I made this sketch at Haus des Meeres, Vienna's aquarium, which oddly enough is situated within a WW2 flak tower (anti-air-raid tower).In the summer you can see wild carp in the Donau-Auen National Park. This forest/wetland area is my favourite place in Vienna - part of it extends within the city limits. The first time I visited I cycled, alone, got utterly lost and couldn't believe all the amazing wildlife I found - as well as the carp there's beaver, lots of lizards, snakes, rare birds, turtles, amazing plants... I'll certainly be writing more about the Donau Auen and its inhabitants. The carp are massive and you can get very close to them, but for drawing them the aquarium is a lot easier.
In Vienna (also in Slovakia and Hungary) carp are the traditional food on Christmas Eve. In some places people buy them live from the market and keep them in their baths until it's time to dispatch them. A Slovakian friend told me that when she was young she liked having a pet carp in the bath and would cry when it had to be eaten.
love the fish and looking forward to seeing a beaver sketch when the ice thaws. i lived in Vienna 21 in 1986-7 and at the time it was the most deprived suburb after District 2. We had pretty bleak views from our windows in winter and our loo was outside the flat, across the main stairwell. also no heating in the bathroom! ah happy memories...gill
ReplyDeleteI want a carp in my bath.
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