Wednesday 9 June 2010

Window to Vienna


This is an image
I took exactly a year ago,
up in Vienna's Heiligenstadt,
a village at the outskirts of town
back when Beethoven summered there.
In the vineyards surrounding it grapes are still grown,
vintners still press Grüner Veltliner wine,
even the house and apartment
where Ludwig used to stay
can still be visited,
and the church bells he could not longer
hear are ringing to this day.
It still is a place where you feel
connected to the earth and
farther away from the city's bustle
than the twenty minutes streetcar ride
would make you expect.
This particular window
belongs to what is now a restaurant,
a place of respite whose owners
felt the need to restore it
and preserve its inherent beauty.
i always marvel at
and am grateful
for those who
keep history alive
through conservation
and restoration.

The quality of the image
is not at its best.
I lifted it from my own blog,
I should rather be studying
than looking for old pictures
or waxing about places
in my heart!

Photographed
in Heiligenstadt
at the PFARRWIRT
© 2010 by Merisi

23 comments:

  1. A beautiful picture! The green of the window and the red of the roses such a perfect pairing.

    (One can't study ALL the time. Wax on!)

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  2. Vicki,
    deep philosophical questions about what is important in life keep creeping up .... Seriously, just kidding, I wanted it, so? ;-)

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  3. great that people still care for the past!

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  4. How very lovely, Merisi--I think God made a mistake--I was supposed to live there.

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  5. But some pictures are worth seeing more than once!

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  6. such wonderful colours!

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  7. How can you not spend time waxing away when the history of Beethoven is right outside your door?
    I've given you a mention today.
    Thinking of you,
    Catherine

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  8. Anonymous09 June, 2010

    Yes, the colors are exquisite!

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  9. It's so pretty, it looks like a painting.

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  10. It is...romantic!
    "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
    That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..."

    This window allows me to daydream a little bit :-)

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  11. A window through Roses. I like that as a title. I think it's pretty lovely. I thought the line about the bells ring that he could no longer hear was pretty sad.

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  12. Merisi,
    My email is acting up...the connection here is VERY weak!
    those are noting special frames and usually made to order.
    I took a picture in the shop -it's somewhere.
    Would you order from London? no...
    I didn't use any mounts but floated them with clear corners at the edges and little risers to seperate the glass and the picture..surprisingly it worked and was easy to do.
    Will follow up with more info when I can...
    In recovery for now :(

    xxcg

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  13. This photo puts a smile on my face, and reminds me I need to prune my rose bush!

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  14. Love that particular green with the red of the roses. I remember a Valentino collection of the same color combination. Always a favorite of mine.

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  15. i've been looking at your blog for a few months now (since i moved to live in vienna) and thought it was about time i said hello and told you how beautiful your pictures are! i always look forward to the next post :)
    p.s. i need to take a trip to heiligenstadt!

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  16. I love the photos of windows and doors.

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  17. Thank you all so much for your visits and your truly kind comments! Each and every one is like a ray of sunshine into my study hall, I enjoy them immensely!
    A wonderful evening to all of you,
    Merisi

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  18. Simply beautiful, desires of the heart, and memories of past visitors and the poetry of what could have been written from within, and seen from those windows, secrets gone forever and yet you share a fresh new glimpse, lovely~

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  19. How adorable. It really looks like a painting. Wow! Thank you for the delicate and magical moment. Bela.

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  20. I love windows that open up to let in fresh air.

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  21. Bela,
    you are welcome,
    thank you!

    Barbara Martin,
    casement windows are standard design of most Austrian buildings. Double-hung ones are a rare sight here.

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  22. That's an absolutely beautiful window. A perfect photo - a piece of art. I to am thankful for all those that preserve what is old and lovingly restore it to its former glory. I get tired of modern buildings, concrete and steel.

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  23. Your picture reflects exactly what you describe in you text, we can feel a kind of connexion .Great photograph!

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