Glock (Signature Weapon)

This is a new post in my Signature Weapons series, about weapons that say something about the characters using them, especially but not exclusively in crime fiction. So today I am blogging about the Glock. This is the very first firearm of the series. And before I go further, a disclaimer: I know almost nothing of firearms, I'm not a gun enthusiast by any stretch of the imagination, I don't have a gun fetish either, so I am writing this as a complete outsider, but as an aspiring crime fiction writer. Now, I find Glocks interesting for a number of reasons: thematically, symbolically and practically. First, it is the service weapon of many police forces in the world, including the SQ (Sûreté du Québec). So this is often the weapon of choice of my characters. According to the TV Tropes entry on handguns, it has the reputation of being the boring but practical gun of all boring, but practical guns. It's reliable without being flashy. Also, it's an Austrian weapon, and the name is very close to the German Glocke, which means bell. I find it ironic that a weapon is thus linked to something often seen as delicate and playful, used to produce music. And yes, I am working to use this double entendre in couple of stories.

Premier Strudel

Lors de la première soirée de notre séjour à Salsbourg, nous avons participé à une visite guidée de la résidence des Von Trap dans La mélodie du bonheur, avec performances des airs de la comédie musicale. Nous avons aussi eu droit, en guise de repas, à notre premier strudel de notre séjour. Strudels aux pommes, bien entendu. C'était bon, bien que frugal.

Mozart for Easter (Et incarnatus est)

 Happy Easter everyone! As usual, I share some music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. I shared his Et incarnatus est from his Great Mass in C Minor more than once, but it's just so fitting for today. Performed here by French soprano Julie Fuchs (Wolfie's favourite, because he finds her cute). And to accompany this post, a picture I took in Vienna. If you think it's not Easter-y enough, well, I think Mozart is always Easter-y enough, because it's his music I listen to at Easter and because he was the Christ of music.

L'architecture de Salzbourg

 J'ai pris cette photo lors de nos vacances en Autriche l'an passé, à Salzbourg. Vous voyez un commerce, en tout cas un édifice, qui date de quelques siècles, R.F. Azwanger. Ce que j'aime dans l'architecture de Salzbourg, c'est justement qu'elle a l'air figée dans le temps, comme je le disais dans ce billet. Même avec l'apparition des stands et des réclames plus modernes, comme on voit ici. Et avec les couleurs parfois pastel, parfois vives, on dirait souvent des maisons de poupées géantes. Il y a quelque chose de délicat dans cette ville.

Ours polaire viennois?

 Photo prise au Zoo de Vienne lors de nos vacances l'an dernier. Je ne tenais pas tant à y aller (au zoo je veux dire). Mais ce fût quand même agréable. Et puis c'est toujours plaisant de voir (notamment) des ours polaires, tant qu'ils ne puissent pas vous atteindre. Je trouve toujours ça un peu surréaliste de voir un animal polaire dans un zoo européen. Je ne sais pas trop pourquoi.

Vienna, city of espionnage

 You may remember back on the 25th of February, I had made the project of starting a number of posts here about cities and places associated with espionage, in fiction and/or in history. Well, I haven't forgotten it and today is the fitst post of I hope a new series. The first city I wanted to blog about came as a no brainer: I am talking of course of Vienna. Because it is not only the City of Music, it could easily qualify as the City of Espionage, and way before the Cold War. Of course it was one of those places at the center of the conflict between East and West, but it has always been the convergence point for both worlds, both Europes so to speak. Also, I suspect that due to its picturesque look, many spies would rather meet there than anywhere else in the world. For the writer, it makes for a great backdrop for a gripping drama, the beauty of Vienna a sharp contrast to the ruthless game of cloaks and daggers being played. Should you visit it, keep that in mind. I know I will next time.

Schnapps

 I was thinking about it checking the pictures of our trip to Austria: there were lots of schnapps being sold in tourists shops. One of the many drinks I failed to try during our time there. I'm not sure if I would have liked anyway, but I'm curious. And I also like the name, it's snappy and kind of cool in an aloof yet joyful way. It makes you want to celebrate. I understand it is a spirit common to the Germanic world, not merely Austria. But I don't remember drinking any in the past. Any amateurs of schnapps among my readers? Worth a try? I need to add it to my bucket list in any case.

