This was my first time in Austria, and Vienna was not disappointing. I wish we had planned to stay longer… But there was enough time to go the Opera, visit the gorgeous Belvedere complex (palaces/museum), the excellent Albertina Museum, the Hofburg Imperial Palace, St. Stephen’s cathedral, the MuseumsQuartier, and walk around the vibrant pedestrian streets, with stops for coffee and delicious cakes, apple strudel, and the famous Sacher torte.
Category Archives: Culture
Traveling Through Bavaria
On our recent trip to Germany, we dedicated a couple of days to explore Bavaria, along the so-called “Romantic Road,” which is neither romantic nor a real road. 🙂 It is a “theme route” devised by travel agents in the 1950s to boost tourism in the area. It consists of 350 kilometres of highway between Würzburg and Füssen in southern Germany, specifically in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, linking a number of picturesque towns and castles, including the ones in this album. Among other things, we visited Burg Harbug, a medieval castle in Harburg; Rothenburg, a beautifully preserved medieval town; and the famous Neuschwanstein castle, built by King Ludwig II, also known as “The Swan King”, “The Fairy Tale King,” or “Mad King Ludwig.” Beloved by Bavarians till this day, Ludwig II was a nature lover and a patron of the arts. He liked to build lavish castles, became a recluse for years, and was eventually declared mentally ill and unfit to rule. He had a tragic death before seeing all his castles finished. I am a bit intrigued by Ludwig’s story and plan to learn more about his life. 🙂
Munich: Beautiful and Fun
I’m finally going over the pictures from our trip to Germany and Austria earlier this month. Starting with Munich, a city I enjoyed very much for its natural beauty, for its museums, monuments, and palaces, and for the fun and folkloric beer culture. I’m not much of a beer drinker but admit I loved the draft beer in Munich.
Vienna
A Rose for Lilly
Walt Disney Concert Hall architect, Frank Gehry, designed this rose-shaped fountain made of Delft porcelain to be placed in the garden dedicated to the building’s patron, Lily Disney.


Weekly Photo Challenge: Dance
For Weekly Photo challenge: Dance, a Mexican indigenous dance, performed on a street of the old historic district in Downtown Los Angeles.
So Serious
Image

Weekly Photo Challenge: Life Imitates Art
Art often imitates life. But sometimes Life Imitates Art. That’s what this week’s photo challenge invites us to do.

Inspired by the iconic “Christ The Redeemer” statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dog and sculpture of panther, Siena, Italy.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Trio
My entries for this week’s Photo Challenge,Trio.

Watching the sunset in Santa Monica, CA.

From a *real* Trio. Grammy Museum, Los Angeles, CA.

Somebody’s front yard. Venice Beach, CA.
Peace
Stay Strong, Paris

Peace Monument, at Champs de Mars, Paris. Eiffel Tower in the background.


