Showing posts with label ... in pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ... in pictures. Show all posts

Friday, March 4, 2016

A Love Letter

Dear Jan,

it's March 4th, 2016 - your 4th birthday! 

Happy Birthday to you!

Over the last four years I had the priviledge that your mum and dad loved and trusted me enough to let me be a big part of your life and I enjoyed every second. For writing this post I sorted through four years of pictures I've taken from you and I can tell you; there were so many!

I first saw you when Eva and I visited you and your mum in the hospital a few days after you were born. You were so tiny. I immediately fell in love with you.


After that we saw each other regularly. While your parents were in lectures we cruised around campus - you usually sleeping in your stroller. When you were older we had some great conversations while walking around. You were looking at the clouds over your head while I was telling you about life, struggles I was facing, the colors of the rainbow, unicorns ... so basically everything important.


We visited the zoo to look at the tigers, spent so much time at the playground that it's now named after me, learned to walk over bridges (the little one on the playground), learned how not to freak out on the swing, you decided to call me Eva instead of Karin (thanks for that buddy) and we spent hours sitting on a bench facing the busy street right around the corner from university watching cars - especially ambulances and police cars.



Now you are in kindergarden and a big brother. Now we go on different adventures. You taught be how to be really patient, how to learn to understand a child's language, that kids are way more sturdy than adults think (no Judith, relax I never dropped him). I discovered that it is okay to let a kid stay up late while you are babysitting, especially when he has such cool parents.


I can finally go to Toys'R'Us again and buy all the Lego and stuffed animals I want without feeling ridiculous. Playing with Legos for hours is one of your favorite past-times nowadays and even though I hate board games, I am playing them with you because everything is fun with you and I don't want to disapoint my baby boy.



And at your parents' wedding you were the only guy I wanted to dance with. And we did - at three in the morning (because everything was too exciting for you to sleep).

 

Now you are 4 years old, in kindergarden, an adorable big brother (you'll cringe about this when you're old, I know), talk like a grown-up and are the best kid I know. We still share a special bond and I am happy that we do. A huge thank you to your parents that they made this possible for us.


Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Love, 
Karin

Friday, August 8, 2014

...in pictures

I love going to the zoo!
 I always have and always will. 

When I was a child I spent a lot of time there either with my parents or my grandparents. I loved watching the animals but during my pre-teen years these poor things lived in small cages and had little to no space to hide or play in. The zoo in Vienna was founded by one of our emperors during the 18th century and it seemed like the zoo hadn't changed a lot from then till my teen years.

During that time the zoo got a new director and he started introducing big changes. Some of the buildings are historic buildings which had to be protected but he found ways of building new areas for the animals, enabling them to live a better life and installed hiding places and lots of greens. The cages became big outdoor facilities and if you can remember how sad the animals were before those changes, you feel proud every time you enter today's zoo because it changed so much.

These days I either visit the zoo with Judith and her little boy or I'm taking my camera to snap some pictures.

This is what I did some weeks ago and here are some of them:
Vienna is pretty sucessful in breeding panda bears and we currently have our third panda baby which will, in a few years, be given back to China since our pandas are still owned by China so they get our babies to set them free.



Our cheetahs currently have three babies. Aren't they adorable?

 


After year of renovating the area of the polar bears it was reopened in May and we finally have two new polar bears. They have a huge area now with deep pools and lots of rocks and places to hide and inside there's a lot of information about the bears on display for us to read.


I always loved the seals and when they get their food each day it is a HUGE show for the visitors. Since I'm not able to watch it when I'm there with Jan because he's still not old enough to appreciate them, I usually stay and watch when I am alone. It is still hillarious.

 And a day in the zoo wouldn't be complete without visiting the tigers.

Friday, April 25, 2014

...in pictures

Prague
Czech Republic

Prague is only a four hour bus or train journey away from Vienna and so I hopped on a bus at the beginning of April and explored the city for some days.

