Autumnal Afternoon Walk

Last Friday I managed to leave the office early and to do another walk along the Old Danube before running errands. It was good to soak up the sun and to enjoy the quiet atmosphere along the water. As we are now back to standard time, I guess my Friday after-work walks here are over...

Sunday Flowers #210

"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

Music in the Park

Let's start the weekend with some music! I saw this duo some weeks ago in Stadtpark. They performed popular contemporary songs and had a lot of fun...

Inspiration Photography

During the instawalk at the Lower Belvedere last week we also got a short guided tour through the exhibition "Inspiration Photography. From Markart to Klimt". The show gives a vivid impression of the way artists used the new medium (photography was invented in 1839) in their work.

Is That Biedermeier?

Last week I took part in an instawalk at the Lower Belvedere. We had the possibility to visit the exhibition "Is that Biedermeier?" before it was opened to the public. The show presents paintings and furniture of the Biedermeier period.

Lower Belvedere - Ceiling Fresco

The ceiling fresco in the Marble Hall of the Lower Belvedere was created by Baroque painter Martino Altomonte and depicts Apollo in a sun chariot. Prince Eugene of Savoy is represented as a nude hero as Mercury announces gifts from the pope honouring the prince’s achievements at the battle of Peterwardein in 1716.

Lower Belvedere

The Lower Belvedere was constructed from 1712 until 1716 for Prince Eugene of Savoy and designed by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt, one of the most important Austrian baroque architects. The Lower Belvedere served as a residential palace whereas the Upper Belvedere served for representative purposes in particular. Besides this, the Lower Belvedere also held parts of the princes’ collections. Today it houses special exhibtions of the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.

Late Afternoon Light

That's what I saw last Friday leaving the office: St. Stephen's Cathedral in the beautiful late afternoon light...

Sunday Flowers #209

"We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts." - William Hazltt

A Walk in the Park

 

It's the weekend, time to go for a stroll! The gardens of Schönbrunn Palace with their surface of 160 hectare are a perfect place for an afternoon walk.

Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace is the former summer residence of the imperial family. The palace in its present form was built and remodelled in the mid 18th century during the reign of empress Maria Theresa who received the estate as a wedding gift. After the end of the monarchy, the palace became property of the new Republic of Austria. Today it is part of the UNESCO's cultural heritage and one of Vienna's most visited sights.

Pumpkin Season

Autumn is the season of the pumpkin. On the menu of the restaurants you can currently find a lot of dishes with pumpkin: pumpkin cream soup, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin goulash, pumpkin risotto pumpkin pasta... The pumpkins in this photo are only for decoration, I discovered them in front of the flower shop.

Water Sports

The Old Danube is a very popular place for windsurfing, sailing, rowing and stand-up paddling. There are always sportsmen to watch. My preferred "subject" are the rowers... For more photos of aquatics on the Old Danube please click here, here and here.

Dining Under a Blue Sky

With the sunny and rather warm weather last Saturday it was possible to dine outside. I love this terrace on the water! Please click here for another photo taken two years ago when I saw this place for the very first time.

Finally the Sun was Back

After another cloudy and cold week last Saturday the sun was back. Before running some errands I did a short walk along the Old Danube. I just can't get enough of these walks...

Sunday Flowers #208

"Summer ends, and Autumn comes,
and he who would have it otherwise
would have high tide always and a full moon every night;
and thus he would never know the rhythms that are at the heart of life." - Hal Borland

Beautiful View

That's what you see if you stand in front of the garden façade of the Upper Belvedere. Not too bad ;-)

Upper Belvedere - Ai Weiwei "Lu"

The Upper Belvedere is one of the three locations of the exhibition "Ai Weiwei. translocation - transformation" (on show until November 20). In the staircase of the palace the artist has released three creatures into the air to roam. The delicate sculptures were made by hand in the style of traditional Chinese kites. Thin bamboo bars form the frame and are covered with silk. The figures are a representation of the many mythical creatures from the Shanhaijing ("The Classic of Mountains and Seas"), the oldest recorded collection of Chinese mythology. I fell in love with the dragon "Lu 鯥, 2015".

Upper Belvedere - Marble Hall

The Marble Hall is the Upper Belvedere’s most magnificent room. The hall occupies two storeys and once served as an antechamber. The ceiling fresco was painted in 1721 by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone. The hall came to be widely known, as it was here that the Austrian State Treaty, that re-established a free, sovereign and democratic Austria after the end of World War II, was signed on 15 May 1955 by the Allied occupying powers (France, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union) and Austrian foreign minister Leopold Figl.

Upper Belvedere

It's not the first time that I show you the Upper Belvedere (for older photos please click here, here, here and here) but on Sunday the reflection of the palace and the sky looked so great that I just had to take another picture. The former summer residence of Prince Eugen of Savoy (1663-1736) now houses the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere.

Sunset Obsession #34

During my bicycle tours in summer I saw a lot of beautiful sunsets. Now I'm still working when the sun sets... Therefore I enjoyed the view of the sun setting over the Danube on Sunday even more.

A Walk by the Water

After several grey and rainy days last Friday the sun was finally back. So I left the office early and took a walk along the Old Danube. It was the perfect way to ease down after a busy week.

Sunday Flowers #207

"Autumn is the greatest reminder: It reminds us how dreamlike beauties our earth has
and it reminds us how all these beautiful dreams can easily vanish!" - Mehmet Murat Ildan

Too Cold to sit Outside

Some days ago we had a significant drop of temperature and I have already dug out one of my winter jackets... The outdoor areas of the cafés and restaurants are still set up but currently rather deserted.

Vienna Design Week 2016 #2

The Austrian designers Nadja Zerunian und Peter Weisz give traditionally handmade objects a place in the design world. They work with a cooperative of Roma craftspeople throughout Romania. The new PICNIC series, presented in the headquarter of the Vienna Design Week, harks back to the nomadic tradition of the Roma. Just as friends meet for a picnic, the PICNIC series represents a meeting place: Works by different craftspeople complement one another, sets can be used themselves alone or in combination.

Vienna Design Week 2016 #2

This typographic work was created by British designer Morag Myerscough especially for the headquarter of the Vienna Design Week. I love the colours!

Vienna Design Week 2016 #1

This year the Vienna Design Week, Austria's largest design festival, takes place for the 10th time. In collaboration with museums, product manufacturers, and designers the ten-day festival offers a variety of opportunities to learn more about the theme of design, with over 150 events, exhibitions, installations, tours and plenty of parties. All venues of the festival are indicated with a chair, every year in another colour and another style. The Kollektiv Fischka created this collage of the different chairs from the last ten years.

Sunset Obsession #33

The last sunset in September...

Playing the Hang

Yesterday evening I passed by a Hang player in a passage and only some minutes later I saw another one in the pedestrian zone in the city center. While the first one was more or less ignored by the passers-by, the one in the photo was surrounded by quite an audience. I just found out that the Hang was created by a Swiss company in 2000 and that the name "Hang" comes from the Bernese German word for "hand". I like the sound of this instrument...

Sunday Flowers #206

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” - Jim Bishop

October Theme Day: Abandoned

The four-storied former K&K Telegrafenamt (Imperial and Royal telegraph office), built from 1870 to 1873, has been vacant for the last twenty years. It was only used for special events like theatrical productions or an art fair. Reportedly the edifice will soon be converted into offices and high-class apartments. When I was inside the edifice during an art fair in 2013 these swing doors caught my eyes.
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.