Album Austria from Jon Searles

Bahnhof Simmering, Picture 2, Simmering, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:41:27 +0000

After I spent over an hour fixing my film shot of Simmering, I was frustrated to find that I had had a clean cameraphone shot the whole time. Still, I don't like it as much.

Bahnhof Simmering, B&W Edit 2, Simmering, Wien (Vienna), 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:33:02 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This photo had a light leak, so it was very difficult to edit it to an acceptable standard. In the end, I minimized the damage by converting it to black and white. I liked the photo, so I figured it was worth it.

OBB #1216 239-4 in Wien Meidling, Edited Version, Meidling, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:33:01 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This really was my train back to Prague, and unusually for a Eurocity, #1216 239-4 would take us all the way, with no locomotive change. The OBB 1216 Class are increasingly known by the easier-to-remember name of "Taurus," as they increasinly are popular export units. Even Amtrak have bought them in the form of the Cities Sprinter, which is a slight modification to meet their specifications (the 9 aspect PRR-style cab signals, the Amtrak pantograph, a bell, etc.).

Bahnhof Wien Meidling, Meidling, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:08:28 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Here's the station sign for Wien Meidling, after I arrived to wait for my train home.

Art on Apartment Building, Meidling, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:08:28 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Meidling isn't just a station, of course. I was very early for my train, so I wandered around the neighborhood, and among other things I found this interesting mosaic on this apartment building.

Wien Hbf, S-Bahn Platforms, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 21:08:27 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This wasn't actually where I got my train, as the international Eurocity trains to the Czech Republic leave from Meidling, rather than Hauptbahnhof. I ended up, as I recall, taking the U-Bahn to Hbf, and then the S-Bahn to Meidling. Apologies if I don't know much about the OBB's S-Bahn stock.

1516 Brewing Company, Picture 3, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:39:52 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This was their unfiltered, presumably non-pasteurized beer, which was also good, although not memorable.

1516 Brewing Company, Picture 2, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:39:51 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This was their dark beer, which was good.

1516 Brewing Company, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:39:51 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This was yet another brewpub, out of the many in Vienna.

Royal Enfield Motorbike, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:39:50 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

As I recall, this wasn't the first or the last Royal Enfield motorbike that I saw on this trip. I was very surprised, as I thought these were discontinued decades ago. Indeed, the originals were, in 1971, but they remain in production in India, as the Indian branch plant never went out of business, and ended up buying Royal Enfield's brand in 1995. Of course, this could also be a vintage bike, but why would I see more than one during one visit to Vienna? If anyone knows more about this apparent revival in Enfield's popularity in Vienna, or what the exact year or model of this bike is, it would be interesting.

750 Jahre Wiener Hafner 1234-1984 Mosaic, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:39:48 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Here's a closeup of the Hafner mosaic shown earlier.

Wien (Vienna), Picture 32, Edited Version, Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:23:02 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This is the Palais Equitable, mentioned earlier, which was originally the local headquarters of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Built in 1887-1891, it was the first building in Stephensplatz to include the beginnings of a U-Bahn entrance, although the U-Bahn wasn't actually opened until 1978, 91 years after construction of the Palais Equitable began.

Wien (Vienna), Picture 31, Edited Version, Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 18:23:01 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This is the El Pulpo Spanish Specialties restaurant in Vienna, with the 750 Jahre Wiener Hafner 1234-1984 commemorative mosaic on the right. It is meant to celebrate the 750th birthday of the Hafner stove fitting company. Surely, few local businesses today can still claim a medieval history, so it must put Hafner in a very small group of survivors.

www.wien-konkret.at/wirtschaft/handwerk-wien/berufe/hafner/hafner-geschichte

Schwartzenberg Brewpub, Picture 4, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:35 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Because I've never brewed beer, it wasn't clear to met whether these vats were for fermentation, aging, or storage. I note that they have vents on the top, but they could just as easily be for loading or emptying the tanks as for draining off carbon dioxide, so to me, a layperson who's never brewed beer, they don't mean anything to me. Does anyone know?

Schwartzenberg Brewpub, Picture 3, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:35 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This was the dark, unfiltered, unpasteurized beer on offer. That it was good was unsurprising, as brewpub beer is generally excellent because it is usually rich, fresh, unfiltered, and unpasteurized.

Schwartzenberg Brewpub, Picture 2, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:34 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Here's one of the coasters. The design is completely distinct from the ones made by the Protivin brewery, being a different shade of green, featuring a portrait (I don't know which Schwartzenberg it is) and an Austrian flag, but lacking the coat of arms.

Schwartenberg Brewpub, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:33 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Here's a cameraphone shot of the relatively modern facilities of the Schwartzenberg brewpub. Presumably, this one is owned by the Schwartenberg family, but if so it isn't the only brewery with the name. There's another one located in Protivin, in the Czech Republic.

Sacher Hotel, Picture 3, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:32 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This was another near-futile attempt to get more detail of the hotel. As you can see, it also has a casino.

Sacher Hotel, Picture 2, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:31 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

Here's a wider view of the hotel, showing the coffeehouse on the ground floor. Unfortunately, it was hard to get a good angle on the building, as the streets were too narrow to back up enough. The building is quite large.

Sacher Hotel, Wien (Vienna), Austria, 2013

nobody@ipernity.com (Jon Searles) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:26:31 +0000

Jon Searles has posted:

This is another historical marker of sorts, reminding visitors to the Sacher Hotel that this was where the Austrian "Sachertorte" was invented. Built in 1876, the Sacher Hotel, or Hotel Sacher as it's sometimes phrased, remains an active and successful luxury hotel with a coffeehouse for serving original Sachertortes.