The Bronze Statues of Bratislava, Slovakia

From Vienna we made a day’s trip to Bratislava, Slovakia. When I think of Bratislava, it is the funny bronze statues that come to my mind. As we walked through the cobbled streets of Old Town of Bratislava, we were pleasantly surprised to see statues in various poses popping out at the turns of the streets. It was fun spotting the statues and posing with them.

These statues are recent installations, act as reminders to tourists of people of past. The four famous statues are “Cumil", "Paparazzi", "Napoleon's Soldier", and "Schone Naci."

The first statue we spotted was that of Napoleon’s soldier, very easy. He was leaning over a bench in the old town square. It is a reminder of Napoleon's visits to Bratislava in 1805 and 1809.


Schone Naci was designed after a crazy old man from Bratislava. He was a real man living in town in the beginning of the 20th century. The legend associated is, he was in love with a woman but the feelings were not reciprocated. Dejected he got a little bit weird. He was often seen giving flowers to women he met in the streets. You'll find him in the Sedlárska ulica.


I couldn’t find any story of the Paparazzi put up there.


Cumil is the funniest and most famous. You can find him at Panska Street. Only the upper part f his body is visible, it is joked that he is a sewer cleaner who is escaping his duty to look up women's skirts. Unfortunately this one statue is the most damaged one. Speeding cars have hit him twice and now there is a road sign warning the drivers.


If you are ever there, try spotting them. Good luck finding them.

Our World Tuesday

Golden Parade Tulip

Bright yellow in color, the Golden Parade Tulip, can uplift every gloomy mood. Bold ones, with long stalks they stood out distinctly in the colorful crowds of Tulips. Each tulip looked like giant goblet to me. These shots were taken in Mirabell Garden, Salzburg, Austria.

Yellow tulips signify cheerfulness. Tulips are in general associated with spring and new life, so they make the best gift to symbolize affection and care to those recovering from illness.



Today's Flowers

Faces of India - 32

A security guard by profession.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country. See more here.

Diwali Fire Crackers

Diwali is celebrated in different ways, for different reasons by people of India. However one thing that is common and holds the interest of young and old alike is the fire crackers. After the daylong rituals, when the old and young assemble to light the fire crackers the enthusiasm is highest, the excitement is palpable. The bravest among them take the lead to burst the bombs, while the sober ones stand back to enjoy the fire displays. There is one category who are too scared to venture out and yet another category who are out to just photograph the events, probably not wanting to show publicly that they belong to not so brave category.



Anyways my reasons are different; I want to blog, you see, and share those memorable moments in my blog. While the crackers that were let off on ground were not much of a challenge to capture, the ones that went up and burst open like an umbrella were difficult to capture. I did not take the tripod with me, all shots taken were handheld. So, almost all my shots turned with shakes. But then they look so interesting, almost like abstract art.

SkyWatch Friday

Happy Diwali!

I wish you all a very Happy Diwali!
May this Diwali bring you more light & less noise in your lives!

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

The Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna is one of the most important museums in not just in Austria but in world. This museum houses the Habsburg collections accumulated over centuries, it was built by Emperor Franz Joseph in 19th century. It is a treasure house of art and antiques and to see and admire all of them a day is not enough. It is best you take a floor plan and make a good study of the rooms dedicated to various themes. That will be helpful to decide which to cover which not to, especially if you don’t have much time in hand. The audio guide is helpful too.




We spent more time in the rooms with Egyptian collections. Children were fascinated thoroughly walking through the collections of mummies there. Most of these exhibits were brought to Vienna in the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, when Austrian archeologists made excavations in Gizeh. The coffins, the designs on them, their worn out look all seemed to pull us back into history. The entire roof is decorated and painted with Egyptian motifs. The items on display and tablets with Egyptian scripts, the hieroglyphs were interesting. One of the highlights of the Egyptian collection is the portrait of king Thutmosis II, who lived around 1460 B.C.

Closeup of detail on coffin, the patterns on ceilings seemed to be a copy of this.

Our World Tuesday

Faces of India - 31

A co-tourist in Hampi, Karnataka. She was keen to be photographed and I gladly clicked.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country. See more here.

The Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle at the entrance of Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna. It looked grand against the blue sky.


