Short update: obviously I am back from Japan. We stayed more than twice as long as last year and it was fun from the first until the last second. We saw so many fascinating places and got to know many people; natives… not tourists V(^_^)V
In the next days I am trying to reduce the images we took (about 2000) to an amount which is web-presentable. Come again in two weeks or so to get a visual impression of our trip. Sorry… it will take that long because our company is keeping me busy since the first day of our return. But it is so good at work. Just a bit less time to hang out on my blog.

This weekend I had the chance to spend some time in the middle of the Austrian Alps. Not for holidays though but for final talks with my partners about our soon to be founded company. We stayed in a small hotel at the “Edelweißspitze” at 2571m above sea level with a great view on Austria’s highest mountain, the “Großglockner” (3798m). Join a short virtual tour in the gallery.

So many things to do and so few time.
One of the main events of this year is coming closer very very fast.

We will head for Tokyo (and the rest of Japan) around the 20th of July. About two and a half weeks will give us enough space to discover the still very unkown culture. Looking forward to get to know my wife’s dynasty and to experience new customs and rites. Our route is well planned (but of course leaves some gaps for spontaneous decisions) and it will bring us to locations (apart from Tokyo) ranging from Iwate in the north to Miyajima in the south of Japan. Sadly I am not going to see Witvogel and The telephones at the motion livehouse in shinjuku at the 6th of August as that is the day of our return. Nevertheless this journey should be the best thing ever. No matter what we are doing… Walking through the big cities and getting to know the country and the people is pleasure enough.

But I have to be patient. As I said there are some things to occur first and there are some events which might even arise to the same level of excitement than this year’s trip to Japan (which is very very hard to achieve). Starting with one minor but very amusing event this weekend - the annual reunion with my colleagues from university at a lake in the mid-distance neighbourhood.

This weekend we were visiting some friends of us to celebrate their birthday in a nice little premise in Vienna.
We arrived Saturday in the early afternoon and went into the city center to do some shopping in our favourite bookstore. I want to give you a visual impression of the route from the museum quarter right into the city center of Vienna.

We start from the museum of art history.

We cross the highly frequented “Ring” (the inner of two circles surrounding the city center) and pass by the “Hofburg”

The Hofburg was and still is the residence of the Austrian leaders and I think the current president of the United States (Geroge W. Bush) will be welcomed there when he visits Austria this summer. The stand in front of the building is not always there. People could sit there and watch the runners of the Vienna Marathon which took place last Sunday.
Right after passing the Hofburg we end up at the “Michaelerplatz” where you have the chance to meet Mozart’s little Brother if you are lucky… I don’t have to mention that we were lucky:

Although his clothing may look quite antiquated he knows how to use a mobile. If you head straight forward you will most probably get to see some old form of transportation: the Viennese Gondoliere (like the Italian ones, just replace the Gondolas with Horses).

If you pass continue the street, passing by the traditional and famous K.u.K. Hofzuckerbäcker Demel you will then end up at the plague pillar

Then you really are in the center. Right around the corner at the end of the street you’ll find the “Stephansdom”. After shopping we went to get some more Mozart right behind the Hofburg:

It is no coincidence that you bump into some kind of Mozart artefact. Our most famous musician (next after Johann Hölzel) is celebrating his 250th birthday. Not only one single day but the whole year. Happy birthday Wolfgang. A toast to the genius of our “Woiferl”.