Let the good times roll

Winter at the Danube in Vienna

2012-02-10T19:35:00.001+01:00

Finally winter has come to Vienna,

with extremely cold temperatures and even some snow.

I took a long walk with my dog along the shore of the Danube this afternoon and enjoyed the winter atmosphere.

Water birds had left their foot prints in the snow,

and D'ora followed the decorative patterns on the ice.

What a lovely picture!

We returned home when the sun set.

Have a nice weekend ahead!

A November trip through the Donau-Auen National Park

2011-11-27T15:42:00.018+01:00

Last Saturday my friend and I went by train to a place called Wolfsthal, 70 km East of Vienna.

Originally we had planned to follow the St. James' Way, but soon St. James' Way led us to the banks of the river Danube and we followed the hidden paths throuhg the riparian forests instead.

The sandbanks of the river were much larger than usual.
Due to a very dry autumn season, the water-level of the Danube is extremely low.

We had not expected to see Devín castle on the other side of the Danube in such beauty.
The afternoon light was picture perfect, and so we walked down to the dry sandbanks to get a closer look.

Devín castle (Burg Theben) is situated on a 212 m high cliff at the confluence of the Danube and Moravian rivers in Slovakia.
The place has been settled since the Neolithic and fortified since the Bronce and Iron Age.
We plan to visit the cliff next summer to explore the ruins!

We walked on through the riparian forests along the old arms of the Danube.
The path is so romantic! It strongly reminded me of the fantastic settings of the Kingdom Hearts video games series. I even expected to find Kairi and Riku around the corner :)

Of course we were not on Riku's Island, but in the Donau-Auen National Park near Hainburg, one of the largest remaining floodplains of the Danube in Middle Europe.

Also the history of the National Park Donau-Auen is remarkable:
In 1984, Austrian environmental activists began a successful fight against plans to build another hydro-electric power plant at the Danube which would have destroyed the unique area.
Clearing operations had already begun and the first trees had been chopped when the activists began to occupy the area.
The occupation of the floodplains in Hainburg led to a significant change in Austria's idea of the meaning of democracy and of the protection of the enviroment.

Thus the Donau-Auen National Park was founded and designated an IUCN category II national park.
It spans the areas of Vienna (Lobau), Groß-Enzersdorf, Orth an der Donau, Eckartsau, Engelhartstetten, Hainburg, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Petronell-Carnuntum, Regelsbrunn, Haslau-Maria Ellend, Fischamend and Schwechat,
which is an area of 93 square kilometers (3.900ha).

After a three hours walk, we arrived in Hainburg and had a delicious meal at the elegant local Gasthaus Zum goldenen Anker.

If you want to see some more pictures, please follow this link !

A visit to Telč - UNESCO World Heritage

2011-10-31T06:55:00.010+01:00

Telč is a town in southern Moravia, in the Czech Republic. The town was founded in the 13th century as a royal water fort on the crossroads of busy merchant routes between Bohemia, Moravia and Austria.

The most significant sight is the town square, a unique complex of long urban plaza with well-conserved Renaissance and Baroque houses with high gables and arcades; since 1992 all of this has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1979 Werner Herzog filmed the movie Woyzeck in Telč.

It's only 2 hours by car from Vienna to Telč!
Sometimes it's really good to make a weekend trip to a neighbouring country!

We had coffee and sweets under the arcades at the plaza, and afterwards we strolled around the lake and enjoyed the reflections of the town in the clear blue water.

Today's Flowers - Late Autumn Flowers

2011-10-02T04:45:00.004+02:00

September in Austria was very warm this year, up to 25° C /77° F!
And the weather will be warm also next week!

And the gardens in Vienna are still full of colourful flowers!

See flowers all around the globe here!

Autumn is on its way!

2011-09-21T21:55:00.007+02:00

On my trip this afternoon I saw

Crystal raindrops on spiderwebs

Delicate butterflies in autumn colours

Bizarre flowers of late summer

In a softly rolling landscape

A roadside shrine unter trees

amidst wineyards full of grapes

in red and blue and gold

and sooo delicious!

What a fabulous season!

A wonderful end of summer and flowers on my window

2011-09-04T22:18:00.012+02:00

We had a wonderful second half of August here in Vienna this year,
warm, hot, sunny, temperatures inviting you to swim in the Old and the New Danube.

Today the sky was as blue as the morning glories in the Pawlatsche, the arcade, leading to the doors of our apartments on our floor.

On my window, the flowers celebrate the end of summer.

I spent the whole day at the the New Danube today, swimming, dozing in the sun, walking along the beach, my doggy trying to catch fish in the shallow water. Now she is satisfied and sleepy! So am I!

Have a pleasant week ahead!

A Kiss on the Hand

2011-07-22T17:06:00.019+02:00

On our hiking tour in Slovenia we came across two happy free-ranging pigs. The piggies were willing to establish contact with us!

My friend put fourth her hand and one of the curious little fellows came near!

After a careful examination, he gently kissed her hand!

A perfect cavalier!

