Egon Schiele lived next doorThis is the image that greeted me,
as soon as I turned the corner
to walk to the streetcar stop
at lunchtime.
The morning had started out rainy
and dark, as if we already were in deepest November.
The Haas HouseStanding diagonally across from St. Stephan's Cathedral,
its modern glass front mirrors the ancient cathedral
in a myriad different ways.
The underground station "Stephansplatz"
is located under the building.
Emerging from that station,
you exit right in front of St. Stephan's main gate,
a truly impressive sight.
Vienna seems to have a fable for stunning views
from their underground stations:
One of the Karlsplatz exits, for example,
carries you, from the deep bowels of the station,
right up to the beautiful opera building.
Sexton's Lodge at St. Stephan's CathedralI love that little lodge house,
next to the southeastern entrance to the cathedral.
Access to the stairs that leed up to the steeple,
is through the small door to the left.
Yesterday, the sun was illuminating the red geraniums,
it looked as if they glowing from the inside.
Looking UpThe tiled roof got heavily damaged
during the last days of World War II.
Can you believe that it took
almost a quarter of a million glazed tiles
to cover the roof?
Courtyard of the Haas & Haas TeahouseStephansplatz 4
Did you notice
the blue flower vases?
Coffee for Three at Demel'sAt the coffee bar:
Espresso macchiato, a Melange
and a Hauskaffee
All's well,
that ends well. :-)
Square next to theOpera House
And back home with the underground!
Yes, I can see a few wisps of cumulus intruding on that blue sky. We have wall-to-wall stratocumulus with a chilly nor'easterly here!
ReplyDeleteI love all these beautiful views.
ReplyDeletePaz
Vienna is a fabulously beautiful city. Someday, I hope to visit ... some of my dearest friends are there visiting this week! Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a wonderful day. A reminder that even though winter is coming, spring and summer will follow.
ReplyDeleteMAALIE:
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how fast clouds disappear here in Vienna. Dark and grey and pouring rain til 10 am and all of a sudden there are holes in the cloud cover, you spot a piece of blue sky and then another one and, while you still revel in the first rays of the sun, most of the clouds have been chased away by some magic wind.
I hope this happens with yours, too!
Thank you, PAZ! :-)
BECCA:
May your visit to Vienna come soon! I hope your friends are having a good time.
HEXE:
I simply refuse to even think about winter. ;-)
I love all the images. I can't help but wonder. In every shot, you present a city that is really clean. Is there any grafitti or trash?
ReplyDeleteMerisi, how beautiful! You live in such a wonderful place!
ReplyDeleteI found a site that shows a good selection of Maori jewellery here
There are probably four or five main types - the twist, koru, fish-hook, whale-tail and also those which depict local mythical creatures (of which there are several!)
If you go to the trouble of enlarging the pictures you will notice many of the etchings on the bone are designs which also include the koru!
If you are truly interested I would be happy to purchase and send you something (they are a little cheaper if you're not a tourist and know where to look!)
If you are keen, Plumpy's email is on his profile, and I'm sure he will pass the message on! ;-)
PS - The designs are also common not just in bone, but pounamu (also called jade or greenstone) and occasionally shell.
ReplyDeletec'est moi:
ReplyDeleteI may try to photograph some graffiti, but there's really not much around.
Vienna is in fact very clean, the streets get swept and even washed regularly. One of my favorite sights here in Vienna are the cleaning crews literally sweeping in as soon as a big event is over, removing any trace thousands of people watching and eating and drinking may have left. Passing by an hour after a large event, you'd not guess that it ever happened.
Walking through the city in the early morning hours, you encounter all kinds of cleaning and sweeping going on. Some of those images I captured recently under the heading "Blue", window washers, street sweepers and so on.
I am always in awe when I witniess these rituals, which take place before most visitors have finished their breakfast. Even the private businesses sweep in front of their shops.
Ju's little sister:
ReplyDeleteWelcome! So nice seeing you over here. :-)
Thank you for the information about Maori jewellery, I will get in touch with you. :-)
Oh I have been poking about your blog for a while merisi ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have a very long list of blogs in my bookmarks folder and I try to look at them all every day. Making comments takes a little more time - especially when I have to type for plumpy too!!
JU'S LITTLE SISTER:
ReplyDeleteI am glad you commented, so I know you are visiting. :-)
It's the same for me, I try to visit and comment on my favorite blogs regularly, but sometimes I do not even manage to answer the comments on my own blog, which I really love to do. Blogging must remain a much beloved hobby.
They were still working on St. Stephen's when Steph and I were there two years ago. It looks lovely now! I can't wait to see it all clean and sparkling again!
ReplyDelete