Autumnal Virginia Creeper

Generally I don't like autumn, but I have to admit that the colours of nature are beautiful and eye-catching this time of the year.

End of Season?

After the national holiday last thursday we had a sudden change of weather. It's now really autumnal - mostly cloudy, stormy and rather cold. I think the season of the outdoor areas of the cafés and restaurants will soon be over...

Sunday Flowers #250

"If a year was tucked inside of a clock, 
then Autumn would be the magic hour." -  Victoria Erickson

Looks Like a Magic Forest

With the beautiful weather on the national holiday on thursday, a lot of people took a walk in the Kurpark Oberlaa, but fortunately the park is large enough to find spots without anybody. I loved the atmosphere of this small "magic forest".

Sunny Holiday

Yesterday was Austria's National Day which commemorates the declaration of neutrality in 1955. It was a sunny and very warm day, so I took a walk in Kurpark Oberlaa in the 10th district.

Sweet Autumn

The autumnal window display of a confectionary in the city center.

Reopening of the Weltmuseum Wien

Tonight the Weltmuseum Wien (formerly the Museum of Ethnology) reopens after three years of reconstruction. The museum is dedicated to the cultural diversity of humankind and strives to document the diverse historical ties between Austria and the world in its collections from all around the globe. The roots of the museum can be tracked back to the year 1806 when the "Imperial and Royal Ethnographic Collection" was established as part of the Imperial Natural History Cabinet after the partial acquisition of the collection of Captain James Cook. I had the privilege to visit the museum two weeks ago, when still a lot of work was underway...

For a Break From the Art

If you need a break from all the artworks at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, you can recover in the café in the beautiful cupola hall. For more photos of the café please click here and here.

Drag Guided Tour

Yesterday afternoon I participated in a special tour at the Kunsthistorisches Museum: Drag queen and art educator Tiefe Kümmernis did a tour about gender stereotypes. I had expected that mostly young people would take part in this kind of tour, but the group consisted of persons of any age. The drag queen constantly moved, this is the less blurred photo I was able to take.

Sunday Flowers #249

"Autumn writes her own poetry, we are merely observers." - Terri Guillemets

Dou You Want to Take a Seat?

It's not yet too cold to dine outside during the day, but this outdoor area of a restaurant hidden in a courtyard in the city center was still deserted when I passed by.

Green Door

I love beautiful doors. This green one "belongs" to the Neudeckerhof, a house in the 19th district, built in 1577. The flowers don't look bad either...

Autumnal Leaves

Even though I don't like autumn (mostly because of the season that follows), I have to admit that the colours of nature are beautiful at this time of the year.

Looking at Vienna

The view from the top of Kahlenberg is beautiful, you see really a great part of the town. By the way, I don't know this girl, I just wanted to have her in my photo...

Sitting, Watching...

On Sunday I took another walk in the 19th district, this time I climbed Kahlenberg. On my way I stumbled upon this couple, taking a break and enjoying the view of the town.

Enjoying the Late Indian Summer

We are currently having a late Indian summer. In Austria temperatures around 20°C (68° F) are very unusual at this time of the year. It's strange to see people in t-shirts and shorts when the trees lose their leaves... On Saturday this woman enjoyed the beautiful weather on the banks of the Old Danube and her top was matching the autumnal colours.

Sunday Flowers #248

"Autumn is springtime in reverse." - Terri Guillemets

Saturday Afternoon Walk

On Saturdays I usually run errands, but last week I preferred to  take a walk along the Old Danube before I had to go to work because of the "Long Night of Museums". It was a sunny, but stormy afternoon.

Stopping for a Bite to Eat

Well, I didn't stop for a bite to eat, but these tables with their plaid table-clothes looked really inviting...

Kaasgrabenkirche

Towards the end of my last walk in the 19th district, I passed by the idyllically situated Kaasgrabenkirche. I like the contrast of the modern buildings in the background. For more photos of the church please cklick here, here and here.

View of the Town #16

I enjoyed this view of the town during my last afternoon walk in the 19th district.

Small Street

A narrow street in the 19th district... - it leads to the American International School that I showed you yesterday.

American International School

The American International School (AIS) was founded in 1959 by the Embassies of the United States and Canada. At that time 234 students from 17 countries were enrolled in the school. In 1964 the school moved to its current 44.000 sqm site in the 19th district, close to the Vienna Woods. Today AIS serves approximately 800 students from 60 countries. The school is divided into thress divisions: Elementary (pre-kindergarten to grade five), Middle (grades six to eight), and High School (grads nine to twelve). AIS is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, USA, and the Council of International Schools, and is recognized by the Austrian Ministry of Education.

Sunday Flowers #247

"October is a symphony of permanence and change." - Bonaro W. Overstreet

Long Night of Museums

Tonight the Long Night of Museums, organised by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF, takes place for the 18th time. 129 museums all over Austria open their doors from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and can be visited with only one ticket. Usually the museums offer a varied programme during this special night. The ticket is also valid for the shuttle busses that facilitate the commuting from one museum to another. This initiative brings a lot of people into museums that usually don't have a great interest in culture. And for me it means that I'm on duty from 4 p.m. to 1.a.m...

Dom Museum Wien #3

The Otto Mauer Collection includes modern and contemporary art, such as works by expressionists and secessionists as well as by key figures of the Austrian and international avant-garde. The works of this collection are juxtaposed and contextualized with historic objects. The catholic priest Otto Mauer was a one of the most important collectors and promoters of modern art in Austria after 1945. In the 1950s he founded the "Galerie nächst St. Stephan" which became Vienna's most important gallery of the avant-garde.

Dom Museum Wien #2

The unique objects of the collection of St. Stephen's Cathedral date back to the Middle Ages, to the period of Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, the founder of St. Stephen's Cathedral. The collection comprises also sculptures, precious altars, richly adorned sacred objects, portraits, liturgical manuscripts, books and vestments.

Dom Museum Wien #1

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to visit the Dom Museum Wien one week before its reopening. During the past years the museum underwent a major architectural redesign and relaunch. The museum houses the historic treasures from St. Stephen's Cathedral and the Archdiocese as well as avant-garde classics from the Otto Mauer Collection.

In the entrance area you can now find a museum shop, a new round glass elevator and a winding staircase take the visitors up to the museum galleries.

Town Town #2

That's what you see if you stand between the two "skyscrapers" of Town Town and look up.

Town Town #1

Town Town is a "business city" in the 3rd district. It consists of 19 company buildings designed by well-known teams of architects. I recently was there in the early evening when most offices were already closed and the area was deserted...

October Theme Day: Sensual

The two former world's fair pavillions that now house the federal sculptor's studios are surrounded by a park where you can find several scultpures. One of them looks rather sensual...
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.