Wood Garlic Season

Hello!

Spring arrived and does not cease to amaze us.

The pictures were taken today during a walk in the Vienna Woods. 

Brave wood garlic aka ramsons

Oh my, the (spot)light!

We did not harvest any wood garlic, but saw quite a lot down on their knees, harvesting.

 Scenic paths cut through the woods.

 

The Höhenstraße is a popular road

The walking route Stadtwanderweg 3 - Hameau can be found here. The tram line 43 passes vineyards and ends in the woods. 
So pleasant.

Have a good start into the new week,

Paula

Synurbic Skywatch Soundtrack

Good morning!

this week's Skywatch Friday is supplemented by sound. Not any sound, but the beautiful sound of a synanthrope species. What a privilege to wake up to the morning voice of the blackbird.

Please click to listen:

Synanthropes are animals and plants that thrive in the human world. Matt Walker, editor of BBC Nature online refers to them as synurbic.

East, 6am

Dusk? Dawn?

Can you tell the difference?

West, 7pm

The day turned out to be a top Skywatch Friday, with all the clouds finally making way for the looong and desperately awaited sunbeams. The sun makes everyone and everything rejoice, including butterflies.

Butterfly caressing the Natural History Museum Vienna

Happy Easter!

Paula

Hay Perfume

Hello!

I have passed this building in the past countless times. 

This week, for the first time ever, I noticed a strong, unfamiliar scent. Hay? in the first disctrict, right in the city centre?

Hay fragrant effusing from tilted windows

It was at this very spot that I halted and sniffed. Heavenly hay! What a pleasant and unique scent. 

No doubt, there must be large haystacks sitting behind these tilted windows on the ground floor, which absolutely makes sense btw, since the walls house the stables of the Spanish Riding School.

Around the corner you will find this view:

The courtyard of the Spanish Riding School.

Horses can be pretty admirable.

They happened to find me admirable, too.

The big picture

It turned out the horses were not admiring my presence, but waiting for dinner to be served. 

Not much later two employees came and poured grains (?) into those built-in basins inside the stables.  

To the right you can see two "food basins", built in the wall.

Dinner arrived and the horses turned around.

A few minutes later, the whole setting altered. Employees closed the stable fronts and turned off the lights.

Closing time comes early at city centre.

Most traditional shops close around 6pm.

It's summer time in Austria, so we better turn off the lights early, too.

Have a good time,

Paula

Sunny Skywatch

The Gürtel, one of the main roads in Vienna

Last friday I view the streets from a rare perspective, from the front seat in a car. On our way to a nearby city I took advantage of my free hands and pictured the drive.

Let me take you along the route, heading South – a route many commuters take on Fridays.

A construction site in front of a high-rise (high-rise according to Viennese standards)

Along the Triester Straße

Probably my favourite shot. The new facade mirrors a typical buidling (probably early 1960s).

Railtracks crossing car routes

Exzellent shapes, make me think of Robert Venturi

Suburban culture reflects at the Wiener Berg

First time I noticed this building.

A suburban crossing with public transport nearby (the busstop to the right). Maybe you did not notcie, but even the grim street as seen on the first picture comes with a bus stop,  probably the "Vienna Nightline".

Blue is the colour for highways. South! East!

Slowing down, we are not alone

On the A2 heading South

Old fashioned non-SUVs on the road

This feels so good!

Time to watch the clouds

 

Almost there

Ahhh, this was a nice change of pace. Meanwhile we are back to this:

March, behave!

In case you have not heard of Skywatch Friday: The Skywatch community posts sky views from all over the world.

Stay warm!
Paula

Communicating

Hello!

Weekends are always welcome for an afternoon at the museum. The Belvedere museum is located in Vienna's 3rd district, situated in Baroque palaces. The two palaces (Upper & Lower Belvedere) and the garden are listed as a UNSECO World Heritage Site.

Challenging barrier-free exhibition design as seen at the exhibition "Aging Pride"

Not all cafeterias at museums offer vegan dishes. That's why I always bring a snack.

And bottled water. A must.

Exhibit at "Aging Pride" by Brigitte Kowanz

Exhibit at "Aging Pride" by Brigitte Kowanz

The route along the exhibition leads visitors from standard white rooms, film projections rooms and black corners (see above) straight into a Baroque garden room.

Not what I expected. Warm sunlight on a late afternoon, early March

The source of the shadow on the wall

The atmosphere in the hall was just beautiful. I stayed a little longer.

Not every visitor shared the experience.

Time to explore the garden. The unfamiliar location* got me into "exploration-mode".
* Schönbrunn garden is my homebase

More people focussing on their screens. What might be more interesting than this view?

Typical garden bench and best blue sky in ages and unusual plant designs in the background

The design. Hm. Ok. I don't get it.

Great tit solo, accompanied by a lute.

Timeless branches. Some sights never change.

The hazy light reminded me of winter afternoons 20, 30 years ago. Not a lot has chanced.

A crow taking off. The enormous wall in the background called for my attention.

What a wall! Exterior wall of an adjacent building.

Built history. Excellent!

As always, I did not take any pictures with my phone.

My phone receives calls, dials numbers, receives and sends texts.

"Please, this is 2018. Really. Now. Go and get youself a Smartphone ! !"

In case we've met before, you probably know my answer. My rejection is not coquetry. It's an opinion I've built over time, based upon 

# my responsibility I know about the production conditions. Plus the lack of sustainabiliy. My current phone is a keeper.

# the effects The people I see on my way to work, in the street, in shops, at museums etc live under the influence. I love to communicate. Still, I take the liberty to live with a phone, a camera and an outdated agenda.

The agenda is coming to an end.

New edition is in the starting blocks. One word love: Handwriting!

Unfortunately my outdated lifestyle excludes me numerous instant communication channels. This blog is one way to stay in touch with dear family and friends. Wait. A blog? Seriously? I know. It's 2018 ...

OK. Lets end this with this outlook: We still have the call.

Thank you for being patient and staying in touch!
Paula