Book Review: Die Entdeckung von Franz-Josef-Land by Julius Payer

So I picked up this book recently, due to the fact that I didn't know anything about Julius Payer, nor did I know about the Austro-Hungarian Expedition to the North Pole. So I took this as an opportunity to learn something new, hence I picked up this book. I have to say, I learned a lot!

See, I didn't even know that Franz Josef Land existed. But as I picked up this book, I had to look it up. It's actually a collection of small islands in northern Russia, near Novaya Zemlya. It's one of those islands that are near the North Pole, but it's pretty much uninhabited, so it's outside of my consciousness I suppose. But in any case, in 1872-1874, a group of men from Austria-Hungary, led by Julius Payer, sailed towards this direction. They were onboard the sailing ship, the Tegetthoff. However, their ship got trapped in sea ice, and therefore they drifted without direction. At some point, they reached this archipelago, and that was the catalyst for the discovery of these islands.

A Visit to Vienna: Gemeindebauten

Architecture was one of those aspects which I actually didn't pay attention at all when I spent 5 weeks in Vienna, back in 2005. So now that I am slightly more aware of it, I wanted to focus on it slightly, by checking out the so-called Gemeindebauten in Vienna.

Testing Myself on Social Media

I do not have much social media consumption. I actually left Facebook more than a decade ago, and I do not have Tiktok nor Instagram. I am not glued to my smartphone. So one day, I wanted to test this decision of mine, whether my feelings have changed. It turns out it hasn't.

A Visit to Vienna: The Gasometer

After spending the morning in the Belvedere Complex, I had lunch. And then I ventured out, this time to the Gasometer. I wanted to see something that was architecturally significant.

Georg Friedrich Händel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto

I didn't realise I would see three Händel operas this year. But I did. I actually saw Giulio Cesare in Egitto in the Deutsche Oper Berlin this summer, before the season ended and the theatre went on summer break. I have to say, in comparison with the previous Händel operas I have seen earlier this year, this one was the most epic. It's also the longest: it clocked at 4 hours and 45 minutes, including 2 intermissions. But I have to say, the time invest was absolutely worth it.