When we started this here Metroblog almost a year ago, Vienna was the second European city in the network, launched a few days after London. Today, there are almost 30 metblog cities, but together with London and Istanbul, we were pretty much alone on the European side of the planet.
Until today.

Say hello to the Berlin Metblog! Guided by Felix Petersen of Plazes fame, they are already off to a great start with lots of articles, a good core team and many great photos in their Flickr group.

I’ve only been in Berlin once, interrailing with some school friends back in the mid-90’s. Berlin was full of cranes back then, and it was a fascinating, thriving place full of life and madness. I had a great time there, and I really hope I can revisit soon. Anyway, enough of me, welcome Berlin, and blog on!

P.S.: Send some Currywurst, please, I’m starving over here.

P.P.S: In other news, we also send a warm welcome to our new co-bloggers in Philadelphia!

typical relaxed african style … very amusing to the commuters at the floridsdorf bahnhof … and did seem like a practical and cheap alternative to carry tiny babies in when travelling, rather than hauling them around in cumbersome perambulators.

Seen at Center Johnstrasse in the 15th district.

Cats, if you are somewhat artsy you know how expensive charcoal pencils are. Oh yes, we know that, dont we? For sure we do.

My mother dragged me to the local Sewa store around the corner and guess what i found:

12 drawing pencils (They arent THAT fantastic, but good enough for quick sketches)
12 charcoal pencils (Same, but perfect to master bigger spaces without wanting to waste the really expensive ones)
12 colour pencils (Rather good, i must say)
12 metallic pencils (Metal.Well, yeah. Maybe you need them…)
12 waterpaint pencils (Goody goody.)

for 5,90 eur its rather good. If they arent good enough for you, kids will certainly appreciate it.

No, this not a paid commercial (they didnt give me some weed to make me post this), and yes this sentence is sarcasm. Sue me.

did you ever dream that something like stock market astrology would exist? me neither.
but what really bothers me: I found the ad @ the life science department of vienna’s university…

Just when i thought this day couldnt suprise me anymore, i got positively suprised by Barbara,
who was sweet enough to send me an email about something oustanding and awesome.

Someone did a fantastic job with rebuilding the MailBoxes Etc building with black white A4 copies.

Location: Kirchengasse
Picture: Barbara (i only cropped it a little)

Thank you Barbara!

Every city in the world has some quirks you have to get used to. No matter if it’s a specific kind of weather or the fact that a giant lizard ravages the place every few years, there’s always something you need some time to accept. With Vienna, it’s the structure of government. There’s a law for everything, described in 17 different statutes, further defined by two dozen edicts and executed by no less than three different departments. This all comes from the time when our Kaiser was still around, and has survived two world wars and four different kinds of administration. With the advent of the e-government, things are starting to look at little better, and there are real efforts to break the crust that 150 years of red tape have formed over the city, but still, when you see a sign like this one, it takes a few seconds to realize that it’s a joke:

“This seat is reserved for members of the federal government! Non-authorized persons will be fined up to 1000 Euros for improper use. Parents are liable for their children’s actions.”

Sadly, I am not able to translate the wonderfully imitated civil servant-ish German used on this sticker. Found on the lid of a toilet seat in the men’s restroom at the Phil.

Old milk shop on Diehlgasse.

all hardrockers who missed thehandydandy devastating rhiz two weeks before, get another chance to see them live in june. tomorrow.

ER

there’s been lots of toilet stories. and I wouldn’t disturb you with yet another one if it wasn’t sooo nice. found @ cafe hawelka in dorothergasse, 1st district.