Mozart
I am sure we all know about the Hollywood walk of fame, where they lay stones representing the stars. In Vienna they have their own walk of fame, but of course of the classical composers.
And in Vienna it is not just in a single street; the stones are scattered throughout the city, so you are never sure when you will find something exciting.
Here are some of my favourite composers (I only posted pictures of composers whose music I can actually play).
JS Bach
Strauss Jr
Beethoven
If you are feeling energetic, there is a lovely walk from Constantia Nek up the mountain to the dams on the back of Table Mountain. While it is only around 7km or so, it is very steep.
The dams were built in the late 1800’s so have historical value for Cape Town.
Woodhead Reservoir
Woodhead Reservoir wall
Woodhead Reservoir sign
Part of the mechanism of one of the dams
If you are keen to do the walk, here is the route I took (but I ran it).
I love the underside of interesting staircase – who can tell me where it is?
(hint it is in Cape Town)
Montjuic Castle is at the top of a 17th century hill. The view from the castle is amazing, and it is free to visit. Although you either need to pay to take the cable car to the top, or prepare yourself for a long uphill walk!
The walkway between Muizenberg and St James on a cold and misty morning.
Today is the 605th birthday of the amazing Prague astronomical clock. We were lucky to have seen it on our trip to Prague 2 years ago. You may have noticed that Google have made it their doodle for today.
It chimes every hour, and every time I look at it I notice something different moving in the intricate clockwork mechanism.
For example if you look closely at the pic above you will notice the skeleton on the right holding a handle. He (she?) pulls the handle to ring the bell at the top of the clock.
According to Wikipedia, it is third-oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still working.
For my Jewish friends have a wonderful new year (I wish I got 3 days to celebrate new year), I hope you have a wonderful new year. For the rest of us, just enjoy the rest of the weekend.
I took these pictures in the Jewish Quarter in Krakow, Poland. There is a lot of Jewish history and culture in Krakow which I will discuss further in another post.
Jewish Quarter in Krakow
Synagogue in Krakow
In March it was the annual Southyeasters home-brew festival, and as usual they had a fantastic selection of beer to try (my favourite was a beer made with smoked grain – something I will be trying soon).
I was there to take a few photos, and of course to try the beer.
It amazes me how big the home-brew and craft beer has become in Cape Town. When I started brewing a few years ago I knew of only 1 other homebrewer, and now there are so many people making their own beer. I think it’s fantastic and is only going to result in better beer all around.
So, what to make for my next brew…?
Visiting Auswitch was one of the most difficult and sobering experiences I have ever had. I could literally feel the weight of history and the events that happened there just on 70 years ago.
It is a place for thinking and reflection, and somewhere that all world leaders (especially ours) should visit to get an understanding of what suffering really is, and to see where their ideologies and actions can lead.
It is not the sort of place you can visit to enjoy the visit, but it is somewhere you visit to remember our history and to maybe, just maybe learn from it.
I saw this wonderfu old cart on our recent travels to Krakow, Poland. It was just outside the hotel, but I love the old-world feel to it. I very much doubt that is has moved in years and it is unlikely to move again. But it looks lovely.
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