Odds and Ends – Prague and Vienna
“Odds and Ends” is a good description for the last of my photos from Prague and Vienna. Wait, what’s that noise? It sounds like applause and cheering. Hmmm. Nonetheless, here are a few odds and ends shots that I like that I didn’t feel the need for specific blog posts. That, plus it’s time to move on to other subjects.
The Dancing House – Prague
The Nationale-Nederlanden building was designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. It is more commonly called the “Dancing House” as the two parts of the building appear to be swaying or dancing together. It is also nicknamed “Ginger and Fred” after the famous dancing duo, Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
The full view shot really shows how this dynamic building got its nickname. The cloudy sky and rainy conditions were an added bonus.
A close-up view of the building emphasizes its amazing lines and patterns.
Getting a real close view of columns creates an architectural abstract of the Dancer’s Legs.
Vienna Landmarks
The Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper) is central landmark in Vienna. The elevated plaza of the Albertina Museum gives a view of the building and street activity. The great light created a nice mixture of light and shadows.
Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898) is a big deal in Vienna. Typically, she’s referred to by her childhood nickname, “Sisi”. Often it is “our beloved Sisi”. In Vienna you saw many references to her either in monuments, historical locations, or even in many business establishments. For example, we stayed in the Hotel Kaiserin Elisabeth (a very nice hotel BTW). All of the souvenir shops have pictures of her and Sisi-themed trinkets. The photo below is of a monument to her in the Volksgarten (People’s Garden) park.
The Old Jewish Cemetery
The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague Jewish Town is a must-see site. For someone like me that loves old cemeteries, this cemetery is special. The oldest tombstone is from 1439 and burials continued for almost another 350 years.
What’s so unusual about this cemetery is the number of graves in such a small area. Despite it being only about 2.5 acres in size there are around 100,000 bodies interred there. As a result, the burials go to 12 layers deep in some parts and the tombstones are densely packed together. Many trees grow among the tombstones and the dappled light creates a serene, peaceful mood.
The Salzburg Area
One day we took a side trip to Salzburg, Austria. Think the movie “The Sound of Music” and Mozart area. Our walking tour was all about the movie and Mozart. Everything was, “here is where this scene was filmed” or “here is where Mozart did _____”. Because of this I wouldn’t recommend an organized tour unless you are a really big fan of Mozart and “The Sound of Music”. We did get a glimpse of some interesting things but didn’t really have much opportunity to explore them. My recommendation is to skip the tour and go explore on your own.
Despite all of the above, I found a few odds and ends shots I liked. The clouds over the Austrian Alps and Mondsee (Moon Lake) made for a nice 3-shot panorama.
The pedestrian bridge over the Salzach river provided a quick shot opportunity of a beautiful scene.
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