Videos

More than 70 young people sent feathers and scraps of fabric flying from their pillows in front of the Amalienburg at Vienna’s Hofburg. It took a police officer 20 minutes to break up the flash mob.

A group of uniformed men rounds the corner by the Imperial and Royal Court Bakery in Linz. Women wearing golden bonnets join the colorful crowd of men wearing decorations and medals. A video from off to the side of an official event.

Frozen, glass-clear water underfoot. After several days below freezing, the Old Danube in Vienna has turned into a vast natural ice rink. The later the afternoon, the more skaters go zipping across the centimeter-thick ice past the United Nations office towers. The Gänsehäufel outdoor pool can be walked all the way around. Every now and then you can hear the ice creaking and cracking — this cool little walk isn’t entirely without risk.

Money used to lie in the streets here, on what once seemed a solidly built street known as Wall Street. But now it’s gone — that money. It turned liquid, even gaseous, and largely vanished into thin air. The 2008 financial crisis spread from here to the whole world. The mood is gloomy and bleak. The sun’s rays reach the ground of this hard-nosed financial world only once a day, briefly at noon, before moving on again after a quarter of an hour.

Linz is one of the two 2009 European Capitals of Culture. Preparations for the New Year’s Eve spectacle were in full swing over the final days, but the show itself never quite got going. With temperatures below freezing, some people already headed home before the final fireworks.

Year after year, countless people find it in themselves to brave icy-cold evenings and gather at Christmas markets, mostly to browse the same old decorations or drink Christmas punch. While dense crowds are practically guaranteed in Vienna’s city center during the pre-Christmas season, things stay relatively manageable at the Christmas market by Schönbrunn Palace. On top of the delicious apple punch, you get imperial, historic scenery thrown in for free.

The new Austrian federal government was sworn in and then made its way to the Federal Chancellery for a group photo. No protesters, no mishaps, all very unremarkable. Pianissimo adagio — that’s how the second act of a grand coalition began.

Times Square in New York City is an impressive experience. A video capturing more than seven exciting minutes of everyday life in Manhattan by night.

More than half a million people pass through this place every day. The ceiling of this enormous hall is painted with a starry sky, making the bustling foyer feel even more spacious. Grand Central Terminal is a terminus station right in the middle of Manhattan and, with more than 40 platforms, is considered the largest train station in the world.

Right in the middle of Manhattan, you can go ice skating — directly beside the General Electric Building at Rockefeller Center. At least that’s the impression given by the sunken ice rink set up there each winter, which has appeared in countless New York films.