Basilica of St. Vitus on the Prague Castle
The city is a strange but beautiful mixture of old and new, dark and light - you see old renovated houses next to shopping arcades and a lot of well known sights are built in dark stone. It is a city of contrast and it works really well.

The river Vltava runs through the city and seperates the old historic center but also is where one of the best known sights - Charles Bridge - is.

River Vltava
on Charles Bridge
Charles Bridge is lined with stautes of saints

On the other side of Charles Bridge is the Prague Castle with the Basilica of St. Vitus, which you can see on the first photo, and the famous Golden Lane where the alchemists lived in the past.
view from Prague Castle
Golden Lane
Old Town is also incredible to wander through. When you're at Old Town Square you can see the Tower of City Hall with the famous Astronomical Clock and Church of Our Lady before Týn. When I was there, the Easter market on Old Town Square had just opened and added a lovely splash of color to the square.


I can highly recommend visiting Prague. It is a beautiful city with a special feel to it and lots of little lanes and cute stores. The food is really good too and if you need to convince the guy in your life to take this trip with you - the beer is not only amazing but cheap too ;)

I will definitely visit again!

Monday, December 23, 2013

...Blogmas


 
Day 23

Welcome to Blogmas!
Every day from December first til Christmas Eve I will post one Christmas related post, giving you gift ideas, tips, recipes, etc. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This week's topic will be: 
See-through / Durchsichtig


Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 23rd and the 30th of December 
(11:59 pm CET). 

1 Day Till Christmas Eve

Monday, December 16, 2013

...Blogmas


Day 16

Welcome to Blogmas!
Every day from December first til Christmas Eve I will post one Christmas related post, giving you gift ideas, tips, recipes, etc. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


This week's topic will be: 
Coffee / Kaffee


Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 16th and the 23rd of December
(11:59 pm CET). 

8 Days Till Christmas Eve

Monday, December 9, 2013

...Blogmas


Day 9

Welcome to Blogmas!
Every day from December first til Christmas Eve I will post one Christmas related post, giving you gift ideas, tips, recipes, etc. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

This week's topic will be: 
Silver / Silber


Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 9th and the 16th of December 
(11:59 pm CET). 

15 Days Till Christmas Eve

Monday, December 2, 2013

...Blogmas

Day 2

Welcome to Blogmas!
Every day from December first til Christmas Eve I will post one Christmas related post, giving you gift ideas, tips, recipes, etc. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
This week's topic will be: 
Carnation / Nelke

Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 2nd and the 9th of December 
(11:59 pm CET). 

22 Days Till Christmas Eve

Thursday, November 28, 2013

...in pictures

Winter officially arrived in Vienna!

When it comes to snow I am still like a small kid and get all excited. I love snow and the first snow is something that gets me really into the Christmas mood. On Tuesday the first snow hit Vienna and I took some pictures. A friend of mine also commented that I walk around the city smiling just because I love those tiny flakes of snow landing on my head so much.


 the kids built the first snowman

On Wednesday most of the snow already thawed but the day was beautiful and sunny, we didn't have sunshine in almost two weeks, and walking Felix was so nice. Soaking up the sun and walking over the last bits of crisp snow.



Monday, November 25, 2013

...in pictures

This week's topic will be: 
Twisting / Kurvig

Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 25th of November and the 2nd of December
(11:59 pm CET).

Monday, November 18, 2013

...in pictures

This week's topic will be: 
Brown / Braun

Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 18th and the 25th of November 
(11:59 pm CET).

Monday, November 11, 2013

...in pictures

This week's topic will be: 
Fun / Spaß


Please link you post to mine in time. 

Submission period is between the 11th and the 18th of November

(11:59 pm CET).

Monday, November 4, 2013

...in pictures

This week's topic will be: 
Farm / Hof


Please link you post to mine in time. 
Submission period is between the 4th and the 11th of November
(11:59 pm CET).

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

...in pictures

Fall in the woods around Vienna

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
the sunset this evening