Riesenradplatz

Ferris Wheel Square The entrance to the Prater amusement park is enlivened by punch stands all winter. The (not so) high fog spreads the light.

All Souls

For All Souls Day Life and Death are Intertwined.

"In spring [not only] a young man's fancy lightly turns to love" 2013-03-21 Welcome to spring! Seen yesterday along one of the arms of the Danube, in the national park.

Hohe Wand - autumn foliage along one of the ridge's "high walls"

More hand-made Christmas ornaments 2011-12-16 Continuing the Advent theme - do you have a star for your tree? This one isn't for the top, just to hang. Enjoy your day!

Just a Lamppost 2011-11-10 and an autumn bush and a crow, in the afternoon sun.. Captured in front of the Votive Church in Vienna, Austria. Many thanks for your comments on the rower. Much appreciated.

St. Marx Cemetery, Vienna. Mozarts (putative) grave A shot from the old cemetery, like the one I showed yesterday in the Dailies gallery. I've kept the light muted here - as I remember it. Sun hidden behind high fog and just about to set. The complete series is in my Vienna gallery http://www.jerrybarton.eu/Landscapes/Vienna/7986304_r9xtwT update: @Dianne: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was poor when he died in 1791. At the time, mass graves (and re-usable coffins with hinged bottoms) were in use in Vienna for poor people. So nobody knows exactly where he was buried. There are no written records. Probably in this cemetery, but not exactly at this location. Vienna has another "Mozart grave" - an honorary one in the Central Cemetery, and many Mozart memorials (including in the imperial palace grounds - the one most photographed by tourists).

All Saints' Day 2011-11-02 On the first of November, Viennese (and Europeans in general) remember the dead, lighting candles on graves. This shot is from the St. Marx cemetery in Vienna's third district. It hasn't been used in about 150 years, and has been damaged several times (wars, vandalism, etc), but people still come to light candles. Not a bad thing to do. Thanks for your comments on yesterday's display of my garden work.

Jugendstil The house built by Otto Wagner - Vienna's premier Jugendstil architect - in 1898 on the Linke Wienzeile street at number 40. The surface is ceramic tiles that can be cleaned easily. Floral patterns are everywhere. [This version cleaned up to deal with wide angle distortion]

Spires 2011-09-12 Looking slightly south of east with the sun behind Vienna's first mosque, dedicated in 1979 with a 32m high minaret. Behind it is the "Danube Tower", with an observation deck and restaurant 152m above ground. Yesterday's shot of stairs didn't meet with much approval (or with some hearty disapproval by a few). Oh well. Another day, another shot.

Vienna by Night 2011-09-07 A sunset shot of the outdoor eating/drinking/dancing area on the "Danube Island", with the hills of the Vienna Woods in the background. The 'lighthouse' was a prop as part of the "Flying Dutchman" production at the Bregenz opera years ago, and now serves just as a landmark. And thanks for the comments and the perseverance yesterday.

Afternoon lilies 2011-08-20 A shot of the pond where yesterday's dragonfly was cruising. This shot is almost SOOC, except I couldn't get my eye to rest on the left-hand lily, so I darkened the right side a bit. I hope you like it. And many thanks for yesterday's comments. The dragonfly did disappear from the dailies for a bit, but it came back.

Shades of Ozymandius 2011-08-17 Not quite so old, of course. This is the "Heidentor", the remains (oft repaired) of a triumph arch with four pillars, commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constantine II in the 4th century a.d. It stands alone in the middle of a field in eastern Austria. Update: Apparently the Emperor Constantine II had several triumph towers built in the provinces to publicize his deeds. This is one of them. What is now a field must have been on the approach to the Roman town/camp of Carnuntum on the Danube, erected by Emperor Augustus in 6 a.d. Part of Carnuntum is now an archaeological park. Thanks for the comments on yesterday's shot. Yes, this family's children all seem to be having a great childhood.

Another Sage 2011-06-13 My wife has several sage plants in our garden. This one is Clary Sage. For this shot I didn't have to get down low - the blossoms were at eye height and a single leaf is larger than my hand.

Belvedere 2011-02-09 The view from the Lower Belveder to the Upper Belveder palais in Vienna at sunset. It *is* still February, so nothing is growing and the gardeners have protected the flower beds for the winter. The Upper palace contains the Klimt/Schiele/etc collection. The Lower palace (which is also behind me) has rotating exhibitions - the Rodin exhibition just closed.

