A Gate in the Forest

Which kind of gate would you choose for a chain-link fence in the middle of the forest? One similar to this?

View of the Town #13

On Sunday I took a walk in the northwestern outskirts. During my way through the gapevines I enjoyed this view of the town.

Blue Door

Yesterday afternoon the beautiful blue door of the Embassy of Tunisia caught my eyes. I don't only love the colour but also the traditional decorations.

Sunday Flowers #179

“That is one good thing about this world... there are always sure to be more springs.” - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

Waiting for Guests

During the past three months the outdoor areas of the cafés and restaurants had to be closed. Now the tables and chairs are ready again, but the weather didn't cooperate so far...

Beautiful View

If you stand in front of the Upper Belvedere you can enjoy this beautiful view. Unfortunately last Sunday the weather was rather dreary...

Upper Belvedere - Garden View

The garden view of the baroque Upper Belvedere. The palace was originally built as summer residence for Prince Eugene of Savoy, today it houses the permanent collection of the "Österreichische Galerie Belvedere".

Crocuses

While the flower shops have been offering spring flowers since the beginning of the year, nature is in large part still in winter mode despite the unusual mild weather during the past months. BUT last Sunday I discovered some first spring flowers in the Botanical Garden. One meadow was covered with crocuses and a real feast for the eyes.

March Theme Day: Where I Belong

I have been to several cities and countries that I liked a lot, I even fell in love with one special French city, but I can't deny that deep in my heart I belong to Vienna. It's a really good place to live - according to Mercer’s recent 18th annual Quality of Living Survey Vienna is - for the seventh time in a row (!!) - the top spot for overall quality of living.
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.

Tiled Ceiling

Over 80 years ago, the Schwadron brothers were the leading ceramic dealers in Vienna. Their magnificently tiled stairways have been preserved in many of Vienna's apartment blocks and public buildings. Today the former company's offices and showroom houses a gallery space currently used by the University of Applied Arts Vienna. In one room there's still the original tiled ceiling.

Sunday Flowers #179

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.” - Pablo Neruda

Another Walk by the Water

Last Sunday I took another walk by the water, this time along the Danube Canal.

New University of Economics #10

These façades of three buildings of the  University of Economics and Business show the architectural mix of the campus. You either love it or hate it...

New University of Economics #9

 

Well, here is a considerable change in style compared to the last two photos... The new campus of the University of Economics and Business was inaugurated in 2013 and consists of six groups of buildings, each of them was designed by another architect of international repute. The two-part complex in the photo was designed by CRABstudio, London, and strikes the eyes with its yellow-orange-red façade faced with wooden planks.

Yellow-orange-red façade faced with wooden planks

Yellow-orange-red façade faced with wooden planks

Yellow-orange-red façade faced with wooden planks

Espresso

I love the storefront sign of the café refurbished in the style of the 1950s that I mentioned yesterday.

Back in Time

Being obsessed with chairs I just couldn't help taking this picture. I discovered these chairs in front of a café that some years ago was remodeled (almost) back to its old original 1950s outfit. 

Colourful Portrait

The Colombian street artist Stinkfish takes pictures of random people, who are not always aware he is taking a picture. In his murals he then combines the portraits with psychedelic themes and elements. I have already discovered several of his works in Vienna: here, here and here.

Sunday Flowers #178

"What an enthusiastic devotion is that which sends a man from the attractions of home,
the ties of neighbourhood, the bonds of country, to range plains, valleys, hills, mountains,
for a new flower." - Dorothea Dix

Saturday Afternoon Walk

Last Saturday I had to run some errands, but then I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather by taking a short walk along the Old Danube.

Red & Blue

Look what I discovered last weekend on a very clouded day: red and blue chairs! They are a rare sight in winter as the outdoor areas of the cafés and restaurants are currently supposed to be closed.

Red Coat, Pink Hair

A red coat and pink hair - what an eye-catching combination!