But one kiss is not enough!
The devoted gentleman did not refuse my hand too, and so I could also feel the cool touch of his little wet snout!

He was a perfect charmer! And I guess he was well aware of that!

http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

Skies in Egypt

2011-07-21T20:00:00.030+02:00

Sky Watch Friday:
Here are some pictures I made in Egypt in November last year!
Sky watch pictures, of course :)

Here are our first impressions of the African sky :
White feathery clouds over pink desert sands!
I was really stunned!

I think I made 100 pictures or even more!

And then the blue-green strip of the river Nile appeared!

Egypt's lifeline in the desert!

The white sails of a felucca boat brought us to the Botanical Garden in Assuan.

The subtropical vegetation of Kitchener's island gave us pleasant shadow in the heat of the Assuan skies!

Mimosa bushes perfumed the sky over the eternal temples of Abu Simbel.

In Edfu, antique columns worshipped the sky since ancient times.

Finally we reached the Red Sea at Hurghada,
with desert moutains in the evening light hovering over bizarre tourist palaces...

Ahhh... romantic, though,...

We visited a Bedouin-village in the desert mountains at dusk.
A camel ride, Bedouin dishes, Bedouin carpets...

Bedouin children
going home when the sky was getting pale.

Sunset over the desert!

We went back to Europe and wished to come back soon!

Sky Watch Friday!
All around the globe!

http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Gladioli and a new camera

2011-07-20T13:02:00.014+02:00

I have a new camera! I spend my evenings at home studying the instruction manual!
And from time to time I dare take a snapshot, try some retouching, and enjoy the result :-)
Oh, it's so much fun to have a new camera!

http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

Flowers on my window

2011-06-11T16:00:00.012+02:00

Now it's the most beautiful time of the year in Vienna:
The temperatures are summerly warm, but the nights and mornings are cool and refreshing;
The air is perfumed with the fragrance of flowering lime-trees, sweet acacia and jasmine.

On my windowsill, my orange tree and the little flowers I brought from Turkey, enjoy the hot midday sun. Not to forget my cactuses!

Have a pleasant Whitsunday everywhere!

An Exhibition

2011-06-02T15:34:00.004+02:00

When my husband retired from his job, he began to take painting lessons at the Künstlerische Volkshochschule in Vienna.

This year, one of his watercolours was shown at the yearly exhibition.

Here are some more pictures from different artists presented at the exhibition.

Roses after the rain

2011-05-28T20:00:00.003+02:00

It seems that this year the roses in Vienna's Rosegarden are blooming more beautifully than in the last years!

After a heavy rain over night I came to see if the roses had been damaged. No, they are as beautiful as before the rain!

The Turtle Beach of Dalyan

2011-05-15T13:50:00.001+02:00

In April we spent a week in Turkey.
One highlight was a boat trip to the Turtle Beach of Dalyan.

Dalyan (follow link to Wikipedia) is a town in Muğla Province located between the districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey.

Life in Dalyan revolves around the Dalyan Çayı River which flows past the town.

The boats that ply up and down the river, navigating the maze of reeds, are the preferred means of transport to all the local sites.

Above the river's sheer cliffs are the weathered façades of Lycian tombs cut from rock, circa 400 BC. The ruins of the ancient trading city of Kaunos are a short boat trip across the river.

Dalyan achieved international fame in 1986 when developers wanted to build a luxury hotel on the nearby İztuzu Beach, a breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle species.

The incident created major international storm when David Bellamy championed the cause of the conservationists. The development project was stopped and the beach is now a protected area.

İ ztuzu Beach

On our boat trip to the Dalyan Beach we were offered fresh blue crabs. The crabs were served with Rakı on the boat on our way back to Dalyan.
What a delicious meal!
Some glasses of Raki intensified the relaxed atmosphere on the boat!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T11:48:00.011+02:00

In Vienna, the last weeks were sunny and pleasant.
Finally, spring had come with
blossoms and flowers everywhere.

As every year,
I went to the Donauinsel to see if the Japanese Cherrytrees were already blooming.

Yes, they were in full bloom,
and I spent the whole afternoon strolling along the riverside of the Danube with my doggy D'Ora.

When I took pictures of the cherrytrees,
a flock of swans passed by.
I thought of my friend Ayamlin in Tokyo and sent my best wishes to her.

The Japanese Cherry trees were planted by representatives from both countries in 2009 to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the commencement of diplomatic relations between Austria and Japan.

By the way, our Easter holidays are wonderful this year!
We have sun, sun, sun and pleasant summerly temperatures!

Happy Easter to you!

Tajine cooking

2011-03-19T08:04:00.005+01:00

Tajine cooking
has become my favourite occupation after coming home from work.

The ingredients for a veggie tajine are unspectacular:
onions, carrots, tomatoes, fennel, garlick, celery, olive oil,
parsley and coriander.
Ras el Hanout, a North-African blend of spices, adds an oriental touch.

Everything is cut to small pieces, the onions are slightly roasted, the other veggies, salt, pepper, ras el hanout and some water are added and then the cap is put on the pot.
The whole thing simmers for half an hour, and finally the fresh parsley and coriander are added.
Voilà, dinner is ready!

