How still my heart, how high the moon

Tonight I chased the moon. I took my camera on a date, with my tripod along as a somewhat clumsy third wheel (although he did keep the conversation flowing quite well). It was a beautiful clear night, and the three of us wandered through the old city for two and a half hours taking pictures. I was walking through one of Vienna's many Christmas markets, this one in the Museumsquartier, when I looked up and saw a stunning moon and several stars in the distance. And so... I decided to follow the moon.

I felt like a child looking for the end of the rainbow, although in this case the pot of gold I was looking for was a perfect photo op with the moon and some fabulous Viennese architecture. It's almost impossible to get lost in the middle of Vienna, because you will undoubtedly run into a building you recognize or a subway station, and if not, there are always taxis at the ready, so I had no fear in following the moon instead of my map. But the moon was always just out of reach of my camera, just beyond the next building. It took me on a lovely journey, past the National Library, a fantastic view of the Rathaus, the Hofburg Palace, and several pretty churches. Of course, I had to stop to photograph each sight, and somehow, in all the chasing and photographing stopping, the moon escaped. Before I knew it, I was in front of the Stephansdom and the sly moon was nowhere to be seen.

So you won't be seeing any pictures of the moon above the Viennese buildings on my Flickr page. I'm not too disappointed, though. It was the perfect night in Vienna, an imperial city brimming with life and poetry both. What better way to enjoy it than by wandering the streets chasing after the moon?