boots with gifts and sweets. Saint Nicholas is accompanied by Krampus, a demon-like creature, who warns and punishes bad children by putting a tree branch in their boots. On Sunday I discovered this advertisement in front of a candy store, it prompts the passers-by to buy sweets for Saint Nicholas Day.

Cold Sunday

I'm sorry if I'm boring you with all the photos of the Old Danube, but after a busy week I'm in need of tranquillity and in this situation the view onto the water and the swans is just perfect for me... If you look closely, you can see that yesterday the water was partially frozen.
On a side note: Austria has a new President!! As I told you here the elections were rather complicated, but yesterday Austria finally voted for the independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen. I'm relieved.

2nd Sunday of Advent

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world,

and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale

Winterly Bathing Bay

No swimmers at the bathing bay of the Old Danube at this time of the year...

Badger Mural

This badger mural on the banks of the Danube Canal was created by Belgian street artist ROA.

December Theme Day: Transitions

I wasn't very inspired by today's theme, but then I saw this escalator: taking it and going from one floor to another is also some kind of transition...
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.

Bookstore

A small bookstore in a quiet street in the city center... I've never been inside although it looks very inviting...

November Atmosphere

November atmosphere along the Old Danube last Sunday...

Bright Spots

I wasn't the only one who did a walk in the rain along the Old Danube yesterday afternoon. The two umbrellas were bright spots a very dull day.

1st Sunday of Advent

Christmas season is here... Today is the first day of  Advent, casually speaking the countdown for Christmas... In Austria it's a tradition to buy an Advent wreath and light one candle on the first Sunday of Advent, two on the second and so on, until on the last Sunday before Christmas all four candles are lit. I like this tradition, even if currently I don't have any Christmas spirit...

Tree Creature

Interesting street art on the banks of the Danube Canal. 

A Place to Relax

I know I'm repeating myself, but I love the usually quiet atmosphere of the Old Danube. It's such a good place to relax.

Another Walk Along the Old Danube

Last Sunday I did another walk along the Old Danube. I just can't get enough of this area...

Eyecatching Lampions

The eye-catching lampions of a Japanese restaurant in the 2nd district.

I Love Chairs

And that's how the chairs look when the tavern is closed...

It's About the Colours

As you may already know, I never can resist taking photos of bright coloured chairs. In this photo I also love the blankets and the striped awning.

Sunday Flowers #213

"I love to smell flowers in the dark ... You get hold of their soul then." - Lucy Maud Montgomery

Autumn Foliage

Most trees have already lost their leaves and there are piles of foliage everywhere...

Autumn in the Japanese Park

Autumnal colours in the Setagaya Park in the 19th district. I took this photo at the end of October, meanwhile the trees have lost their leaves...

Autumnal Virgina Creeper

The façade of this mansion in the 19th district is completely covered with Virgina creeper. In autumn it looks quite spectacular!

View of the Town #15

On the public holiday on November 1st, I climbed up Kahlenberg and on my way I saw the town getting smaller and smaller...

Eye-Catching Mural

During my last walk along the Danube Canal I discovered this eye-catching mural by Peruvian artists Entes y Pésimo.

Afternoon Walk

If you want to, you can walk along the Danube Canal from the very city center to the outskirts. I did so on the last Sunday in October...

Sunday Flowers #212

Excursion to Graz #6

The Schlossberg is located in the very city center of Graz. The city owes its name to the castle, which was built in the 16th century on this hill. From the Slavonic word Gradec for "little castle" later emerged Graz. After a victory over the Habsburgs in 1809, Napoleon demanded the demolition of the fortress. A huge amount of money paid to the French by the burghers of Graz could prevent the Clock Tower (in this photo) and the Bell Tower from being destroyed. The Clock Tower is a recognisable icon for the city, and there's a special thing about it: the clock's hands have opposite roles to the common notion, with the larger one marking hours while the smaller is for minutes.