And, perhaps a glass of prosecco makes the cooking process still more delightful :)

Enlarge the picture above for the recipe!

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Now spring is coming

2011-03-16T21:49:00.006+01:00

Last Sunday my husband and I sought relief from watching the disturbing news from Japan.
We strolled through the outskirts of Vienna
where we found a landscape still wearing the colours of winter,
but showing the first signs of spring.

What a fancy thing:
the colour of the river Danube exactly matched the colour of the first violets!

Some bushes even showed a pleasant yellow!

Liverwort is a common sping flower in the decidous forests of the Vienna Woods, and its colour is also "Danube-blue" :)

We walked back to the city through the endless wineyards, still bare and grey,

towards a city with nearly 2 million inhabitants
(which actually looks like a very big village... )

Here we found the first snowdrops - the wetlands of the Danube must be full of them by now!

The ice is melting

2011-03-01T21:47:00.006+01:00

The old arms of the Danube in Vienna are still covered with ice.

A mallard enjoyed the warm sunlight glittering on the ice.

Our dog D'Ora gave the cold water a first try.

The ice was still thick enough to carry nosy dogs,

lively ice-skaters and curious families.

Where the ice was gone,
mandarine ducks were courting their females.

Could this be Spring?

A bundle of tulips

2011-02-26T19:00:00.007+01:00

A colourful bundle of tulips cheers me up
when winter is already too long,
when it is still too cold outside,
when temperatures are below the freezing point and winds are chilly!

But it's end of February, and hopefully Spring will come soon!

See more flowers from all over the world here:

http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/

A sunny spring day at lake Neusiedl

2011-02-06T19:54:00.004+01:00

Today we made a day trip to Lake Neusiedl,
a big lake in the plains only half an hour by train from Vienna ;)

The temperatures were nearly Spring,
and the ice on the lake began to melt.

The day was so bright that you could even see the Schneeberg in the distance, awell-liked 2000 m mountain situated at the eastern edge of the Austrian Alps.

The sky was so soft and blue, and the warm sun made the ice sparkle.

My dear hub enjoyed the warm sun. He seems to be deep in thoughts, maybe he is reflecting on his 65th birthday which he celebrated yesterday?

I felt so good! What could be better than a pleasant day in the sun?

In the evening we took the train back to Vienna.

When we waited for the train to come,
a sundog (???) appeared in the western sky.

It was the first sundog I ever saw (if it was a sundog)!

A glorious sunset made our farewell from Lake Neusiedl even sweeter!

Have a nice week ahead!

Egypt in November

2011-02-01T22:02:00.006+01:00

My husband and I spent a holiday in Egypt last November and we LOVED the people and their country.
Best wishes to Egypt from Vienna!
We keep our fingers crossed for a good future!

A wonderful sunrise with a partial eclipse

2011-01-17T20:15:00.015+01:00

A partial eclipse, a rare and quite exciting event,
took place some days ago in Vienna,
on 4 January 2011.

I know, I'm very late posting my pictures,
but I'm a very lazy blogger lately...

When I left my apartment in the morning, the sun rose,

painting the clouds orange in a most spectacular way,

reflecting and thus multiplying the golden glow
as if anticipating that soon the sun would be partially hidden by the shadow of the moon.

I found a place to see the partial eclipse
between the high-rise buildings of the city.

ARed Cross alu blanket (black picture) and some coloured transparent plastic folders (red picture) had to suffice to filter the gleaming sunlight.

http://www.wien.gv.at/tv/Detail.aspx?mid=147024

...and a Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T18:04:00.006+01:00

Greetings from the City of Johann Strauss,
where Franz Welser-Möst conducted this year's New Year's Concert,
featuring the legendary music of the Strauss family and of Franz Liszt!

And if you want to escape from the City of music for an afternoon,
take a trip through the romantic snow-covered Vienna Woods!

I wish you a happy New Year, dear friends!
I hope the next year will be as good as the last one!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T20:14:00.008+01:00

We met these Nubian children on our vacation in Egypt.

The chldren look so happy and so cute and I begin to smile whenever I see these pictures!
I wish you a happy Christmas and holiday season and a big smile on your face!

A winter vacation with summerly temperatures

2010-12-10T18:18:00.006+01:00

It's amazing how fast two weeks go by!
We were so sad when we had to leave the Nile and the Red Sea and
say goodbye to Egypt with its pleasantly warm winter temperatures.

We had a lot of fun, swimming in the Red Sea and sunbathing under palm trees, and riding camels in the desert,
while good old Vienna was covered with snow.

The cruise on the Nile was special!
And we were totally overwhelmed by the majesty of the old Pharaonic temples.

Autumn roses and more

2010-11-07T14:36:00.007+01:00

Today we walked through Vienna
which is pleasantly deserted on a typical late Autumn Sunday morning like this,
and with a wonderful a gray layer of fog high above.

Of course we visited the Rosegarden in Voksgarten,
and I took some nice pictures of the last autumn roses.