Cold Beer

An interesting way of advertising ;-) I would love to know how many people enter the pub because of this promise...

Sitting by the Water

Here's another picture from my Saturday afternoon walk along the Old Danube. For whatever reason I love to photograph people sitting by the water...

Another Walk by the Water

Last Saturday was a sunny day, so I decided to take a short walk along the Old Danube in between running errands.

Happy Valentine's Day

During one of my recent Sunday afternoon walks I discovered this painting by Greek street artist Sonke in the window of a gallery in the 4th district. I think it's a good Illustration of today's Valentine's Day.

Jubiläumswarte at Sunset

The observation tower on top of Wilhelminenberg was erected in 1956,  replacing an older steel construction that had been erected in 1899 in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of emperor Franz Joseph I's ascendancy to the Austrian throne. Therefore, the present tower is still colloquially known as "Jubiläumswarte" (jubilee tower).

The Mansion at the Edge of the Forest

Last Sunday I took a walk on Wilhelminenberg (or Gallitzinberg), a  449m "high "forested hill in the 16th district. When I got out of the forest at the foot of the hill, there was this beautiful mansion.

Montléart Mausoleum

This neo-Gothic mausoleaum, located on Wilhelminenberg in the 16th district , was built in 1887 for the owners of Wilhelminenberg Palace, Prince Moritz Montléart and his wife Wilhelmine, founder of the Wilhelminenspital, one of Vienna's major hospitals.

Kuffner Observatory

The Kuffner observatory is a telescope-equipped public astronomical observatory located in the 16th district. The observatory was constructed from 1884-1886 and financed by Moriz von Kuffner, who made a fortune in the brewery business and was a significant sponsor of Vienna's social and cultural life as well as a mentor of astronomy. During the years leading up to World War I the observatory became one of the most important astronomy sites in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and established a considerable international reputation. After World War II it was converted into an educational astronomy facility. Today the main task of the observatory consists in public education on astronomy, operating and preserving the historical equipment, and minor projects in scientific astronomy.

Colourful Street Art

A colourful piece of street art for today's Shrove Tueday, the last day of the carnival. Author of this mural in the 4th district is the Spanish street artist Pez.

Everybody waltz!

Another window display inspired by the current ball season. I love how the petit fours are decorated and arranged as ball visitors and debutantes. At the Vienna Opera Ball, the highlight of the Viennese carnival season, the last dance of the debutantes is always the "Blue Danube" Viennese waltz by Johann Strauss II, after which the floor is opened to all guests with the words "Everybody waltz!". Please click here for a video of the debutantes' inaugural waltz at the Vienna Opera Ball.

Sunday Flowers #177

"If every plant and flower were found in all places, the charm of locality would not exist.
Everything varies, and that gives the interest." - Richard Jefferies

When the Evening Falls...

It's time for a photo of the Old Danube again, don't you think so? I took this picture on the first day of 2016, when it was rather chilly. The swans didn't seem to be bothered by the low temperature.

A Closer Look

Here's a closer look of one of the mansions that I showed you yesterday. I wouldn't have any problem to move in if somebody asked me (and paid my rent)...

Three Mansions

These three mansions are located right accross from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences. During my walks in the high-priced areas of Vienna, I often wonder how my life would be if I was born into a family living in one of those edifices...

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences is located in the 19th district. It was founded in 1872 and is "a teaching and research center for renewable resources, which are necessary for human life" with currently around 12.000 students. The main building which you can see in this photo, was erected in 1896.

Shall we Dance?

The current window decoration of the K. und K. (Imperial and Royal) Court Confectionary Bakery "Demel" was inspired by the ongoing ball season during which you can attend more than 450 balls. The sugarfigures and flowers in the window are all handcrafted, and they are rotating around their axis.

