March 27, 2012

Graveyard in the Styrian Alps

I'm taking a brief break from my Guangdong series of posts to bring you to Austria for Taphophile Tragics.

It's a mid-winter day in 2006. Somewhere en route to Mariazell from Vienna, high up amid the north Styrian Alps, with the sun already lost beyond the horizon, we were passing through a small charming village when we saw the church.

Austria, 2006

See church; have graveyard. We stopped for a quick look. Another photo opp on the run. So with the blistering cold, diminishing light, and an early model of a digital camera, my photos for you are less than stellar. Still I thought the scene was intriguing and the wrought iron crosses magnificent.


30 comments:

Halcyon said...

Beautiful snow shots!

joo said...

It's like winter wonderland! I don't miss winter at the moment, but it's always nice to see pictures as nice as these!

Gemma Wiseman said...

To see a graveyard so inundated with snow is enchanting! But what totally fascinates me is the detailed wrought iron cross in the second photo!

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

What wonderful shots of this snow-laden churchyard... Always like seeing snow photos as we get so little of it here in Melbourne.

Jim said...

Fascinating to see how different things are in other parts of the world.

Ann said...

Just beautiful with the crossing poking out of the snow. So different to what we have here.

Simon said...

What a picturesque scene. Those crosses remind me of those I saw in the film Amadeus-while Mozart was on his way to the pauper's grave.

hamilton said...

The wrought iron crosses are very interesting looking. As is all that freshly fallen snow!

Sondra said...

Its a wonderland with that snow over it...love the soft warm glow of the photos.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

This sight seems other worldly. I love wrought iron and to see so many cross designs is amazing.

Peter said...

That's deep snow! A beautiful village.

LadyFi said...

What beautiful pictures! The buildings remind me of cream-topped cakes!

H said...

The already buried have been well and truly buried!

The wrought iron has an intricate beauty made all the more interesting by the way it is peeping out of the snow.

Cezar and Léia said...

Dear Francisca,
So wonderful winter scenery, your pictures are beautiful and special postcards.This place is magnificent!
*** Thanks so much for your kind words in my blog. yesssssssssssss Yesterday, I got my diploma!
Maybe now, it's time to think about learning German!Hmmm but I guess it is difficult!Maybe...
big bisous
Léia

Gerald (SK14) said...

What a lot of snow - sorry about having to keep captchas on my blogs but I took them off and got inundated with spam - I appreciate your efforts to comment despite the hurdle.

Traveling Hawk said...

Those crosses are a real show, indeed! Just before I was on a blog with spring flowering and now so much snow again! It's wonderful this opportunity which the internet gives us to play with seasons and places, isn't it?

Deb said...

Interesting snow shots, wonder why iron crosses in this part of the world?

Joan Elizabeth said...

What lovely images ... so different from anything seen here.

VioletSky said...

Those crosses are wonderful and so delicately intricate looking. We have nothing quite like that here.

CaT said...

so much snow!!
we hardly had any this year in boston, unfortunately.. :(

Lowell said...

Zounds! What a beautiful place, church and cemetery! Terrific snow photos.

Are you having fun yet?

genie said...

Francisca....I am so far behind in my comments. School still at 73 is killing me this year. I think I rally ned to retire. I get up at 5 and get home at 4 and am dead meat. Am asleep by 8:00 unless I am commenting or working on my pictures. Then I get so keyed up I cannot go to sleep. All the snow in these photos is gorgeous. What a lovely part of the world to visit. The church and the cemetery covered up in snow is out of this world in its prettiness. These are lovely captures. Take care...genie

Julie said...

I agree that the fillagree on the cross in your second image is just terrific, Francisca.I have seen, in cemeteries visited by other bloggers, how a pile of snow flattens everything beneath it, and leaves a cemetery rather dull and bare. However, when the snow is at it peak, it is a most beautiful sight.

I am so pleased you showed us these photographs. I am not precious about the quality of the image, but AM greedy for information about this wierd and wonderful world of our.

Thank you, Francisca.

Francisca said...

Julie, I wish I hadn't been in such a rush to post this blog or I would have been able to satisfy OUR greed for information. I found this very informative site for the the History of the German-Russian Wrought Iron Cemetery Cross.

Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...

Gorgeous photography! You have captured it beautifully.
Thanks for sharing.
Hope to see you on my blog:)

Sallie (FullTime-Life.com said...

A lovely break -- from where you are now and certainly from where I am -- I've never in my life even seen that much snow and it is beautiful. You know that I wouldn't complain about the quality of the pictures (I loved Julie's comment above).

Pat Tillett said...

No, they are quite stellar! In fading light and subdued colors, I think they are pretty darn good. Quite a find on your way to somewhere else.

Anita Johnson said...

Your travels are better than the National Geographic provide....I love stopping by here!

Kaori said...

All that snow is wonderful! Covering practically everything! I can really enjoy the view now that Tokyo is getting warmer :D

Unknown said...

This is fantastic! The photo in the middle is a winner!