Many rosebushes were already prepared for the winter season with branches cut,
but not yet wrapped up in their warm winter bags.

Oh, the fountain, dark and cool,
and some rose heads drifting on the dark surface.

And my favourite rose, still blooming nice and bright!

What did hubby see outside the garden?

*lol* Some more flowers!

This could be Vienna's most whimsically decorated construction site :)

Look for flowers from all around our good old globe below:

An afternoon walk through Vienna

2010-10-26T17:52:00.005+02:00

Nach dem Essen sollst du ruhn, oder 1000 Schritte tun!
After dinner rest a while, after supper walk a mile!
That's what hubby, doggy and I did this afternoon, and we came to some stiller corners of the city.

That's my entry for this week's:

Today's flowers - A farewell to autumn

2010-10-24T18:34:00.002+02:00

The wild growing Camomile, Anthemis_nobilis, is one of the last flowers you can find on our fields in a period of the year when it has already been quite chilly in the mornings.

A farewell to autumn!

Did you know that the lawns of Buckingham Palace use camomile instead of grass? At least, Wikipedia says so :).

Further, Chamomile is used cosmetically, primarily to make a rinse for blonde hair, and is popular in aromatherapy, whose practitioners believe it to be a calming agent to end stress and aid in sleep.

And this is the place where I found the lovely little flower!

Look for flowers all around the globe!

Sky Watch Friday - Imperial Sky

2010-10-21T18:57:00.012+02:00

My theme for this week's SWF picture is: Imperial sky!
The sky over the Imperial Palace,
Michaelerplatz, Vienna.
Wonderful! What's more thrilling than a relaxing stroll through the city, sightseeing...

But what's that?

There are so many dark spots over the imperial roofs!

Right! The Russian crows, Vienna's winter guests, are looking for a sleeping place,
which they usually find in the woods of the Vienna Prater!

Watch the sky all over the world and see if there is a place where it is roughly as exciting as it is in Vienna... ;)

Autumn impressions

2010-10-16T22:48:00.005+02:00

This morning me and my friend Brigitte revisited Lobau, the wetlands of the river Danube.
It was a typical autumn day,
grey sky, pale colours, cool air and the wonderful smell of decaying leaves.

Have a nice weekend ahead!

Today's flowers - Autumn colours

2010-10-10T08:19:00.014+02:00

Yesterday we spent a pleasant afternoon in the wineyards near Lake Neusiedl. The golden autumn light painted the last flowers and sunburnt grasses in soft but glowing colours.

In the distance you can see Lake Neusiedl in the misty dusk of the late afternoon sun.

My dear companions:

Dear friends, have a pleasant week ahead!

Click on the icon above to find a world of flowers from all around our globe!

You may say I'm a dreamer...

2010-10-08T15:18:00.008+02:00

Photo by John Lennon Photo Archive, (c) Yoko Ono

Im memory of John Lennon's 70th birthday!

IMAGINE
(the title of the song is linked to the Youtube video)

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Today's flowers - Autumn

2010-10-03T18:57:00.009+02:00

It's definitely autumn now
at the beginning of October,
and some leaves are already changing colours,
and the last pale roses show their delicate beauty!

Visit the virtual flower shows all over the world!
Click on the picture below!

Sky Watch Friday - Something like sky...

2010-09-30T22:23:00.017+02:00

This is the sky I saw this evening on my weekly skywalk with my friend Brigitte.
We 'explored' Wienerberg, a Southern part of Vienna,
actually a very large park, I guess it's as large as Central Park,
and quite wild, natural, original...
Already the Romans mined clay here,
and since 1820 Europe's biggest brickyards were actually here.
All of Vienna's buildings around 1900, "Gründerzeitbauten", derive their bricks from these claypits,
and today several ponds remain where the clay for the bricks was once mined.

We enjoyed a long walk at Wienerberg this evening, with an atmospheric autumn sunset,
and a landscape within the boundaries of a 2 million city, which offers space even to the needs of my cute little doggy D'Ora
(no cyclists around :)

Please check Widipedia's entry for Wienerberg (link), it's only in German, but there are some nice pictures showing the atmosphere of the place!

Skywatch Friday
the wonderful meme showing skies and related stories from all over our globe :)
Enjoy!

On a rainy weekend like that...

2010-09-25T19:05:00.006+02:00

On a rainy day like that
I try to remember the colour of the summer sky.
I review my summer photos,
and this is what I found:

Blue skies, white clouds, white statues,
bold birds,
gaudy flowers, sparkling fountains,
and good humoured people!

Have a nice sunny weekend ahead!

Sky Watch Friday - Millennium-Tower-Sky

2010-09-16T22:14:00.013+02:00

Vienna's Millennium Tower caught my eye
this evening on my weekly Skywalk with my friend Brigitte.

The tower obediently interprets the colour of the sky,
and the white clouds playfully juxtapose the tower's strictly geometrical form.

