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| A view of Salzburg - taken from on of the mountaintops that surrounds the city. |
You might wander across this blog and wonder where a silly name like ‘Linzer Lane’ comes from. My husband, who is a native Austrian, thought it would be a fine idea for us to live in his country for a few years after we married in 2014. So overseas we went - looking for the perfect spot to settle during our stay. Funny enough, there is one store I love more than anything in Salzburg, (Depot!!!), so I found it quite a coincidence we ended up living directly above it, on a street that the locals call, ‘die Linzergasse’ (which literally means Linzer Street in German). My previous blog titles, were always cute, but had no real relevance to me or my life. And so, because I love alliteration, and my name as an artist is Lady Lucas, I thought Linzer Lane would be a fantastic name for a blog!
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| A cappuccino from my favorite place ever - 'Cafe Classic' in Mozart's Living House. |
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| This was my work desk while we were abroad. I peered into the windows of a super old apartment building (1400's) everyday. Luckily the top floor was for storage - so there was never anyone looking back ;) |
Linzergasse is a street filled to the brim with charming, niche stores including a dollhouse shop, a paperie, an herbal tea store, and a gingerbread bakery. The gingerbread bakery intrigued me so much, that I found myself wanting to write a story about it for children. A year of work drawing and photographing mini gingerbread houses, hedgehogs, and cute spiders, culminated in my first picture book featuring the characters of Linzer Lane called, ‘Iggie’s Gingerbread’. You’ll find the book mentioned quite frequently on this blog, and I do hope you take the time to give it a read one day. (Just ask Mr. Bates the Hedgehog - he is a real fan!)
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| The adorable Mr. Bates! |
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| Gingerbread hearts like this are common everywhere in Austria & Germany. |
When I walk out into the world each day, I tend to see animals everywhere. I imagine them running things instead of humans. In fact, sometimes I wish they were ;) In no place did I imagine this scenario more, than while living in Salzburg. Everything there has a rhythm and a purpose. Tradition is honored on a daily basis that seems strict from the outside, but has a lot of heart as well. Bakers treat every batch of rolls with care, flower shops sell amazing gifts for every holiday that delight shoppers, and every lawn is cut so meticulously, it looks as if a mouse used scissors to trim them!
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| Meticulous landscaping at Mirabelle Gardens - a place I often sat to think, write and draw. |
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| Nature is a constant source of inspiration for me. Ducks are no exception! |
In my mind, Linzer Lane is a street of adorable specialty shops that are run by a cast of animals characters that do what they love each day. They celebrate life by making crafts, throwing parties, and following their passions. Whether it be Iggie the hedgehog decorating fantastic gingerbread houses, or Zinnie the rabbit growing a rare magenta tulip to sell to the florist in town, each animal has something special to offer - all you have to do is follow along and enjoy their story as it unfolds… ;)
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| Dramatic clouds over the Salzach River. |
PS - Lebkuchen means 'gingerbread' in German!
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| One of my favorite days ever - picking gladiolas in a big field by the road along the Austrian / German border. |
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