People of Vienna

So I have gone overboard today and shared quite a few images from out and about in Vienna. Just random shots of people doing their thing as they enjoy the city.

I won't comment on each of the photos, I will leave you to make of them what you will.

I did wonder how the artist would cope with the queue of people in front of the coffee vendor but as it happens I needn't have worried, if you look at the painting he is working on you will see he wasn't including the coffee stand in his composition.

And in the final shot, while I had been quite taken aback by the animal headed buskers this group of lads were not the least bit interested, perhaps because they had got the attention of a pretty local girl to take their group photo.
 

Corvids

Birds like Rooks, Ravens and Crows are easily overlooked. They're mostly black with no obvious distinguishing features and from a distance they are fairly uninteresting and then when you consider their personal habits well, they're pretty gross. But, get up close, and they really are quite amazing.

Take the Hooded Crow in the first picture, I first saw one, or actually properly noticed one in a park in Gothenburg, it was being mobbed by a pair of Chaffinches after it had raided their nest and was devouring a chick. Like I said "gross"! But that's nature for you, it can be cruel. But look closely they are really beautiful and poised on Neptune's trident this one looks quite regal.

The second and third images are of a Carrion Crow, it was strutting around on a lawn and rather than cawing as you might expect it was coughing as though it had something stuck in its throat and it looked pleadingly at me. I had never realised before that they had feathers on their beak, it looks pretty cool doesn't it.

So next time you see one of these birds and think "it's just a crow" think again...

It's Rutting Time

I wouldn't normally post so many images for one post so you're really getting your monies worth today...

I had left it a bit late to go to witness the Fallow Deer rut at Dunham Massey, last week the weather was pretty poor so I didn't go but the forecast for today was much better so I set off early to get there in time for the sunrise and to beat the crowds.

It was a very cold start to the day and the hard frost adds something to some of the images above.

If I was to try and sum up the morning I would say there was a lot of noise but not much action. The main battles for dominance have all been fought and so all of the stags seemed to know their respective place, some of the stags were carrying scars and bloody wounds evidence that they fought hard. The noise today was from the stags as they tried to round up the does and keep them close as you can see in the final shot.

I have included a couple of pictures of young bucks which I think are really nice, the one in picture number 8 looks like he is wearing a toupee and it made me smile.

Roses Are Red, Pt 2

So like yesterday these flowers were in the Leif Erikson Park in Duluth a last splash of summer colour.

Red roses are typically seen as a romantic flower, given on valentines day or for special celebrations and they really are beautiful as you can see in the third image; but I prefer some of the more delicate, understated colours.

Harp In The Park

Walking around the Volksgarten in Vienna on a hot morning we were drawn to the sound of music coming from the neo-classical Theseus Temple in the centre of the park.

Here we found a harpist who with the help of a young assistant was making a video of her playing some really beautiful music. Seated between the columns the music was amplified so that it gave off a rich and vibrant sound. It was quite magical and was a perfect accompaniment to our walk in the park.

Volksgarten means People's Garden and it was designed as a place in Vienna's first district, close to the Hofburg palace and parliament buildings for the public to relax. There are some beautiful formal and informal flower beds and it really is a wonderful spot within the city and I thought that this impromptu performance really fit with the ethos of a truly public space.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

So today you find us in Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city and the most northern point on our trip. We are here til Thursday when we will be taking an overnight ferry from Malmo into Germany.

The drive up from Copenhagen was excellent as we first crossed the magniOresund bridge. We were greeted by a somewhat surly border guard but as we made our way into Sweden we were pleased to get another country under our belt. To start the scenery wasn't much different to that in Denmark but as we got further north there were more wooded hills and small lakes and lots of rivers and I felt there were a lot of similarities to driving in parts of Canada. 

My son and I chatted away giving each other little quizzes and having a bit of a lark. We spotted a few cranes in the fields, not a bird we would  see at home.

We spent the afternoon exploring a park in the city called Slottsskogen which is huge, there are lots of walks and different activities, there are fountains and cafes and even a petting zoo. There is also a wildlife park which is home to a variety of native species including seals, moose, elk and reindeer and a breed of pony that has been around these parts since the stone age. There was also the Scania goose (Skånegås) that is so heavy that it has difficulty flying.

While I was watching a dogfight between some beautiful dragonflies I noticed the rainbow in the spray from the fountain and I thought it would make a nice image to share with you.

The second of today's pictures is of a secluded lagoon just visible from one spot along one of the woodland paths and it was a good spot to pause along the way.

Tomorrow We will be heading out to visit one of the islands in the archipelago, there are quite a few, each with something special to offer so deciding where to go may be difficult but with the promise of more good weather I don't think we can go far wrong.