The Millennium Tower, located at Handelskai 94-96 in the 20th district of Brigittenau in Vienna, is the tallest building and 3rd tallest structure in Austria at 171 metres (561 feet) after the Donauturm. An antenna mounted on top of the tower brings the architectural height to 202 metres (663 feet) but does not count to its overall height. It was designed by the architects Gustav Peichl, Boris Podrecca and Rudolf Weber. The tower has 51 floors, serves both commercial and residential purposes, and is the focal point of a complex known as "Millennium City". It was completed in 1999 for the coming of the third millennium. The office tower has a gross floor area of 47,200 sqm, of which 38,500 sqm is used as office space. The remaining area is to 2 levels are generally available and is used for a shopping center (Millennium City), restaurants and a multiplex cinema (UCI). The Millennium Tower was built in an extremely short construction time: Thanks to efficient organization of all work steps and modern building techniques have created an average of 2 ½ floors a week and the building completed in 1999.
(WIKIPEDIA)

We continue our walk along the Danube.
The Tower is visible everywhere,
gleaming in the darkening evening light.

Watch the sky all around the globe! It's a lot of fun!

Sadness

2010-09-15T19:11:00.020+02:00

Autumn rain...

Summer's over...

I'm sad and frustrated, today...

I'm longing for bluer skies...

Today's flowers - Early autumn colours

2010-09-12T12:23:00.007+02:00

A wonderful summer period ended abruptly in cold rain and nearly winterly temperatures at the beginning of September.

After two cold weeks, autumn has come, and the temperatures are warm and pleasant again.
The flowers and trees begin to wear their first autumn colours!

While the virginia creeper is showing the fist red leaves in Vienna's Stadtpark,
the Japanese Maple in Kumpfgasse is still summerly green!

Follow this wonderful meme by clicking on the icon below!

Pretty evening Sky

2010-08-16T22:42:00.006+02:00

When I walked home this evening,
I saw the golden glow of the setting sun on Karlskirche,
and the blue sky was filled with white feathery cirrus clouds!

A high number of cirrus clouds may be a sign of an approaching frontal system or upper air disturbance. I'll keep you informed :)

Today's flowers - Roses in the evening light

2010-08-15T19:57:00.003+02:00

Roses in the late evening light,
pale and blurred, unique.

Look for flowers all around the globe here!

My World Tuesday - Evening Hour

2010-07-19T21:17:00.011+02:00

We enjoy a little breathing space with pleasant summerly temperatures around75°F.

I walked home from work this evening and took some pictures for you!

At Karlsplatz, the pleasant grey sky reflects in the pool,

and people enjoy the evening with"Kino unter Sternen",

open air cinema,
which has become very popular in Vienna in the last years.

Karlsplatz is also fun to sit in the Schanigardens and
have some refreshments.

There is a creative atmosphere around,
this billboard turns out to be a sort of collage upon a closer view.

I pass by Musikverein and smile at the roof garden nearby because it makes me think of Salvadore Dali's surrealistic paintings :)

After a last look back at Karlskirche I cross Ringstraße

and I take a rest in a lovely Schanigarden at Seilerstätte.
Here I eat the best pizza since ages!

Thank you for joining me on my evening walk!

Please click on the image above to visits MyWorlds all around the globe!

Today's flowers - Pink roses on the lakefront

2010-07-11T08:51:00.010+02:00

Here are some pictures from my stay in Carinthia,
the southernmost Austrian state,
neighbouring Italy!

These lovely roses grow in Pörtschach am Wörthersee.

The average amount of sunshine hours in Carinthia is the highest in Austria.
Even exotic plants are grown in this region.

And the water quality of Carinthia's lakes is very high.
Some Austrian politicians even drank a glass of lake water for advertising purposes ;)

After all that sun, a cool green place in the shade would be fine!

Or let's take a swim with the ducks?

And afterwards, we join the sun-seekers on the lakefront!

Enjoy flowers from all around the world!

Sky Watch Friday - Summer evening sky

2010-07-08T13:01:00.008+02:00

A warm summer evening in the outskirts of Vienna:
A summer sunset behind Leopoldsberg.

Watch the sky all around the world HERE:

Yesterday, my friend Brigitte and me ("The Vienna Skywalkers")
made our weekly evening tour in the Western part of Vienna.
We went by bus to Kahlenbergerdorf and followed the steep "Nasenweg"
to the top of Leopoldsberg.

Soon, a beautiful view over Vienna and the Danube opened:

You may enlarge the pictures for a more detailed view!

At the foot of the hill you can see the lovely village Kahlenbergerdorf.
There is the Danube (which is actually blue today!!) with Donauinsel and the New Danube,
and in the background the many bridges connecting the "city" with "Transdanubien",
as the Viennese fondly call the northern part of Vienna.

Here a look over the deep green wineyards on the soft rolling hills.

Soon we came across a small "Heurigen" in the middle of the wineyards with a nice view over the flat countryside northeast of Vienna.

We drank a delicious glass of red wine grown on the neighbouring hills, Zweigelt from Hajszan, and slowly walked back to the city.

The last rays of the setting sun deepened the colours over the city and bathed the meadows in a golden light, the hills behind already dark.

Today's flowers - Morning flowers

2010-06-25T20:47:00.000+02:00

This morning I walked to my offices with my camera ready to pick some flowers for you.

