Sunday 19 December 2010

Pieter Bruegel Revisited - Schönbrunn

I probably shoo away prospective readers because I write postings that are beyond the average attention-span of 96 sec/blog.
Hm. Since you are far from being average, I dare posting another long posting. hehe.

Beate from Sunday in Bed commented how she likes to stroll around Vienna via this blog.
Beate, diesmal kannst du dich tief unter deine Decke kuscheln, denn es wird kalt!

Today I take you to the most visited tourist attraction in Austria and one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world: Schönbrunn. Schönbrunn is a Palace, a park and a fountain.

Me, faking a fir tree

Not an installation by Christo but simple mantles which protect the statues from the cold.

We don't support joggers...

... but rather take our time and reflect on the cold while watching ducks.

The Chinese group kind of scared us. They took pictures of us, especially from the kids:

... but on the other hand: we took pictures of them, too!
The waving lady was singing, she actually had a great voice.
Can you see the red spots in the back? The whole group was wearing those red scarfs with stichery "Christmas Vienna"

Ok, so there I am, at the major tourist spot in Vienna, taking pictures.

It is very very rare to see the whole ground covered with snow, for days.


*** I guess this is the moment, the average attention spam is over ***

On our way home we pass the Palmenhaus, a magnificicent glasshouse:

This was the moment I was on cloud nine. I loved the sight so much. Sun, snow, family and Schönbrunn. All I need!

Can you see the sparkles in the snow:
The circles in the snow mark the pattern of the flowerbeds!

Why visit Paris, if you can have all the old laterns, imperial parks and everything else for half the price? (Vienna is said to offer the cheapest hotel fares, compared to other European capitals).
:-)

Time to leave the park and prepare the Kaffeejause for our relatives who came for a visit.

I am happy to
a) own a car
b) own a driving licence
c) have the courage to drive through the snow

Thanks to a), b) + c), I managed to bring along punch, cookies and a Bûche de Noel! I arrived safely at my sisters place, not without speeding up on the way. Speeding up feels good. Pushing down the gas pedal. I know, I should not be pleased. But it is a pleasant sensation after all!

The classic soft-focus imitation ...

... this picture was taken a bit too soon after returning from the cold with the lens still foggy.
My younger niece "ordered" the cake for Christmas Eve. Her wish is my command. ;-)

Later, clear sight, soooo comfy

No, this liquid in the front to the left aint a bath additive but punch-essence!

Now I am going to finish the final Christmas project:

Christmas envelopes ...

... to enclose Christmas cards

The motifs on the envelopes are clear stamps, I either fluff the motif with a powder that melts as soon as it gets hot (pink device to the left is made for that use) or I simply stamp them with black ink. Plain black japanese ink, nice!

I don't expect to post a lot until Dec.27 since I will busy and offline. I'll see. Thank you for staying in touch !

7 comments:

  1. Paula, you are quite a talented woman, in my eyes.

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  2. I have never seen mantels on statues, once they are revealed! You really managed to experience a lot in one day!

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  3. Liebe Paula,
    Bûche de Noel hätte ich jetzt auch gerne, kenne ich noch nicht vom Geschmack her, weiß nur, dass es mit Maronenmus gemacht wird!!! Aber da bleibt mir natürlich der *Schnabel* trocken, währenddessen ich wieder ein Stückchen durch Wien migeschlendert bin...!
    Das Palmenhaus gefällt mir übrigens auch sehr gut...schönes Gebäude.
    Der Schneefall ist bei uns auch preisverdächtig.So viel Schnee, dass die Flughäfen und der Lieferverkehr dauerhaft Probleme haben, gab es so schon lange nicht mehr!
    Warme Grüße, Beate :)

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  4. Lisa, thank you for seeing me that way!

    metscan, maybe the statues are covered with so much snow in Finland during winter, the mantels are hidden under the snow ;-)
    I am glad a experience a lot during the weekend, because the days at the office can be monotonous.

    Beate, ich bin mir sicher, dass dir der Kuchen auch gelingen würde! Wenn du das Rezept möchtest, kann ich es dir mailen, du kannst mir deine Mailadresse an meine Email schicken: ratherthanfacebook@gmx.at
    Stell dir vor, wir habe sogar mehrere Palmenhäuser in Wien! :-)

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  5. Oh, loving the shots of RED against the snow!

    The cake looks amazing; I can see why your niece "ordered it" up for your next dessert-fest.

    I think to satisfy the 90-second blog types you should split your posts in two and send me half to post. I am fried, died, and laid to the side right now and you are brimming with creativity!

    Thanks for that...I am so enjoying your narratives.

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  6. I am with Beate Paula, I love travelling around with bloggers and you take such wonderful pictures!! Keep doing what you do so well :)

    Jeanne xxx

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  7. Vix, the dessert-fests turned into a major a hazard to my jeans-size!

    Jeanne, thank you for joining the 'tour'. I actually started taking all those tourist-view-photos after beginning to blog. Mr Paula and I arrived in the south of Austria today, close to the Italien border, pictures are guaranteed. I took the handy small camera with me so there will be no excuse!

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