Volaille et lapin

J'ai pris cette photo à  Vienne, au Belvedere.Un tableau de Franz Werner Tamm (ou von Tamm). Je l'aime beaucoup, je ne sais pas trop pourquoi. Le tableau s'appelle "Volaille et lapin". J'imagine que j'aime les tableaux qui ont des couleurs très naturelles.

Samovar

I took this picture in Vienna at the hotel we were staying. It is of course a samovar, and so samovar this is the word of the day. They had it in the dining room for breakfast. It is, as far as I can remember, the very first samovar I ever saw. Certainly the first proper samovar I ever used. I was so grateful to find out that they do tea properly in Austria. Well, at least in one place in Austria anyway. And making tea with this made me feel all posh and fancy, like a true gentleman. It's also very exotic. Anyway, I must have drunk three cuppas every morning, just for the sheer pleasure of using this samovar. But the tea was nice too.

Tamino and Pamina

First and foremost: happy Valentine's Day everyone! I am not the biggest fan, to be honest, because when you are single today, it is depressing and when you are in a couple, it is stressful. All the same, let's celebrate, with first  picture I took in Vienna. You may recognise Prince Tamino and Princess Pamina from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. AKA The Magic Flute. We stumbled upon this monument at complete random. I thought it captured beautifully their relationship. Of course, I could not celebrate today without Mozart's music. There's another reason why I wanted to share the picture: for me, their relationship perfectly embodies what true, lasting love should be. So here is their duet, or a part of their one duet in the opera, sung by my favourite Mozartian soprano Golda Schultz (don't tell the others) and tenor Ben Bliss. Mozart can be cynical about relationships, but not here. Yet he remains I think truthful: for love to work, it has to be teamwork.

Schnitzel

I took this picture in Salzburg, in a restaurant called Café Mozart (well, of course). Of course, I couldn't go to Austria without trying some of their national dishes. This is a schnitzel, as far as you can see underneath the sauce and over the pasta. Mentioned in the song of a famous musical. It may look bland, but it was surprisingly good. I could have had it for every meal and I would have been happy. But there is so much to try in Austria, I really don't think I made the best of my time there, food-wise. We need to go there again.

Princesse/Impératrice Sissi

Il y a une personne en Autriche qui, sans être aussi célébrée par les touristes que le p'tit gars de Salsbourg (on Autrichien préféré, bien entendu), est quand même une attraction. Je parle de l'Impératrice Élisabeth de Wittelsbach. Aussi connue sous le nom de Princesse Sissi. Enfant, j'ai comme bien du monde connu Sissi grâce aux films avec Romy Schneiger. Des bluettes édulcorées, je crois, des romcoms pseudo-historiques, mais ça faisait des soirées de fin d'été assez plaisantes et ça désennuyait un peu. En plus, ça nous donnait un petit vernis d'histoire. Enfin bref, j'ai pris cette photo à Vienne, me demandant combien de touristes la princesse attire. Elle ou le portrait qu'en a donné Romy Schneider. Mais bon, elle peut bien avoir ses fans, elle ne doit certainement pas en avoir autant que Wolferl.

Anecdote à Salsbourg

Photo prise à Salsbourg lors de nos vacances d'été. Si l'édifice vous semble familier, c'est qu'il a été utilisé comme la résidence des Von Trap dans La mélodie du bonheur. Ma femme a insité pour que l'on aille à une visite-spectacle du lieu lors de notre première soirée là-bas. J'ai mes pèlerinages, elle a les siens. Alors donc, nous avons eu droit à quelques performances des airs de la comédie musicale, ainsi que des informations sur le tournage et sur l'histoire vraie qui a inspiré la fiction édulcorée. Et nous avons mangé notre premier strudel, offert avec le tour. Mais ce dont je voulais parler, c'est d'une spectatrice. Lors de la pause collation, alors que l'on allait s'asseoir à une table dans la cour intérieure, nous avons demandé à la dame âgée qui était là toute seule si ça ne lui dérangeait pas que l'on partage la même table. Elle a répondu dans un anglais très hésitant. Puis, elle m'a entendu parler à petit loup en français. Il s'est avéré qu'elle parlait très bien le français elle-même. Si je me rappelle bien, sa fille est mariée à un Français et elle a donc des petits-enfants francophones. La conversation s'est donc faite dans la langue de Molière. Alors voilà, dans une certaine partie de l'Europe, les gens d'un certain âge ont parfois une langue seconde autre que l'anglais.

