Wednesday 22 May 2013

Gnomes in Urban Landscape
Viennese Gnoments in Time


I have been walking by this fellow
for several months now.
He's still turning his back to me. **


Country in an urban window


Inquiring about the little red-hatted fellow,
I was told, he wasn't quite ready yet.
And got presented with another Gartenzwerg.


Easily the prettiest window boxes
in the First District.
And not only for the potted peony.


The same windows, with last summer's bounty


Oranje Fan
Soccer Worldcup 2006


Griechengasse
Walking towards Fleischmarkt


Griechengasse towards Hafnersteig
Photo taken on the same spot
as the one above,
only this time with the back to Fleischmarkt
:
To your left, Griechengasse continues,
with St. George's Church (ca. 1800);
ahead of you;
slightly to your right,
sloping towards the Donaukanal,
bégins Hafnersteig


Looking from Griechengasse, beyond Hafnersteig,
Franz-Josef-Kai and the Donaukanal,
to Leopoldstadt (2nd District),
i.e. the view, that the gentlemen
in the above photo have ahead of them

Photographed with my little Sony Cybershot
way back on 7 June 2007

R e p o s t
A New York times article pondering the
surprise appearance of the Common Garden Gnome at the revered Chelsea Flower Show prompted me to republish this six year old post.
Such sweet memories of my encounter with a great gentleman and his a bit naughty garden gnomes!
Links:
-> New York Times: Common Gnomes Pop Up at Rarefied Flower Show, to Horror of Many
-> From the BBC: The Quinn visit to the Chelsea Flower Show - Mum about the Gnomes?

11 comments:

  1. What happy & pretty images!
    I have to go back and study it again later.

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  2. Would you believe that I remember this encounter as if it had happened yesterday?

    These pictures were shot with a little P&S camera, not edited, a bit off kilter at times. Surely not perfect, but thinking about the popularity of certain camera apps that distort images on purpose, I like to think I was ahead of time! ;-)

    One other observation: I still wander the streets of Vienna and I still feel as if I had gotten off the boat only yesterday. I can still marvel at glimpses of hidden beauty, but I have become much more realistic about ever feeling at home here. Like arriving too late at the jetty, when the boat is already full.

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  3. How cute.
    I can´t remember seeing it all those years ago, so I am glad you reposted.

    To create smiles in the everyday world, like this man and his gnomes.....that´s the way of living I love and cheer.

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  4. Perhaps the French Amélie had something to do with it (the gnomes)?

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  5. I was going to mention that gnomes have been allowed at the Chelsea Flower Show this year having never been allowed there for 100 years, but then saw your addendum. As you can probably imagine the TV people have been having fun showing little clips of gnomes sneaking in through the gates behind peoples legs, and throwing ropes over the railings to secretly clamber in.

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  6. Are urban gnomes a different species from suburban ones?

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  7. Somehow it took me six years to "get it" - the second gnome is an "Oranje" fan, therefore dressed in orange. *tataaaa*

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  8. I'm in love with my gnomes! Although my cat and the gnome have boxing matches on occasions.

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  9. I too love gnomes. I would love one like the big one at the fathers home in Amile the movie. I put in on my birthday list every year. I do hope you will see the gnomes face one day.

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  10. Dear friends,
    thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments and musings about gnomes!
    Yours truly,
    Merisi

    ReplyDelete

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