Preview - back garden of the arena

Gardens of Schönbrunn Castle, Vienna, Austria, September 27th, 2018.

Nel and I are just back from a nine day trip to Vienna and Prague. Two entirely different cities with an atmosphere and a feel of their own.

Although my casting call for Vienna eventually got more views than the one for Prague, it was clear to me beforehand that photo shoot opportunities would be scarce in Vienna and abundant in Prague. And so they were. Vienna did yield two applications but both models dropped out because of health issues. Of course there is nothing wrong with playing tourist in Vienna. Way back in 1970 I spent a week there and the grandeur of the city was just amazing. Stephans Platz with its impressive Dom. The Lippizaner horses. Staatsoper and Volksoper - Vienna is all about classical music. And of course Schönbrunn Castle, once the residence of the famous Donau monarchy. Empress Maria Theresia (b. 1717 - d. 1780), Emperor Franz Josef (b. 1830 - d. 1916) and his wife Elisabeth (b. 1837 - d. 1898) whose nickname was Sissy.

Our third and final day in Vienna consisted of a city bike trip to Schönbrunn and I decided to put a small selection of nine glasses for Prague shoots in my tiny rucksack. You never know. A face in the crowd at Schönbrunn might catch my attention. And lo and behold, this is exactly what happened but in a different way than expected.

Nel and I spotted a female stand up comedian at the entrance of the castle. Might she be persuaded to do a bit of a photo shoot in prescription glasses? Nel kindly offered to talk to the lady and introduce me to her.