Autruches en Autriche

 Vous vous rappelez peut-être d'un calembour atroce que j'ai commis en août 2025. En fait non, c'est une confusion agaçante que j'avais entendue étant enfant: un camarade de classe qui disait autruche au lieu d'Autriche. Or, lors de notre séjour à Vienne, j'ai vu ce tableau au Belvedere. des autruches en Autriche. Je n'ai pas pu résister et j'ai donc pris cette photo. Outre cela, le tableau et la dorure autour, ça fait quand même joli. Mais j'ai surtout pris la photo pour le calembour atroce.

Komodo Dragon

This may come as a surprise to you, given the last few days, but we didn't go to Austria only as a musical pilgrimage. I was looking at the pictures of our trip and we saw many other things. In Vienna, I was dragged at the Haus de Meeres (their aquarium) and I managed to fulfill an old childhood dream: see a real Komodo dragons, in the flesh. You may remember from this post from 2023 that I had a fascination for them. Well, I can tick that off my bucket list. Although I am looking forward to the next time I see these scary critters. Famous last words, I know.

Majestic Mozart

Well, it is still Mozart Week, so I am sharing more of his music. And a statue of Mozart himself: the one you can find in Vienna. It is often surrrounded by tourists, who just take pictures of it because, well, Mozart is a huge part of Vienna and Austria, maybe its most famous composers. And I was there as a pilgrim, a proper worshipper in fact. That said, like many other portraits and monuments to the man, I find this one strange at many levels. He looks atypically regal and Greco-Roman godly here. Maybe a tad Messianic too. As much as I'm a sucker for the monuments paying homage to him, I can't help but find them incomplete. There's a lot of Amadeus in this statue, but very little of Wolfgang, even less of Wolferl. There's no mischief. Anyway, this post would not be complete without a bit of music, here an aria from from Le Nozze di Figaro. Sung by Rod Gilfry. Tell me what you think of the music and the statue.

Mozart, music and chocolate

Yes, yes, Mozart's birthday was yesterday, I know it came and it's gone. However, as it is still Mozart Week, this household will spend it listening to Wolferl's music and we will stuff ourselves with Mozartkugeln. We made stocks during our time in Austria and we are still getting through them. I tookthis picture in Salzburg, where Mozart as born 270 years ago and one day. They sell the stuff everywhere, in all sorts of varieties. But more on that in another post. I thought it would be fitting to share a bit of Cosi fan tutte. One of my operatic obsessions. It's about love and, yes, sometimes it is also about chocolate.

The Birthday of Amadeus

As you probably know by now, today is the birthday of of Wolfgang Johannes Chrysostome Amadeus Mozart, the heart of Mozart Week. I commemorate it a picture with his most famous (although not his most accurate) portrait, which I took in Vienna. I am also sharing a bit of his music, the Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra. I thought I would give you a break from opera. And that a birthday needed something joyful and youthful.

Don Giovanni for Mozart Week

Because it is Mozart Week, I think it is proper to share more of Mozart's music. I took this picture in Salzburg, the city of his birth. As you can read beneath, it is a drawing of a stage design Don Giovanni, my favourite opera of Wolfgang. My favourite opera, period, in fact. I haven't shared an aria from DG for a long while, not since 2022, so it was about time. This is Mi tradi wuell alma ingrata, sung by Alexandra Lowe (a soprano I don't know all that much) and I hope you enjoy.

Cherubs and Cherubino

As you know if you are following this blog, we are during Mozart Week, a festival held in his native Salzburg to celebrate his birth and his life. As I am a big fan of Mozart, I'm celebrating it here too. I took this picture in Salzburg, during our last holiday in Austria. Which was, to me, a pilgrimage. It is a ridiculously allegorical portrait of Amadeus, but I thought it would be fitting for the aria I am sharing today. As there are cherubs visiting him from heaven (maybe to make sure he doesn't get naughty with the lady he is playing to?), I thought it would be fitting to put an aria from Le Nozze di Figaro. Sang of course by Cherubino, who here takes the voice and face of Israeli mezzosoprano Rinat Shaham. There are subtitles for your convenience.