No news from Vienna

[Gianluca Drago]

I spent a couple of days in Vienna on business last week. It was really cold and there was no time to wander around the city. I feel so frustrated that I didn't manage to take the photos I wanted to. So no news from Vienna, but I'll share some shots anyway.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I really love the first (with the spire piercing her eye) and last (the amused horses laughing at an Italian...). It can certainly be frustrating when we plan a good photography trip on the back of another reason for being somewhere extremely photogenic, then it just doesn't happen. I feel for you, Gianluca! It's getting cold in Edinburgh too, with a maximum of 3C today. Brrr...

 

[Gianluca Drago]

the amused horses laughing at an Italian

I purposely took a very close-up photo of the horses' faces because I hoped one could capture in their attitude and gaze the stress they are under and the alienation they suffer from, with one of them seeking comfort by biting the reins motionless. The coachman at one point came out of the carriage to punch him twice and force him into a more statuesque pose. So, no, they weren't laughing at all.
Anyway, thank you for your comment, Rob.

 

[Gianluca Drago]

As you may know, the battle of animal rights activists to abolish horse-drawn carriages in Vienna or Rome is very strong and rightly so (see e.g. https://robinhood-tierschutz.at/en/campaigns/horse-drawn-carriages/). Then if they really want to ride tradition there is no need to exploit horses because Mozart is happy to lend a wheel.