City Daily Photo Theme Day: Shop Windows

It's the American way. Consumption fuels the economy and trashes the planet. Found in the arcade in Union Station.

Peek in shop windows from around the world at the City Daily Photo theme day page here.                

December City Daily Photo Theme Day: shop window

December. VDP's favourite month. And thanks to VDP's Viennese friend Vreni, the Theme Day of the first of the month in the City Daily Photo blogging community is... a girly thing (well, sort of, sorry gents!) This is Costumes et Châteaux (costumes and castles), a fairly new shop right next to Saint Louis cathedral. VDP loooooves the concept: they take your picture in period dress, a period setting with period props! It's a wonderful souvenir for Marie-Antoinette loving tourists and also fun for locals. Lots of pics today, so so sorry but VDP had... yeah, a ball taking them!! The website of Costumes et Châteaux is this way. All takes on the theme are this way. Happy December and happy Advent!

Décembre. Le mois préféré de VDP. Et grâce à l'amie viennoise de VDP, Vreni, le thème du premier du mois dans la communauté des blogueurs City Daily Photo c'est vitrine ! Chez Costumes et Châteaux, sur le parvis de la cathédrale Saint-Louis, on vous prend en photo en costume d'époque -que vous choisissez-, dans un cadre d'époque ! VDP adore le concept, c'est un super souvenir pour les touristes amateurs de Marie-Antoinette et sympa pour les versaillais aussi. Plein de photos aujourd'hui parce que VDP s'est éclatée à les prendre, d'autant que l'accueil fut adorable ! Le site web de Costumes et Châteaux est par ici et toutes les interprétations du thème de ce mois sont par là. Bon mois de décembre et bon Avent !

Lipizzaners in the shop windows

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Want to buy a Lipizzaner stallion?
(Or how 'bout a pewter soldier?  Enlarge the photo to choose one.)

 
The Viennese are very proud of their performing Lipizzaner horses, and if you gaze into the shop windows in stores all around the Spanish Riding School you find SRS souvenirs.
Christmas tree ornaments, pencils in the shape of a horse head, diaries, key chains, cap and gloves . . .

Spanische Hofreitschule calendars and even WINE.
A mug saying "I'm the best horse in the stall."

And books in German and English.
There were tons more horse things in the official gift shop in the palace.
But I took pictures only of the shop windows in the neighborhood, remembering that December 1 would be Theme Day on that subject over at City Daily Photo bloggers group.
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The best and only souvenir I came home with is my 13-Euro ticket for a guided tour of the stables, tack room, and arena -- and the memory of being so close to these magnificent horses.
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The Fair

The Winter Wonderland Fair is here and it seems to be bigger and better than ever.  There is something to bring a smile and enjoyment to everyone.  One of my favourites this very grand two story carousel. 

The Force Awakens

Mel keeps his giant harvester in a shed, looking ready to burst into action. It seems menacing to me, like some evil machine in a Star Wars movie. There was a post a year ago showing it in action on a sunny day.            

Au bosquet des dômes

Okay, okay, it's a promise, this is the last of the autumn palace shots for this year. It was actually scheduled to go online on 14 November just after the Paris terror attacks. This is the dome grove which VDP had shown you during the night musical fountains show here (with a bit about its history too).

Ok, ok, promis, c'est la dernière photo de l'automne dans les jardins du château pour cette année. Elle devait initialement paraître sur ce blog le 14 novembre, lendemain des attaques terroristes à Paris. Elle a été prise au bosquet des dômes, que VDP vous montrait ici pendant les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes.

Les anges

Since today is first Advent, VDP thought we'd start getting into a Christmassy mood... These little angels are painted on the windows of Thé des Lys tea shop in Saint-Louis neighbourhood which VDP had shown you here (with links to the inside of the shop!)

Du fait que c'est aujourd'hui le premier Avent, VDP a pensé qu'on pouvait commencer à songer à l'esprit de Noël. Ils sont peints sur les vitres de Thé des Lys, rue d'Anjou, le salon de thé que VDP vous montrait ici (avec des liens vers les photos de l'intérieur des lieux).

Ted sniffs out a remedy

Rehab Job

The old barn needs lots of work but that doesn't mean that the family farm is down and out. There is another wooden barn in good repair (but not so photogenic) and new metal buildings for the machinery, as in the second picture. Mel and Pat still have cattle and grow hay and corn. They still need side jobs, though.                             

Very few photos this weekend. Freezing rain continued off and on through Saturday, limiting movement. The sky was leaden. The annual Santa parade, held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, was postponed due to Marshall County's icy roads. It should get progressively warmer as we drive east on our way home today.

Lipizzaner stallions, Vienna!! Part 1

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A white Lipizzaner stallion!!!!
Two weeks ago in Vienna my childhood dream came true and I got to meet these fantastic horses of the Spanish Riding School in person!