February Theme Day: Scene From a Coffee House

Since October 2011 the "Viennese Coffee House Culture" is listed as "Intangible Cultural Heritage" in the Austrian inventory of the "National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage", a part of UNESCO. The Viennese coffee house is described in this inventory as a place "where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill." Austrian writer Stefan Zweig described the Viennese Coffee House as a "sort of democratic club, open to everyone for the price of a cheap cup of coffee, where every guest can sit for hours with this little offering, to talk, write, play cards, receive post, and above all consume an unlimited number of newspapers and journals." Though this gentleman opted for tea, he was completely absorbed in his magazine for quite a while and nobody - not even the waiter - bothered him.
Click here to view thumbnails of all participants in the theme day.

Sunday Flowers #176

 

"In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Albert Camus

Baroque Baroque #5

A last photo of the "Baroque Baroque" exhibition: "Kaleidoscope", the artwork in the beautiful Sala Terrena, consists of six tapering mirrored panels, fixed together to form a seven-meter-long hexagonal optical device hung from the ceiling of the room. According to Olafur Eliasson "the kaleidoscope makes us understand through experience that what we see through its mechanism is to a large extent negotiable, relative and open for engagement." The exhibition runs through March 6, 2016.

Baroque Baroque #4

"Wishes versus wonders" - that's the name of this fascinating artwork by Olafur Elisasson. I have already shown it to you last November when I attended the opening of the exhibition. The day after Christmas I happened to be alone in the room for some minutes and took another photo in which you can also see the beautiful surrounding of the artwork.

Baroque Baroque #3

Here's another photo of the "Baroque Baroque" exhibition with the artworks "Endless doughnut", "The horizon series" and "Fivefold cube". I love the contrast of the pieces of contemporary art and the room. How about you?

Yellow Corridor

During the Christmas holidays I visited the exhibition "Baroque Baroque" by Olafur Eliasson at the Belvedere's Winter Palace one again. The exhibition starts with the "Yellow Corridor": The staircase is lit with yellow monofrequency lamps which reduce the range of visible colour to yellow and black. An unusual effect.

Upper Belvedere - Side View

A side view of the Upper Belvedere last Sunday. By now the snow has completely gone and the temperature is rather springlike.

Trapped in The Present

On Saturday evening the city was beautifully covered with snow. During the night the temperature increased and the snow turned into slush... Maybe you are now wondering why this snowman still looks so perfect. Well, because he's made of marble and a sculpture by Austrian artist Manfred Erjautz. The website of the Belvedere, in front of which he is located, says that he "symbolizes not only a particular season but also memories and the complexities of transience. The snowman is deprived of its ephemeral existence through the creative process, ultimately leading to it becoming trapped in the present."

Covered With Snow

Originally I wanted to continue today my "Sunday Flowers" series, but then it got chilly, so there were no flowers on display in front of the flower shops, and beyond that yesterday at noon it started to snow again. So here's the MuseumsQuartier as it looked like yesterday afternoon. I like the atmosphere of the city when it's covered with freshly fallen snow - it's calmer than usually... The forescast for today: increase in temperature.

Green Dragon

The bright green steel construction, called "The Dragon", at the entrance of a newly revitalized dormitory in the 19th district, is a real eye-catcher.

Italian Luxury Cars Only...

I discovered this sign on a garage door of a villa in the 19th district during my last Sunday afternoon walk. People who live there might be able afford a Maserati, but there was no one in sight...

Paulinenwarte

The viewing tower "Paulinenwarte" is located on a hill in Türkenschanzpark in the 19th district. Originally it offered not only a beautiful view of the city, but also served as water tank.

Just Trees And a Bench

Last Sunday I took advantage of the rather sunny (but chilly) weather and went for a walk in Türkenschanzpark in the 19th district where these trees  and the bench caught my eyes. The park's name derives from the Turkish entrenchments at the site during the Second Turkish siege of Vienna (1683). Türkenschanzpark was built by local citizens together with the neighbouring "Wiener Cottage" settlement under the supervision of a city gardener and was only later taken over by the City of Vienna. Emperor Franz Joseph I  inaugurated the park on September 30, 1888.