Social Distancing #2

Here's another example of social distancing...

Social Distancing #1

That's what a chat in the street looks like in spring 2020: keeping a distance of at least 1m to each other... 

Art Nouveau Mosaic

I recently discovered this beautiful Art Nouveau mosaic by Leopold Forstner on a façade in the 4th district.

March Theme Day: Green

A beautiful green door in the 4th district. It has caught my eyes already three years ago, as you can see here.
Click here to view the photos of all participants in the theme day.

Breakfast at the Café

Here's the breakfast I ate yesterday at the café. Nothing too fancy, but definitely a change to what I normally eat in the morning.

A Morning at the Café

Last week I met a friend in this newly opened café for a late breakfast. The café is located in a former millinery and "Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court". 

St. Charles Church by Night

St. Charles Church was built as a result of a vow taken by Emperor Charles VI during a plague epidemic. It is consecrated to the patron saint of the Habsburg emperor, Saint Charles Borromeo. The church is the last work of the eminent baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The construction began in 1716 and was finished - after J.B. Fischer von Erlach's death - by his son Joseph Emmanuel in 1737 who sligthly changed the plans of his father.

Skin Deep #4

One of my personal highlights of the exhibition "Skin Deep. Hair dressers, barbers, beauticians" at the Wien Museum was the assemblage of covers of professional journals for hairdressers. The covers in this photo (that shows only a detail of the assemblage) are from 1927 to 1951. The subtitle of one of the journals was "the gate to the world of the hairdo" - I think this sounds great.

Skin Deep #3

Up until World War I a fair skin was among the most important attributes of feminine beauty. This was a status symbol that only members of the upper class could afford as they did not have to work outdoors, unlike the majority of the population. Further, the cult of white skin was strongly associated with the dividing line between white and non-white ethnicities. This sun hat is made of hemp lace and dates from ca. 1910, as does the ceramic figure in rococo style "At her toilet".

Skin Deep #2

Some hairdresser instruments from the 1930s to the 1960s: an electrical hair drying hood, two electrical perming devices, an electrical hair dryer and a wash basin. Two of these instruments look rather scary, don't you think?

Skin Deep #1

Last Sunday I visited the exhibition "Skin Deep. Hair dressers, barbers, beauticians" at the Wien Museum. The exhibition deals with the practices and meanings of modern body care and styling from the 18th century onwards and focuses on shaving, hair care and cosmetics in the Viennese context. The objects in this photo are from the hairdressing salon "Marko's" opened in 1899. The salon was considered a top-class-establishment and counted numerous prominent people, inlcuding high nobility, as clientele. Regular clients' personal razors were kept in the small drawers of the cabinet.

Christmas Market on Karlsplatz

There are a lot of Christmas Markets to visit in Vienna. They attract not only the Viennese but also a lot of tourists from abroad. Yesterday I passed by the market in front of St. Charles' Church in the 4th district. Please click here for more information on the Christmas Markets.

All You Need is...

I discovered this "wisdom" in front of a café. Do you agree? As for me, I need tea and love... and some other things...

Girl With Flower in her Hair

Street art by an unknown artist on a shutter in the 4th district.

Restart Your Heart

There's not much to say about this photo... We all have to restart our heart one day, I guess... 

Green Door

Green is one of my favourite colours. Therefore I was happy to discover this green door in the 4th district.

Intergenerational Café

In August I finally was at "Vollpension", an intergenerational café, run by and for the old and the young. Originally the café was only intended as a temporary project in 2012 to create jobs for retirees, but then it was so successful that the operators looked for a permanent location. I found the atmosphere very relaxed, the furniture is a mixture of colours and styles and the customers matched with the furniture (young and old, hip and "normal", several mothers with babies). The cakes are baked directly in the café, and they are delicious!

Eyes Open

During yesterday's afternoon walk this colourful mural by American visual artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer caught my eyes. That's exactly what I do when I walk the streets of Vienna: I keep my eyes open, always in search of a good subject for a photo...

Façade Detail #40

An impressive atlas at the entrance of an apartment building in the 4th district.

French Tearoom

If you love French tea, tartes and macarons, this small and rather kitschy "salon de thé" (tearoom) is the perfect address.