City Hall

Hubertus 2011-01-20 Continuing my series from the Hohe Wand, this stag was resting when he saw me. [behind the fence of the nature park]. The hart is the mascot and symbol of the hunters - but once (late 8th century?) a duke Hubertus was hunting and (according to legend) saw a hart with a glowing cross between its antlers and heard a voice telling him to give up his worldly goods and become a priest, which he did. [n.b. some pp in this shot] And many thanks for the encouraging comments on my two landscape shots - the 'layers' shot was pure serendipity. The wide landscape shot is especially appealing since I've hiked many of those hills and mountains (back when I could).

To the West 2011-01-19 Today's shot is a continuation of the series I shot on Monday. Yesterday's post was to the south - foothills covered in fog. To the west, the land rises and becomes alpine. The large snow covered mountain is the eponymous Schneeberg, 2076m. It is extremely unusual to see this area without snow in January. It had already received a good meter of snow at least, and it all melted in the last two weeks (and is scheduled to be covered with snow again by this weekend). P.S. I'm standing on the Hohe Wand, at approx 1000m.

Icy Lavender 2010-12-6 Another icy shot from our garden. This one of a lavender plant. My wife has gone out every day to brush the snow off it - now the ice has encased it. Many thanks for the comments yesterday. I have no idea how that plant spreads its pollen - perhaps only in early spring when it is just finishing blooming.

Ringstrasse Museums 2010-08-01: Here a very 'touristy' view of downtown Vienna - but from a different perspective. The Ring itself is not visible - no reason to show all those cars. What you see are the Art History Museum (left) and the Natural History Museum (right), the modern art and smaller museums (back) and the statue of Empress Maria Theresa in the middle. [and unfortunately, in the far back one of Vienna's anti-aircraft towers built in the 1940s and too massive to destroy easily]. I visited a friend whose office is on the top floor of the Imperial Palace (Hofburg), crawled out through a window onto the roof and took this picture. Very similar to the museum roofs in the picture - not a place for people like me with vertigo. Many many thanks for the amazing comments on my castle ruin picture yesterday - who would have thought - first page on SM Popular!

Main Street, Grub The small village of Grub on Austria's eastern border produces some very fine wines - and that for the last 3000 years. The population is about 300. It lies next to the similar town of Stillfried, where the Prehistory Museum is located.

Drösing An Austrian town on the March/Morava River, with Canola growing on the rise above the town. The town has about 550 households with a population of roughly 1,200, it was founded in 1293. The hills in the background are Slovakian. About 35,000 hectare are planted with Canola in Austria, mainly for bio-diesel and for food oil.

Nest building White storks building (or renovating) their nest high in the trees near the March (Morava) River in Austria near the Slovakian border.

Purple Egret above the reeds Lake Neusiedl, Burgenland

Spring vinyards when the vines have sap and are just beginning to grow. Here in the region of Neusiedl Lake.

Easter Egg

Easter Egg

Icon St. Stephen's Cathedral at night - still, after six centuries, visible for miles above the inner city.

The Tower of St. Stephen's Cathedral With the setting sun and the rising moon The top has been restored recently. It was built in the early 1400s, finished 1433, 134m high with eleven bells.

Fiaker horse carriage with Lippizans (my wife informs me that these are just white horses, not Lippizans)

Tarpon Bay Sanibel Island Taken from a boat heading back to dock at the end of the 'sunset nature tour'

Shall we dance? White Ibis on an oyster bar in Tarpon Bay, Sanibel Island, Florida

Stump Pass Park Englewood, FL Heavy clouds from Tropical Storm Ida gave an interesting light

Bromiliad Flower Tillandsia Cyanea Selby Botanical Garden

Giant Red Spider Lily This is part of the flower cluster on a stalk about eye height.

Flames Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise) Selby Botanical Garden

Monarch Buttery feeding on a Firespike plant Sarasota, Florida

St. Peter's Church 1st district - built 1701 by Lukas von Hildebrand Very barock

Reflections of Saint Stephen's Cathedral Haas House

Deo Optimo Maximo

Maria am Gestade Gothic tower from the 14th century Traditional church of the boatmen on the Danube

Up and Away Paragliding in Salzkammergut Looking north from Krippenstein

Relaxing Salzkammergut Austria

Alpine Stroll Saturday on the Hühnerkogel, Hallstadt Lederhosen and Gamsbart

Prater Ghost Ride The GeisterBahn zum Roten Adler has been around since about 1950.

Prater Ringelspiel With two other 'high flying' modern attractions in the background

Prater Toboggan The only remaining wooden slide worldwide Original from 1913, rebuilt 1947, closed 2000, opened again 2009

Pony Caroussel Since the 18th century, ponies have pulled the caroussel to the tunes played on the punch cards. Prater, Vienna