Feb 18, 2021The Danube MermaidShow me a significant body of water and I’ll find you the legend to match it. …Vienna4 min readVienna4 min read
Feb 17, 2021Someone Else’s Christmas CookiesOn experiencing traditions as an outsider, and the universal smell of vanilla. It’s December 2014 and we’re making cookies. There’s a familiar smell of cinnamon and cloves but I am a long way from home. Our kitchen isn’t a kitchen but a classroom in a language school in Vienna. We’re…Christmas4 min readChristmas4 min read
Dec 27, 2020Vienna’s Christmas Trees have a surprising destinyThey might just get eaten by goats — Nothing says Christmas in Vienna like watching the Viennese bring their trees home on public transport. Spotting the biggest Christbaum with the smallest Oma on the busiest train is practically an Advent sport. But, 3 weeks later, we strip off the decorations, grab the tree by the scruff of its…Vienna3 min readVienna3 min read
Sep 24, 2020How do you Solve a Problem like a Flaktower?Vienna’s uneasy relationship with its most prominent wartime relics The skyline of the centre of Vienna hasn’t changed much in 75 years. Stephansdom, the Rathaus, the Riesenrad, the green baroque dome of Karlskirche, the neo-gothic towers of the Votivkirche. …Vienna7 min readVienna7 min read
Sep 12, 2020Stealing the SalieraOn the value of salt, French royalty, and Austria’s most notorious art theft Salt made Austria rich. In a country without gold, silver, or even a port, salt deposits from the prehistoric sea under the alps was a precious resource for trade. People received their wages in salt. …Fine Art5 min readFine Art5 min read
Sep 4, 2020The Story of Lilli the GooseWhy Vienna’s residents took a stubborn bird to heart There should be more statues of animals in the world. Edinburgh has Greyfriars Bobby, an unassuming statue of a Skye Terrier that guarded his master’s grave for 14 years. His nose is kept burnished by tourists who touch it for luck. …Vienna3 min readVienna3 min read
Oct 17, 2019Fern Hunting: A Very Victorian VagarySorry, millennials. We’re not the first generation to go mad for indoor gardening. The Victorians made the world smaller. They industrialised. They streamlined the telegraph and the postal service. They invented the telephone. They went out into the world and explored for queen and country and they travelled for fun…Environment8 min readEnvironment8 min read
Oct 8, 2019The Quest for the Two Hour Marathon comes to ViennaAnd the city’s most popular running spot has had a facelift. To a Scot like me, who would happily batter and deep fry any foodstuff that came her way and keeps fit by wrestling umbrellas in the wind, the Austrians are a nation of serious exercisers. They like to hike…Running4 min readRunning4 min read
Sep 30, 2019We Need to Talk About Vienna’s Obsession With Cable CarsAfter 150 years of planning, the Austrian capital has exactly zero functioning cable cars, but they don’t let this hold them back. Year after year, Vienna is voted the most liveable city in the world. Of course, no one is quite sure what ‘liveability’ means. The surveys talk about controlled…Travel6 min readTravel6 min read
Sep 24, 2019Green Space for Urban PeopleHow Vienna turned a landfill with a dark history into one of its biggest public parks It’s 2019 and everybody loves plants. But before Instagram inspired a thousand apartment jungles, before we gave our snake plants the appreciation they deserve for oxygenating our bedrooms and promoting restful sleep, the city…Travel8 min readTravel8 min read
