I (never) promised you a rose garden

But here it is…   Spring sprang fast this year.  Before we knew it, the lilac bloom came and went.  But there is compensation:  an explosion of colorful roses all around Vienna.  This merry month of May, which at times feels like summer, seemingly everywhere your eye roams it is met by exuberant red, pink, whiteContinue reading “I (never) promised you a rose garden”

Observing collectors of the exotic

Missionaries – mercenaries – ethnographers – tourists… One might say that collecting things is a basic human urge.  Some people collect clocks,  antique books, vintage clothing, rubber ducks, bottle tops, even umbrella sleeves (!) – you name it, somebody will surely be collecting it.   (I personally admit to an out-of-control collection of (artificial) birdsContinue reading “Observing collectors of the exotic”