First I passed Swarovski's crystal flowers at Kärntnerstraße,

cool, blue and sparkly!

Yellow sunflowers at the nearby flowerstand made me feel like summer again!

Then I found white elegant roses in front of Lobmeyr's shopwindow,

and flowers even in the shoe shop!

At Wiedner Hauptstraße, workers from the Stadtgartenamt cultivated the public flowerbeds.

Sky Watch Friday - Blue sky

2010-06-18T21:47:00.010+02:00

I spent a wonderful week in Carinthia with summerly weather, hot temperatures, and warm moonlit nights. Blue skies!

The nightly sky painted the bellflowers blue.

More skies at:

Watery Wednesday - Too much rain!

2010-06-01T19:01:00.010+02:00

The weather in May was cold and extremely wet here in Vienna.
Rain, rain, rain!
Even the flowers in our backyard had to wear umbrellas!

June seems to be not one bit better!
12°C/53°F today, and rain...

Anemone

2010-05-22T02:10:00.002+02:00

Today's flowers - Wild roses and chestnut trees

2010-05-15T19:06:00.010+02:00

The first rose bushes are blooming in Vienna! White and yellow, surrounded by lush green!

On my picture, the chestnut trees are still blooming. But today's cold rain has washed down the petals.
The icemen are doing their best!

You find flowers from all around the world here:

Sky Watch Friday - Sunset at the Danube

2010-05-13T20:36:00.006+02:00

The weather forecast said rain,
but we enjoyed a wonderful sunset at the Danube yesterday evening.

Watch the sky all around the globe:

Today's flowers - Peonies

2010-05-08T21:16:00.000+02:00

In Vienna's Burggarten, peonies bloom beside chestnut trees and lilac.
It's the most beautiful season of the year now!

Enjoy flowers from all around the globe!

The first May day celebration in Vienna

2010-05-02T16:35:00.005+02:00

For 120 years now, the European Social Democrats and Communists celebrate the International Workers Day on the first of May with demonstrative street parades.

In view of the financial crisis, traditional social values - Liberté, égalité, fraternité - and social security, have become relevant issues again.

This year's May Day celebrations in Vienna had a lot of retro atmosphere.

After all, a remarkable number of 100.000 participated in the parade along Vienna's Ringstraße and the final celebration at the Rathausplatz.

Ideology and reality were in harmony!

And this is the traditional end of the parade!

Lobau - The Danube's Wetlands in Vienna

2010-04-30T19:46:00.008+02:00

Once a month my friend Brigitte and I take a longer walk on Saturday mornings.

Last week we hiked for 5 hours through the wetlands of the Danube, the Lobau, a protected area in the Nationalpark Donauauen.

Enjoy the peaceful landscape and imagine that we
never
left the citiy limits of Vienna!

We crossed an old arm of the Danube on a bridge called Josefsteg, built by the Austrian Army, the Bundesheer, in 2001.

We enjoyed the intensive green colours and took pictures in the cherry grove.

Guess what D'Ora did?

Exactly!

She watched the changing patterns of the shadows cast on the water by the mallards in the reeds!

Today's flowers - Pink Cherry Trees

2010-04-25T18:27:00.007+02:00

Finally, the cherry trees at the Donauinsel are blooming!
I visited the Cherry grove this morning again.

My dog D'Ora not only enjoyed to explore old tree trunks,

but also helped me find flowers for you!

Green-winged Orchid
(Kleines Knabenkraut)

Enjoy flowers all around the world!

A doggy walk along the Danube

2010-04-20T20:12:00.023+02:00

Last Sunday I took a walk at the Donauinsel,

the artificial island which divides the river Danube into two basins and thus protects Vienna from the floods caused by Europe's second largest river Danube.

In the distance you can see Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg,
the most famous hills of the Vienna Woods within city boundaries.

The hills make a nice background for the fishing boat and the two friends enjoying a Sunday morning chat on the water!

Yippee! My dog enjoys to explore the coves where dogs are allowed to play freely!

Ah! The exciting smells of water, stones, grass and animals!

I'm looking for the Japanese Cherry Grove and nearly miss it.
After walking back for two miles, there is a sign:

The Cherry Grove!
Japan gave Vienna 1000 cherry trees as a present for Austria's 1000 years celebration (1996).
The trees were planted in 2002 and are still rather small!

It's still too cold for the blossoms, they are still closed!

Unfortunately this year's cherry festival was cancelled because of rain.

We walk back to the riverside. A canoe silently paddles upstream.

Soon we notice that we are back in the city again.

Millennium Tower is our point of departure.
It makes a nice contrast to the natural environment we have enjoyed for the past two hours.

Click on the picture below for more watery views:

Cherry blossoms still asleep

2010-04-16T19:49:00.013+02:00

Last Wednesday, my friend Brigitte and I visited the Japanese garden("Kirschenhain") at the Donauinsel.

A pastel sunset behind Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg.

And 1000 Japanese cherry trees waiting for the spring sun to open up their buds!

