Pumpkin Patch Perfection

Austrian countryside, between Retz and Vienna.  Austrian tidiness is remarkable throughout its society and perfection in agricultural areas is no exception.  It has long seemed that weeds would not dare to disrupt the orderly patterns of an Austrian field.  Aligned in neat rows without a sign of the vines that produced them, pumpkin harvests offer yet another expression of Austrian orderliness.

Where Wine Flows Freely From the Fountains

Retz, Austria.  Free wine flowing from the main square fountains—your choice: red wine in the fountain closest to the tower, white in the fountain next to it. A recipe for a successful event if ever there was one, enticing us to drive an hour north of Vienna to see for ourselves.  The village of Retz, known for its many kilometers of underground wine cellars stretching into the Czech Republic, its wine production, its working windmill, and its annual Weinlesefest, now in its 58th year, sure knows how to throw a party.

Fountain One, soon to flow with white wine:

The red wine fountain:

The Wine Queen gets the first taste...

...As the photographers and TV stations crowd around to snap away at her and her court.

Then it was everyone's turn.  Most had wine glasses to fill...

But some had plastic cups...

And even paper coffee-to-go-cups...

The whine verdict was that the white was tastier than the red.

Contrasting Windows

Vienna.  Walking down Naglergasse in the First District, I can't help but notice these lovely old windows...

...stand directly above these lovely new windows:

Party in the Hof

Vienna.  Many of Vienna's older housing structures (and palaces) are organized around one or more central hofs, or courtyards, giving an opportunity for sunlight to enter through windows around the house.  It looks like someone is getting ready for—or just had—a party.

Salt Marsh Reflections

Near Neusiedlersee, Austria.  A steppe lake that shows evidence of having completely dried at least 100 times, Neusiedlersee near Vienna is largely surrounded by reeds and is a popular destination of migrating birds. This area was quiet in terms of birds when we were there but we did see a Great Heron at a distance.  It would have been a wonderful place to have a quiet canoe ride around the reeds.  The differences in water color are due to the different directions I was facing.

Striped Bug on Star-Shaped Seed Pods

Near Neusiedlersee, Austria.  This striped bug clinging to the dried seed pod may be Graphosoma creticum except that they are supposed to live in Crete, not here in Austria.  Global warming or late summer vacation?

Hofburg Window and Crest

Vienna.  Views from the ground of the last palace of the Austro-Hungarian emperors.