Click on the photo above and see horses in their box stalls (on a rainy Sunday).
These historical stables of the Lipizzaners are in one of Vienna's few Renaissance buildings, the Stallburg. 
The guide said that it was badly damaged in World War II bombings but after the war the building, with its beautiful arcade courtyard, was restored according to the original plans.

 Horses are exercised in this horse walker in the courtyard;  45 minutes a day they enjoy being outside in the fresh air.

It is the world's biggest oval horse walker.
See how it works in this nice video!

I'll show you more pictures of the Spanish Riding School in the coming days.
Meanwhile you might watch this beautiful documentary on YouTube .
All the information and more clips are at the SRS website.
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(Linking to Camera Critters.)
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Shopping

Black Friday is a rather new phenomenon is the UK imported from America I believe.  A time for shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday.  I'm sure my American readers can tell me the history and traditions of the event.

It began here in 2013,   This year there has been a lot of hype surrounding it with retailers claiming it would be the biggest trading day of the year.  Stores were purportedly organising staff to get ready as early as 6am. Although some reports claimed people would be fighting one another for bargains other reports stated that as much as 40% of goods bought on this day would be returned in the following days.

Crazy shopping does not appeal to me and I avoided the shops altogether (lucky I had a suitable picture from our traditional sales day - Boxing Day (the day after Xmas), now that's different, that's a tradition!

Winter In Kansas

We drove from Kansas City to Marysville, Kansas, Thursday morning in a cold rain. Nothing dangerous. We awoke Friday to find about a third of an inch / 8 mm of ice on the car. The main roads were fine but the rural gravel roads were glazed over. Slow, cautious driving.

Mrs. C's brother Mel and his wife Pat still live on the old family farm. They throw a big potluck dinner for the family on the day after Thanksgiving. The barn out back is in bad shape. It may be that Mel intends to restore it but there was such a crowd I didn't get to ask him.                 

Les bébé pommes

There are two places that VDP knows of where you can find crabapples in Versailles: here, cultivated espalier in the courtyard of the newly restored former royal hospital Richaud, and in the Scents Courtyard gardens... VDP loves crabapples! These photos were taken at the beginning of the month.

A la connaissance de VDP, il y a deux endroits à Versailles où l'on trouve ces mini-pommes d'ornement, les malus : ici dans le jardin de l'ancien hôpital royal Richaud, et dans l'ancien jardin des récollets, celui de la cour des senteurs. VDP les adore ! Photos prises au début du mois.

The Lego Train

Even the big boys can't resist the lego train in Covent Garden.

Thankful for clouds and you all

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As a way of celebrating Thanksgiving I went walkabout in the desert just outside my town.
Inside my secret cave in a hidden ravine I thanked God for all the beauty in my life.
On the walk home this unusual late afternoon sky was another gift from above.
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Shabbat shalom!
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(Linking to SkyWatch Friday.)
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Juno

A statue of Juno stands in a back corner of the botanical garden behind Henry Shaw's house. She always seems to be hitchhiking, even on a brilliant summer day, as in this old post. Perhaps due to the stories of scary people thumbing rides these days, she hasn't made much progress.

We made it to Marysville, Kansas, yesterday, driving from Kansas City in a cold rain. Wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with Mrs. C's mother, who will be 97 on Saturday, and her youngest sister. There is steady freezing rain and dropping temperatures as I write this Thursday evening, which might interfere with the big annual party out on the family farm today. Hoping for rural pix on Saturday.                  

La ville vue du cimetière des Gonards

Gonards cemetery offers a pretty cool panorama over the city... though not the palace, but rather Chantiers neighbourhood! The rounded glass building in the foreground of the second photo is the private hospital of Versailles-Franciscan Clinic.

Ce n'est pas toute la ville, mais plutôt le quartier de Chantiers. Le bâtiment arrondi en verre au premier plan est l'hôpital privé de Versailles-clinique des Franciscaines.

The Wishing Tree

A conceptual wishing tree greets you as you enter the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Kalpataru is an Indian mythical wish fulfilling tree.  This one was made in Delhi by a group of artists.  Inspiration for the piece comes from nature with trees and plants used in Indian rituals being represented, including the mayo tree, banana plant, champ flower, jack fruit and lotus plant.  The parrot and bright yellow and orange make me think of sunshine.

Henry Shaw's House

Henry Shaw was born is Sheffield, England, in 1800. He made a bunch of money in the hardware and steel products trade in St. Louis, enough to retire at the age of 40. He was an avid botanist and his estate became the Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the finest in the country. His home is open on special occasions. This was the first time we had actually been in it. 

The photo below is of the next building over. Not Shaw's house but a nice 19th Century structure.              

Lyautey rue d'Anjou

This lovely house in Saint-Louis neighbourhood was once the home of General Lyautey...

C'est dans ce bel hôtel du quartier Saint-Louis que le jeune Hubert Lyautey, bien avant de devenir maréchal, a préparé l'école militaire de Saint-Cyr et vécu ses premières années d'officier...