Too bad,

Vienna's 9th cherry tree festival was cancelled because of rainy weather!

Follow this link to see pictures from last year's cherry tree festival!

桜の森

「キルシェンハイン - 桜の森」は2002年春、ドナウインゼル１８キロメートル地点に、ウィーン森林局と芸術家グループ to the woodsによって創られました。
この公園は、ニーダーオーストリア州シュレムスで採取された花崗岩100体と1996年オーストリア建国1000年を記念して日本から寄贈された1000本桜のうち最後の150本から成り、ドナウ川とその周辺の野原や木立と調和した憩いの空間となっています。
桜の森の完成と1000本桜が全て植え終わった記念として2002年4月30日に最初の「桜の森祭り」が行われ、その後毎年桜の季節に開催されています。
桜の森の成長にともない、自然との関わり、訪れる人々の交流もますます深まっていくことでしょう。この成長型アート空間は、伝統的な日本庭園に新風を吹き込むものです。

Easter Eggs à la Christine

2010-04-07T22:22:00.007+02:00

Dear friends,

I saw many delicious Easter dishes when I visited your blogs!
But look,
This is what we had as starters for our Easter meal:
Eggs à la Christine, embedded in green beans :-)
And we dispatched the chocolate Easter bunnies as a dessert!

Today's flowers - Happy Easter - Happy Spring!

2010-04-03T18:22:00.001+02:00

Spring in Vienna's Stadtpark!
Flowering trees and bushes everywhere, locals and tourists enjoying a stroll in the warm sun.
Many tourists are from Japan, taking pictures of each other, in front of the gold-coloured statute of Johann Strauß, under the flowering cherry tree.

Spring has arrived just in time!
Happy Easter to all of you!

Sky Watch Friday - Eveing skies

2010-04-01T23:05:00.006+02:00

The Vienna Skywalkers meet once a week at 7 pm for a 1 1/2 hours walk.
That's Me and my friend Brigitte.
This is the first time after the winter that wewalked at sunset.

A pleasant warm evening in Spring, still water, and a red sunset behind the soft hills of the Vienna Woods.

Today's flowers - Messengers of Spring

2010-03-28T09:33:00.001+02:00

Kuhschellen/Pasque Flowers/Pulsatilla vulgaris

We found this early spring flower yesterday on our hike through the ridges of the Wienerwald
on the steep hills of Leopoldsberg on a sunny and extremely dry place.

Maybe the flowers have chosen this place also for its lovely view over Vienna and the river Danube?

Enjoy many, many more flowers from all around the world here:

A sunny Saturday in Spring

2010-03-20T14:46:00.012+01:00

Finally temperatures are pretty warm!

16°C /60°F

This morning I met a friend at Naschmarkt. We drank coffee and then strolled through Vienna's oldest market. The place was extremely crowded as everybody was outside to enjoy the first sunrays and the warm air.

Sunglasses were advisable,

and a palmtree with a single leaf was out in the open for the first time too.

I nearly got blinded by the bright sunlight and the radiant colours of the tropical fruits and spring flowers.

In the big park near Karlskirche, people sat on the benches face up to the sun, some of them were even lying on the benches and napping.
A street musician played a melancholic song (what else?).

Look how nice and neat she took off her red shoes!
And the funny stripes of the shadows and her socks!

The sky above was covered by fleecy clouds. Really pretty!

The trees are still bare in Vienna, but I have seen crocuses and tulip bulbs displaying the first colours!

Visit skywatchers all around the world by clicking on the icon below!

Take a virtual trip around the world here:

Snowdrops and a photo workshop

2010-03-13T22:16:00.009+01:00

Today at my second photo workshop:

We wanted to find Pasque Flowers, but we only found Snowdrops!
In Austria, Winter still has us in its grip!

Nevertheless, our photo workshop was wonderful!
We practised in Breitenbrunn am Neusiedlersee, in a romantic "Kellergasse",
a street with traditional wine cellars.

Perspectives

Lenses

Unique angles

Light

Zooming

Portrait format or horizontal format?

Compositions

Exposure time and apertures

And, beside all the useful technical information:

We spent a very nice day, enjoyed our hobby, and made some very nice new friends!

Bingo! Christoph Waltz wins Best Supporting Actor

2010-03-08T19:58:00.008+01:00

Austria's Christoph Waltz has won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Nazi in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds."

Do you think he deserved to win?

Here is a link to an interview with Waltz on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af0-9HBn5xM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Sky Watch Friday - Sunny skies

2010-03-04T20:58:00.007+01:00

On our walk through the wetlands of the River Danube, we had a wonderful sunny sky with big white clouds sailing along.
From time to time, one of the clouds got caught high up in the treetops ;)

Finally, a cloud shaped like Austria appeared. On the left, Switzerland drifted westward...

Pretty skies, really nice after so many bleak winter days...

Watch the skies from all over our planet!

Today's flowers

2010-02-27T21:10:00.012+01:00

Today I had a wonderful walk in the floodlands of the river Danube,
with bright blue skies and big yellow viscum, mistletoes, in the trees.

