Happy New Year

I spent New Year’s Eve in the very pleasant company of @blueyedbarb. At midnight we were on Heldenplatz watching the fireworks (and, incidentally, having our ears blown out. God, that was loud!)
I promised to post a few impressions. Here they are.
The fairytale castle in the background is the Rathaus (council house, or city hall).
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As usual, all images are available under a Creative Commons License.
Oh, and whoever you are, you are very welcome to leave a comment.

Summer in Vienna, part four

Today, I tried to find a few locations to see Vienna from above. The city is not known for its many skyscrapers. There are a few elevated places, however.
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Millennium Tower on Wikipedia
The Donauturm on Wikipedia

Of course, a blog post like this could never be complete without a few pictures of the Riesenrad.

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As usual, all images are available under a Creative Commons License

My Trip to Berlin

I spent the days between Christmas and the New Year in Berlin. The weather was horrible, so I stayed indoors most of the time. That gave me ample opportunity to play with the new camera I got for Christmas in an environment with which I’m as yet totally unfamiliar.

U-Bahnhof Wittenbergplatz
Who would have thought London Transport would have a station in Berlin.
Haus des Lehrers
Haus des Lehrers (Teacher’s House) in Berlin, Alexanderplatz. A good example of GDR post-war architecture, the house was built as a replacement for the earlier Lehrervereinshaus.


Hello, Mr Crab.
Can you see it?
Are you watching me?
Just because I look like a leaf doesn’t mean I have no feelings!

License

Vienna by Night, part two

Vienna Opera House (Detail)
Vienna Opera House (Detail)
Albertinaplatz
Albertinaplatz
Hofburg/Josefsplatz
Hofburg/Josefsplatz
The Michaelertor is the "backdoor" of the Hofburg, the former residence of the emperor.
The Michaelertor is the “backdoor” of the Hofburg, the former residence of the emperor.
The Michaelertor is accompanied by two fountains. This is the one nearer Augustinerstraße.
The Michaelertor is accompanied by two fountains. This is the one nearer Augustinerstraße.
The Looshaus, constructed in 1909 by architect Adolf Loos, is one of the beacons of the Wiener Moderne, or Viennese Modern Age.
The Looshaus, constructed in 1909 by architect Adolf Loos, is one of the beacons of the Wiener Moderne, or Viennese Modern Age.

License

Vienna by night, part one

Now that it is getting dark earlier and earlier, I figured I could shoot a few pictures of Vienna by night. I plan to do a few more of these sessions, especially because I love this light and the wonderful contrasts. And it’s an additional benefit that, with an exposure of several seconds, you cannot see people walking through the picture.

Zanoni
Zanoni – Arguably Vienna’s second best ice cream parlour. Open all year, and they do really speak Italian.
Lugeck
Lugeck. The statue is Emperor Friedrich III, the one who still baffles the nation with his unexplained acronym AEIOU.
Jesuit Church
The two towers of the Jesuit Church from behind. If I’ve got it right, the bright star in between is the planet Jupiter.
Old University
The same church, front view. It
Schönlaterngasse
Schönlaterngasse, where they had a basilisk in 1212.
Haas-Haus
In my opinion, the Haas-Haus, facing Stephansdom, is grossly underappreciated. This picture shows the Haas-Haus from a rather unusual angle.
Ankeruhr
The Ankeruhr has its name from the insurance company (Anker, now Helvetica) whose building it belongs to. Every hour it shows a different historical character. The person shown is Johann Andreas von Liebenberg. He was mayor of Vienna and died during the 1683 Battle of Vienna. By the way, it’s 8:38.