The eagle is symbolic of authority, ownership and virility; probably that is why the statues of these creatures are installed in places of power and importance. There are two of them installed on top of two long pillars at the gates of Schonbrunn Palace. They have such streamlined, sleek, chiseled look, that it is impossible to ignore them. The sun shone on them, illuminating them gloriously and the glitter attracted attention from far.

SkyWatch Friday

My Travelogue Published in an International Book

A dream has come true for me! My travelogue is published in a book.

It is in a Hungarian travel book. Some time back, a well known Hungarian writer, Antal Halmos had published two of my Rajasthan related photographs in travel book based on India. We were email friends since then. During our Hungary tour early May this year, we met him in Budapest.


After I was back in India, Antal gave me this prestigious offer to write a chapter, a travelogue in his book Világok, népek, emberek (Worlds, Peoples, Personalities). A couple of months back I spent time writing for this book, in the process revisiting Hungary once more. My chapter is in English and its Hungarian translated version too is there in the book. The picture shared here is the cover page of the book. It is a great feeling to see one’s own work in print, in black and white, flipping through the pages of one’s own work. In three words: I am happy!

The Anchor Clock(Ankeruhr), Vienna

Walking through the maze of roads in Vienna, we stumbled upon many interesting sights. One of them, in Hoher Markt, is the Anchor Clock. The clock very cleverly designed forms a bridge between two parts of the Anker Insurance Company’s building, though I am not sure whether it actually serves the purpose of a bridge.



This clock was made between 1911 and 1917, its credits to painter Franz von Matsch. It is decorated with beautiful mosaic ornaments. There are human size figures which seemed to inch forward keeping pace with passing time. Unfortunately we were there between two striking hours, and we had to move on, so couldn’t witness the little drama that takes place at the moment when the hour strikes. I am telling you this so that you can plan your time well in advance if you are there and witness the little drama that happens.

This picture below is the view of the clock just behind the bridge.



The twelve statues that have been going around untiringly day after day, month after month, year after year are listed below:
1-2: The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who died near Vienna
2-3: Karl der Große (Charlemagne)
3-4: Duke Leopold VI (The Glorious) and his wife Theodora
4-5: Walther von der Vogelweide, Medieval minstrel singer
5-6: King Rudolf of Habsburg and his wife Anna von Hohenberg
6-7: Meister Hans Puchsbaum
7-8: Emperor Maximilian I
8-9: Mayor Johann Andreas von Liebenberg
9-10: Count Rüdiger von Starhemberg
10-11: Prince Eugene of Savoy
11-12: Empress Maria Theresia and Franz Stephan of Lorraine
12-1: Joseph Haydn

I think we saw King Rudolf of Habsburg and his wife Anna von Hohenberg moving ahead slowly that day.

Our World Tuesday

Tulipa 'Carnaval de Nice'

Continuing on my posts of Tulips here is the Carnaval de Nice variety. It has white feathered petals which are streaked and splashed with sweet raspberry red veins. The shots are taken in Salzburg, Austria.


Here is a closer capture. This tulip symbolizes eternal happiness and perfect love! It is also known as official 11yr Wedding Anniversary flower too.

Today's Flowers

Faces of India - 30

A tour guide in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country. See more here.

Neptune Fountain, Vienna

At the foot of Schonbrunn Hill, behind Schonbrunn Palace is the grand Neptune Fountain. A very impressive fountain, this huge white marble fountain stands between Gloriette and the Palace.



In the centre of the group of statues stands Neptune in a shell shaped chariot, his trident in his hand. To his left is a nymph and to his right kneels the sea goddess Thetis. She is shown entreating Neptune to favor the voyage of her son Achilles, who has set off to conquer Troy. At the foot of the fountain on either side are the Tritons, half man, half fish who belong to Neptune’s entourage. They are seen restraining the hippocampi or sea horses which draw Neptune’s chariot across the seas.



There are paths leading up the hill, and from this height one gets great captures of the marble statues. The climate was most friendly that day and the statues against the bright blue sky with scattered white puffs looked most majestic.

SkyWatch Friday

At a Window Display, Vienna

Display windows have always fascinated me. Walking along the streets I always peep into the displays, face pressed to the glass, scanning the items on display; that is one joy which almost all women can relate with me. No? The items are almost always arranged in such a tempting manner that you are forced to walk into the shop. I have always managed to take a few shots and carry the memory with me.

