Merry Christmas!

Viennese fairy-tale

The Christkindlmarkt in front of the Viennese City-Hall.

white lace, black velvet

Votivkirche, Vienna.

Grinch and the Christkindlmarkt

 Yesterday I took the Grinch to the Christmas Market in front of the Viennese City-hall. I tried to offer the Grinch some Punsch or Glühwein, some Langos or some sweets. No way! Slightly annoyed, the Grinch complained about the high prices, but also about the fact that some of the huts are offering the same products like last year. The wind was also on the list, as well as the cold.

 It was only the snow that saved the day from the Grinch, and the Grinch from himself. With a sigh he admitted that the Advent is a beautiful season.

Advent, Advent

Bright lights, delightful smells, nice music, children, laughter. We also had snow, but a warm storm melted it away in just few hours. 

 Most wanted? Punsch and Glühwein, of course! Second place come the Maroni - roasted chestnuts.

The shopping rush? The stress (madness?) before Christmas? Not with us, thank you.

Camera Critters and some snow

 When I took these first two pictures it was already cold enough as to be terribly surprised when this mosquito landed on my left boot. Took a pictures of it just so the people will believe me that I saw a mosquito at this time (and temperature)!

 Yesterday it snowed like in a fairytale and we were already happy for the prospects of visiting the local Advent market in snow & all. Well, till evening a warm storm came and melted almost all of this beautiful snow. The wind blew the whole night - making weird noises and all. Now I see we are going to have a sunny Sunday. So much for a white winter!

Happy Camera Critters day ;)!
ps: and since the discussion on the CC site was about Christmas carols, here is a Romanian classic. Enjoy!
Stefan Hrusca - Colinde de Craciun - Deschide usa, crestine
 
 Asculta  mai multe  audio   diverse

cool Caribbean feeling

And when I say cool, I mean cool - as in freezing, actually! The photo is taken at Mole West, by the Neusiedler lake, in Austria and the title is inspired by the juniors who started laughing when they saw this image. At a first glance it could trick you with the summer feeling, but no, no more warm weather here.
Happy sky watching!

ice pearls

Watery Wednesday.

frozen garden

Today's flowers meme here.

alien beauty

blending in

Camera Critters.

bookworm?

What are you talking about? The bookworm I ate long ago. Now there is only a bookpidgeon!

Iasi, randomly

... through the lens of my deputy photographer.

And an indiscreet photo of bathing time, for Watery Wednesday.

conference city Iasi

Recently I attended a conference in Iasi, Romania. I've never been there before, but now I am already planning my return. Thumbs up for the University and the organizers of the conference: it was so rewarding, academically, but also from the point of view of the people met there. Simply great!
One downside could be that I didn't see much from the city. But hey, this is why we are two, so he can go around taking photos while she is playing the intellectual :))...
Nevertheless, I managed to take few pictures, at night, from the hotel window.

That's my world.

in wonder

Watery Wednesday at Lake Neusiedler.

Transalpina, Romania: my (friend's) world

I am not going to complain again that I miss (one of my) home(s). Because, if I am to accept the fact that I'm a traveler, I also have to accept that I cannot be in two places at once. Anyways, while talking to my friend Ramona on Sunday evening (that is until 1 AM in the morning, you know, girls talk...) I was also checking some photos from her last trip that she uploaded on facebook. No need to say that I was so impressed that I asked for one to publish here. And here it is: on Transalpina road, in Romania. Her world, my world. Enjoy!

yesterday's flowers

No clue what i was searching on my hard disk, when I bumped into these photos from last summer. Too vibrant not to show, especially since I'm in such a "garden mood" lately :).

Today's Flowers are actually in this case "yesterday's flowers" - but equally beautiful.

crocodile?

A prehistoric animal trapped in mud. Or maybe just Earth got some more wrinkles. Or simply some children played. Who knows?

