Idylle?

It is one of the traditional café- and restaurant gardens in the old city of Salzburg, Posthof. Just recently re-designed, see also below, label pink sun screens. Now Salzburgers are discussing the move: should it simply have been wooden beer garden benches and tables, or rather cast iron 'art deco' furniture from a DIY superstore? Should the hedges have been left higher to block the views to adjacent Kajetanerplatz and Schanzlgasse? Should a commission have been employed to decide what to do with this prominent place?

Every once in a while somebody will mention Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich; he was the guy who was responsible among others for the layout of the large squares around Salzburg Cathedral. As a renaissance prince he did not ask, he would not have accepted petitions from concerned citizens, he would not have installed a Gestaltungsbeirat to assist his very own Altstadtkommission. He had taste, he knew about arts and architecture, and he simply had power and money. Good or bad – or just different? Should we have an opinion poll on the issue – or rather install a commission of experts?

The only way is up?

Ring dem bells!

a.k.a. A streetlamp named desire

Your Chill-out-Coach

ohmygawd; please see for yourself: Bernd das Brot is your chill-out-coach on KiKa (Kinderkanal) or Youtube! Thanks to derStandard.at for the hint.

Chillout

Hot again! So, before I start complaining (see below ;–)) a very cool early morning picture from Salzach just around sunrise; and one favourite piece of morning music: Carl Maria von Weber, Aufforderung zum Tanz in an extremely laid back interpretation by Stephen Hough on Radio Ö1. Have a nice day and don't get too hot!

Gaisberg, revisited

Met a chamois buck this morning, pretty much right here, blocking the trail; adressed him 'hallo, Rehlein' / 'hi, Bambi', saw some very dark clouds rising between his antlers that would translate into "Sch**ss-Stadtinger, verreckter! Eh ka Ahnung, oba groß reden!" – after which he left for the steep forest. Good deal for both of us; he got his required adrenaline kick (no natural enemies, wolves or bears!), and I got the assurance that it's not one of those seemingly tame animals that let you come close to finally attack you.

Further reading and listening:

Adalbert Stifter: Der Hochwald. – Incl. directions how to communicate with the beasts of the mountain forest, and how to talk back to a supposedly voiceless, black mountain lake; not written for, but partly applicable to Alpine forests.

The Red Krayola with Art & Language: no idea, why they ended up here; please, try to find some recordings, maybe you can make it up for yourself!

"Azurro"

'il treno del desiderio ...' – Just heard that old Adriano Celentano-Song on the radio, this time sung by its writer, the great Paolo Conte. Well, one of the songs to spend your life with; you don't even have to have it recorded, every once in while you will hear it on any kind of radio station; always around, it may sound different every time you hear it. And to me, it will never be drowned in that endless, sometimes annoying flow of pop format radio.