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Travels in photography: Vienna, Austria

Posted on by Karen Reyburn
09
Jan
Austria at Christmas time. It conjures up the idea of mountains, snow, grey skies, brightly-lit Christmas markets with all sorts of wares, carols sung in front of a cathedral, and the beauty of old European cities.

We were thrilled to discover that Vienna met our expectations in all of these areas. It was cold, but a sharp cold without rain (as one who lives in Scotland, this is a critical point of notice). Most of all it was lovely to just wander the city streets, going where we wanted to go and being surprised around every corner by something new and beautiful that we had never seen.

Christmas market hut

Schönbrunn Palace

Neptune Fountain, Schönbrunn Palace

The birds and ducks were slightly confused, but had fun!

Duck in decision mode

Gloriette colonnade, Schonbrunn Palace

My sister and travel companion!

Next blog post: Salzburg!

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ON THE GRAM

Mar 18

Open
Popped into a fave local coffee shop in York this week and this was the mug they gave me. ❤️✨ Wasn’t feeling so superwomanny when I got it - this week was very full, plus period cramps and multiple migraines and my ankle being wonky and more travel than I’ve done in a while. I had intended to get coffee but the cramps were so bad I had to go for mint tea and just sit until they faded enough for me to walk again. At the same time, I also had an amazing time during this week with the @weare_pf Board meeting in person for the first time. Getting to know each other better as humans and sharing ideas and making plans and most of all appreciating that the weight of all the business decisions doesn’t rest solely on my shoulders. This is just one of your reminders that being a superwoman looks different at different times, and whether you’re striding along strongly or sitting weakly with mint tea, your superwoman status still applies. #justkeepgoing #superwoman #muglife #wegotthis #onedayatatime

Mar 11

Open
Every single time I go sailing past this lighthouse on the mull-to-Oban ferry I think “this time I’ll just watch it and not take any pictures” And then something wild happens like A SAILBOAT GOES BY and of course I have to capture that, surely I haven’t taken that photo before (spoiler: I have), and then I have about seventeen lighthouse photos to add to my collection of seven thousand lighthouse photos from the last twenty years. But, I figure, what’s the harm anyway. It’s my photos and my memories and it brings me joy. I love the lighthouse as a visual of my journey from the mainland to the island (or a reminder I’ll be back soon). So, see you soon lighthouse. Thanks for standing there. #lismorelighthouse #eileanmusdile #lighthouse #lighthousesofinstagram #oban #ferry #calmac #isleofmull #sailaway #sailboat #scotland #travelscotland

Mar 11

Open
I read. A lot. My list of “books to read” has over 100 titles listed, and every time I mention a book I’ve appreciated, I get another recommendation of a new one and the list gets longer. One of the books recommended to me years ago was “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”. She mentioned it had some helpful principles about how we navigate life - and whether you’re a buddhist or not, there are principles you can learn from and apply in life. I wrote it down, forgot about it, and moved on with life. Read lots of other books. And then when I broke my ankle, and was sitting and resting a LOT, with loads of time for reading, I went back to my list and started reconsidering some of the titles on it. When I looked up “The Buddha in Me the Buddha in You”, the subtitle was “A Handbook for Happiness”, and that struck me. Dealing with an injury is difficult. Sad. Wearying. It can be hard to find happiness and every day feels about the same. (Very Groundhog Day.) So I bought the book, and put it by my bed. I started getting into a pattern of reading a chapter every morning with my coffee. I thought I’d share some of the principles I appreciated and which are already helping me as I continue to navigate my life right now: [the full post on these is too long for an Insta post so click the link in bio or story if u want to read more!] Thank the spoon - a spoon stirs up the mud in what had appeared to be clear water. Same with life: hard things stir up what you haven’t dealt with yet. So you thank them. “Thank you, spoon” The Fundamental darkness (FD) - the “Survival Obsessed Self” who responds in a way based on survival but not growth There’s a gift in the struggle - He describes it visually as “the lotus flower in the muddy pond”. You can focus on the mud, or on the flower, but they’re both there. Nam - myo - ho - renge - kyo : The happiness soundtrack - I pulled out the core concepts of each of these words as they applied to me, and they are: Purpose Mystery Potential Bloom in the struggle Flow of life #karensnotes #buddhainmebuddhainyou #books #reading #happysaturday [full note link in bio!]

Mar 9

Open
The snow is swirling the wind is howling IT’S FROZEN OUT THERE #snowing #happyspringeveryone #inlikealion