This shot was taken in Vienna, at the display window of a stationery shop. The books, pencils in pencil stands, a pure white parrot and the table lamp arranged so well, I could almost sit down there and write a long letter.


Thursday Challenge: Writing tools

Hofburg Palace, Vienna

Hofburg Palace, winter residence of Hapsburg rulers, was one of the most expensive museum tours we made in Vienna. There are lots to see, unfortunately not to be photographed. We toured Silver collection, Imperial Apartments and Sisi Museum.

The Sisi museum tour here covers parts of the palace, the rooms used by Empress Elizabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph. The emperor adored her but unfortunately for him his feelings weren’t reciprocated.

The Imperial Apartments displays exhibits of personal belongings of the Empress. It is said the Empress (Sisi) was famous for her 50cm waist; she was obsessed with her own beauty and followed strict diet and exercise. The black gowns she wore following the suicide of her son are on display. The jewels on display are stunning. Hers is a very sad story though she was an empress. Sisi never recovered from the tragic death of her firstborn (Sophie) at 2 years old, later the suicide of her son Rudolph in 1889 shattered her.



Photography was thankfully permitted in the Silver collection rooms. Numerous sets of tableware are on display, these stunning objects were used for running the imperial household. In 1918, after the end of the Habsburg monarchy, imperial household was dissolved and the holdings passed into the ownership of the Austrian Republic. What we got to see were the 7,000 items from the total of 150,000 in the collection's holdings, displayed over an area of 1,300 m².

Our World Tuesday

Tulips

I know it is autumn now and getting to see tulips in my friends’ blogs is a distant dream. I scrolled through the archives of my Europe tour I am mesmerized with my tulip shots. So I decided to share some of the tulip shots and soak in those colorful memories.



This particular variety is double colored and with lot of googling for its name I came across two names for this variety: Salmon Tulips and Zurel. I am not sure if either of them is correct though. Readers, if any of you are aware of this variety’s name, please enlighten me too.

Today's Flowers

Faces of India - 29

A furniture maker by profession, he has a small makeshift roadside shop.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country. See more here.

Bijoya Dashami

Finally the five day festival of Durga Puja is over. After the long battle with demon Mahisasur, on this Bijoya Dashami day Goddess Durga leaves for Kailasa, her marital abode. The idol of Goddess Durga and her four children are immersed in water; often a tearful farewell. Friends greet each other with a hug and wish "Shubho Bijoya!" meaning "The Auspicious Victory".

Today the sky looked gorgeous. Sunbeams diverged from behind the clouds; my daughter got this spectacular view of Crepuscular rays.



Shubho Bijoya to all!

SkyWatch Friday

Bhog, Community Lunch, Durga Puja

One of the most attractive and unique activity of Durga Puja is participating in bhog, that is the community lunch organized by the Puja committee. While Puja and chanting of prayers is on and the idols are being worshiped, at the other corner of the mandap a group of cooks are busy preparing bhog. Main item prepared is khichuri, a preparation of rice and lentils with masalas, it tastes heavenly. The other items served along with khichuri are mixed vegetable curry, couple of vegetable fries, sweet and sour tomato chutney and one sweet dish which is usually rasgulla.



Friends wait patiently for the bhog to be served, while carrying on with their adda. Friends from different corners of city meet during this yearly festival, they catch up with latest gossips; praise each other’s new outfits. Women especially, are keen to see what new jewelries their friends have made. One gets the opinion that gold price is hardly a concern, designs and designers are hot topics of discussion. And all this over a hot plate of khichuri.



Mahasaptami is over, just two days of Puja is left and then it will be time to bid goodbye to Ma!

Our World Tuesday

Mahashoshtthi, Bodhon, Durga Puja.

Today I witnessed the Bodhon ritual of Durga Puja, the most celebrated festival of Bengalis. This is the first day of the five day long festival. Bodhon means awakening of Goddess Durga. This ritual, Bodhon includes the unveiling of the face of the idol. It is believed that the deity comes alive after this ritual. (Run the mouse over the picture.)

The picture below shows some of the ingredients that are required for a Bodhon: a bael, an earthen pot, a kundohari(an earthen bowl full of a type of rice), four bamboo arrows, a green coconut with stalk, a traditional Indian towel and a dhoti.


Today's Flowers

Faces of India - 28

He seemed to be in a hurry to me.

Faces of India, a series through which I intend to portray the various characters of my country. See more here.