Schloss Schönbrunn

Schloss Schönbrunn
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

the palace grounds at night. it was a pity we did not have time to visit the museum, it would have taken at least half a day! you would not believe how big the palace grounds are! and considering there was still no electricity at that time, it is a wonder how many candles and lamps they had to light every night!!!

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera),

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera),
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

The building was the first major building on the Wiener Ringstraße, at the heart of Old Vienna. This would probably be the most visited area of Vienna, where all tourist converge to walk around, enjoy the coffee and eat some sacher torte or even do some shopping. That time, La Traviata was showing, I was so tempted to go and watch! maybe another time....

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna

St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

St. Stephen's Cathedral (German: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna. In the middle of St. Stephen's square it is one of the oldest and highest cathedrals of the world!

Note that in this picture part of one of its spires is under renovation. nothing new here, as preservation and repair of the fabric of the medieval cathedral has been a continuous process at St. Stephen's Cathedral since its original construction in 1147!

there was so much to see...

there was so much to see...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

From Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral to the Imperial Palace to the Art Nouveau splendor of the Secession, from the magnificent baroque palace Schönbrunn to the Museum of Fine Arts to modern architecture at the MuseumsQuartier.

back from vienna

back from vienna
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony (lost in space)

the whole week was a blur! too much to see in so little time...it is great to have photos to remind me of the places i have been and seen! yet there was so much more to see in such little time. as my friend always says, leave something for the next trip. i just hope it would be less frantic! lol!

shot this from a speeding van to budapest, so you will note the foreground blur...

ok, so how do you say "good day" in austrian?

ok, so how do you say "good day" in austrian?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i am quite fortunate to be able to travel to eurpope again, this time to vienna! it is my first time there, so if there are any suggestions it would be really appreciated. are there any flickrites out there??? i am quite excited already!!!

this will probably my last post until i come back, so goodbye y'all and will try to visit while in europe!

postcards from milan

postcards from milan
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

got the idea of this project of shooting postcards from places i go to. started with paris last year and with milan and venice this year. next week i will have the chance to visit austria and can't wait to get postcards shots from there!

round and round i go in circles...

round and round i go in circles...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

that's how i feel sometimes with the game of life. you wake up in the morning, go to work, then go home and sleep, just to wake up again the next day you do it all over again! no wonder there are gazillions of people out there who are just going nuts...perhaps they got dizzy with all the daily merry-go-round and not getting anywhere! one thing i learned....just enjoy the ride and hopefully you will find meaning in what you do!

been rummaging through the archives again, and found a few more shots, this time from my paris trip last year. this has been a year ago when i was still using my canon 5D! i can't wait to go back and try out the new 5D mark II!

cobblestoned streets, a medieval church and the da vinci's last supper

cobblestoned streets, a medieval church and the da vinci's last supper fresco: is that all worth walking all the way from the metro?
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

you bet it was! the only thing is, i did not get to see the fresco. it turned out the waiting list to see it like 2 weeks! i could not believe how popular that place was ever since the "the vinci code" movie. lol! well, at least there is something to look forward to in my next visit! and you bet, i am going to walk all the back there again!

there was no one inside the church, but i felt a presence i could not

there was no one inside the church, but i felt a presence i could not describe...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

i never thought myself as having a sixth sense. i have always wondered how psychics and ghost whisperers felt, but that place just had the aura of spirits all around you. the interior just exuded of another time. i felt i was caught in a time warp and was just waiting for medieval characters of the past to pop out of the maze of pillars within.

"si venera il corpo di s. luciano" it says on the door of this church...

"si venera il corpo di s. luciano" it says on the door of this church...
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

...which i bumped into while walking from the piazza san marco back to the train station. you cannot imagine the number of churches you will find in such a small area! this one just had those words on the door and would that mean this is st. luciano's church? i know the literal translation meant "here lies the body of st. luciano" - at least that is what i thought.

i actually went inside and took some photos (will post those later on). there was no one inside, saw some flowers with dedications for people (dead?). all in all the atmosphere was serene, almost haunting, like you can feel spirits or angels about to make an apparition! i felt a slight chill while shooting and darted back to the courtyard!

honey, can you stop singing "o sole mio"? you are giving me a

honey, can you stop singing "o sole mio"? you are giving me a headache....
Originally uploaded by Doc Tony

this shot just made me wonder if the tip of the gondola hit the bottom of the bridge and if the gondolero actually stooped or sat as it passed under it. lol!!!

i feel these things can be a bit overrated and overpriced but if i had the time and the moolah i would have gone for it. ha ha! call me a tourist milking cow but venice is venice! the water looksed a bit murky at that time and had a not so appealing scent, but i would have done it anytime than can catch the ones in las vegas or macau...well, maybe next time.