Let them eat cake…

5 Euros may be a bit pricy for one little cake…but have a look at these mouthwatering delights! They are made by a deli called Dallmayr and they taste even better than they look. Your taste buds send little sparks through your body as the divine chocolate melts in your mouth.

Dancing light

Sporadic rays of light dance across the interior of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. The colours are generated by the early evening sun shining through Alfons Mucha’s stained glass windows.

U-Bahnhof Westfriedhof, Auer+Weber

These giant lamps were designed by Ingo Maurer. They really have extremely creative lighting concepts. Have a look at their website: http://www.ingo-maurer.com/

Free theater!

Ever wondered why Europeans are so cultured? Well, this is the outside of the National Opera in Vienna. They are projecting Mozart’s Magic Flute live on the building façade, complete with sound. So…if you cannot afford theater tickets you can simply watch the show from the courtyard for free. Crowds are gathered around the façade either seated or standing around casually.

If you want an authentic inside experience instead, you can buy standing tickets for the top balcony for only 3 €. Let’s skip coffee tonight and rather go to the opera. What do you think?

Graffiti art

I’ve always admired good graffiti. Even though it is vandalism 99% of the time, they get really creative.

This is a street performer painting incredibly vivid images with spray paint. He uses a piece of paper to manipulate the wet paint into multi-coloured waves.

What happened to summer?

Believe it or not, this field of poppies bloomed on a small empty building site in the middle of the city.

Squirrel café

Ok, that’s not its real name. I renamed Prince Coffee Club in Vienna due to their incredibly cute squirrel logo. It’s just a chic little place to relax on a couch with a cup of coffee. Highly recommendable for tired legs or eager people watchers.

Isolated

This little church rests snugly in the shadow of its neighbor, the Zugspitze. At an altitude of 2962m the Zugspitze is the highest point in Germany.

Pavilion 21 mini opera space, Coop Himmelb(l)au

During summer I stumbled upon this unique pavilion temporarily occupying a tiny square behind the state opera. It is an extraordinary sight. I immediately found out what is showing and discovered a free singing performance on a Tuesday morning. All eager and excited we arrived a little early, standing outside with our takeaway Cappuccinos and acting very European.

We thought it strange when only about a dozen more people showed up. Once inside, a single piano and a very animated musician greeted us. He handed out some music sheets with the notes and Italian lyrics of Verdi’s Coro di Schiavi Ebrei. It turns out this was not a performance at all but rather a music lesson. All conducted in German off course. We smiled at each other, tried our best notes and after 30 minutes snuck out and had a good laugh over coffee and croissants.

Craftsman

The colours seem to work so well together in this picture. There’s something honest about his hands and the tenderness with which he shapes the clay.

First snow

Eyes sparkle at the first magical sight of winter forests. It feels like discovering the forest of Narnia with Lucy walking through the cupboard door. You are surrounded by snowy landscapes with scents of autumn clinging to the last bit of life.

Digital art

At Swarovski Crystal World in Innsbruck, digital motion is projected onto a crystal embedded screen generating an unbelievable glamorous effect!