The weekend in b&w.

yellow autumn

When I went to the backyard today I was amazed to see that all the leaves were down. Must have been the wind from the previous days. Nevertheless, I was inspired enough as to take a picture at the beginning of the week.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

home

The sunrise from home. One of them - the homes, I mean. I am still pendulating between two worlds, but I like it. I am a traveler, after all.
Happy weekend & happy sky watching!

some like it... red

evening calm

Simply sky watching.

duck in the sun

The last warm sunsets. Relax, enjoy, store the light and the warmth for the coming winter. Oh, yeah, and enjoy it with friends: it's much much better!
Watery Wednesday.

Pumpkin on a Hot Tin... Pan

Ask not what your Pumpkin can do for you, ask what you can do for your pumpkin! 

And so we did: sugar, a bit of butter and quick in the oven! Some time later, the wonder!
So good tastes our world this autumn Tuesday :)!

autumn

My World.

an apple a day

I am travelling to Canada. Well, not really, only by reading. But this is where I am right now, fighting battles with stubborn stumps and tracing female identities in a man's world. In few words: I'm studying hard. Too less time to post some things here, but I'll be back. In the meantime, anyways, I has a day when we actually managed to pick all the apples.

Sky watch from the apple tree.

Liebe

There is no need for words. One touch would do the magic trick of meaning more than days and days of conversation. Small gestures, not big phrases, this is what we all need.
My World.

centuries of beer

Making München a better place. Since 1589.
Skywatching @ Oktoberfest.

food, glorious food [1]

I kept wondering how these tiny ladies could carry not only countless Maß-es (pardon the English plural :) ) of beer, but could also carry enormous trays full with food. As some people train one month before Oktoberfest in drinking beer, maybe the ladies go to gym in an attempt to build up muscles for this difficult endeavour. Well done,  ladies!

heavily drunk

This translator must have had a great time, drinking more than one Maß of beer, before sharing this phrase with the world.

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit...

My world after Oktoberfest: no more beer, or meat, or shoes for the next ten days, thank you :))!

emotion/ in motion

I am like a snail, carrying my house everywhere. I move backwards and forwards, but for the time being confusion seems to be my homeland. I am not settled, all of a sudden, although I thought I was. But maybe it's just adjusting, and all I need to do is allowing myself to move at the rhythm of the nature, banning all conscious choices.   

Show your world.

simply red

For Today's Flowers.

the big blue

Blue. Water. Sky.

Just pick a place and start enjoying. It doesn't have to be a beach. it can be, for example, like here: from the small cave turned into a church follow the underground passage and than prepare to wow: the sea has just opened up in front of your eyes. Oh, well, too bad thou that some other people discovered this place before you. Solitude, good-bye! Chitchat, be welcomed!

Watery Wednesday.

out in the open

Life without keys, with doors opened wide, not being bothered by the hungry look of the strangers, who peek inside, hoping to get a glimpse - at least! - of the authentic culture. Pots of flowers at every step, a chair and a table in front of every door - in case a neighbour comes by, to chat.

A life where all the dirty laundry are (literally) washed in public  would be unbearable for us.

We'd call this lack of privacy. They call this living in harmony.

As seen in Crete, for Today's Flowers.

week-end-run-away

So, have you decided where you run away for the weekend? Have you found you corner table, where you can sip a lemonade? Your little cozy place for sharing the latest news with your friends. Or simply a place from where you can just stare at the people and gossip about them (oh, the guilty pleasures of poisonous words!). So, have you? Than, enjoy it!
Have a great weekend, everyone!

sky watchers

"Oh, so you want to take a picture of us for Sky Watch friday?"
"Oh, no, of me not! I am not very photogenic!"
"Ooooh, that's awsome! We are going to be famous!"
"Don't mind her, she's dreaming of becoming a movie star ever since another guy took a picture of her last summer... Well, but pardon me for asking, what is Sky Watch Friday?"
"Do you always have to be so?"
"So like what?!"
"Like asking stupid questions!"
"What?! What did I ask? I just want to know!"
"And if you know, it's in vain in any case! It's not like we have a computer here or something..."
"Oh, man!"
"EXACTLY!"

Sky Watch Friday. In Crete.