It's not so easy to distinguish between the leaves and the flowerss ;)

Here some impressions from the floodlands!

Thank you, Today's Flowers Team!
LUIZ SANTILLI JR. - DENISE IN VIRGINIA - LAERTE PUPO - VALKYRIEN

The ice is melting!

2010-02-25T22:29:00.011+01:00

These pictures were taken at last Sunday's trip to Lake Neusiedl by my hubby's daughter Sonja.
After more than a month with temperatures below the freezing point,
the ice is melting!
Spring is in sight!
It's definitely a spring sky ;)

Vienna atmosphere and some snowfall

2010-02-09T00:17:00.003+01:00

Familiar pictures from wintry Vienna:
St. Stephen's Cathedral, Fiaka horses at the Graben, St. Peter's Cathedral, Julius Meinl's gourmet temple, Hofkonditorei Demel's sweet shop windows with a 7 storeyed cake, Michaelertor and Hofburg, Heldenplatz and a view toward the City Hall, Volksgarden with its famous rosebushes, now protected against the cold by jute sacks and a big old plane-tree, the Meierei with closed doors, waiting for the warmer season to welcome coffee lovers, Empress Sisi's memorial, visited by her loyal fans from Japan (with umbrellas), and a Maroniverkäufer, selling hot sweet chestnuts - the best snack on cold, snowy days!

Today's flowers - Winter Cactus

2010-02-07T11:59:00.006+01:00

In a snowy winter like that it's good to have some winter flowers inside,
and some sunrays outside, from time to time.
I took this picture in my mother's house with its windows having sun all afternoon long.

Schlumbergera is a genus of tree-dwelling cactus from Brazil introduced to Europe by the Kew collector, Allan Cunningham (1791-1839), in about 1816 (Wikipedia).
Thank you, Allan!

Winter in the Vienna Woods

2010-01-26T20:27:00.020+01:00

All pictures are clickable

I spent the last weekend in the countryside 30 miles southwest of Vienna in an old castle which is now used as a seminar hotel.
We had snowfall all day, the English garden with the mighty old plane trees was soon covered under a soft blanket of snow,
and the rocks behind the building with the pine trees and the old ruins on top looked very romantic.

You can see from my smiling face how much I enjoyed the winter atmosphere!

HISTORY:

The castle Hernstein was acquired by the Hapsburg Archduke Rainer in 1830. 25 years later, his son Leopold Ludwig engaged the famous architect Theophil Hansen to remodel it as a hunting lodge in the English gothic style. While the facade was finished only after two years, the interior took 25 years! Hansen designed every detail, the furniture as well as the doorhandles and the silverware.
Many of the ideas he developed in Hernstein, Hansen later used as a model for his famous buildings at Vienna's Ringstraße, e.g. the Parliament or the Stock Exchange Building.

In the Second World War, the roof of the Hernstein castle was destroyed by a bomb, but fortunately the marvellous interior remained intact. Between 1945 and 1955 (when Austria was divided into four zones of occupation by the Allies) Hernstein was the seat of the military commander of the Russian Zone. After Austria's souverenity was restored in 1955, the castle was bought by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, profoundly renovated and since then used as a seminar hotel. In 1976, a hotel in a very functional style was built at the western side of the castle to accommodate the seminar guests.

Please follow the link below for more information and some pictures from the interior of the castle:
Schloss Hernstein

Winter Skies, heavy as lead

2010-01-15T21:44:00.008+01:00

Winter skies, heavy as lead, that's what the sky looks like in Vienna in the past week.
Temperatures here are below freezing, some sun would be welcome to break the heavy cloud cover :)

Seagulls and a dog

2010-01-06T19:21:00.002+01:00

A walk in the snow along Vienna's Donaukanal.
The scenery is dominated by the animals:
Seagulls from Northern regions and a doggy having fierce snowball fights :)

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T12:05:00.007+01:00

Little fuzzy pigs (Mangalica) at a petting zoo

waiting to be caressed

Dream catchers at last year's Christmas market near Karlskirche,

an odd stand with stunning headpieces and other handmade things.

Happy New Year 2010!
Hope you get enough shares of kindness and affection,
that your dreams will come true,
and life will be full of pleasant surprises!

Posing for the perfect X-mas photo!

2009-12-24T18:32:00.006+01:00

Trying hard, then suddenly it's the perfect shot!
We wish everybody a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2010!
I'm looking forward to a New Blogging Year with you!

Sky Watch Friday - Snowy skies

2009-12-17T19:02:00.003+01:00

The first snowfall is always marvellous!

In January we think the December snow was puny,

and in February we curse it!

Today we have the first snow flurries in Vienna!

Just in time for Christmas!

Search the sky all around the world for more snow clouds :)

Haben Sie Wien schon bei Nacht gesehn?

2009-12-13T02:31:00.011+01:00

Wien bei Nacht!
My friend Brigitte and I took some pics in the neighbourhood of the Vienna International Centre.
That's a completely different side of Vienna, isn't it?

Concrete buildings with cool glass facades, and fantastic advertising spaces - what a colourful world!