I saw a picture of the coffee pot you see up there in a shelter magazine a few years ago. I'm not sure which magazine it was, probably Domino, but I remember being drawn to the sharp black and white stripes and the curved shape. When I saw that it was a classic Austrian design I smiled to myself and left it at that. I figured I'd eventually buy one for our house when I was in Vienna.

When we were in Vienna last month I was just walking around the first district with my husband when I saw the <a href="http://viennadailyphotobyvreni.blogspot.com/2011/06/augarten-porcelain.html">following window display (I'm sorry I didn't take a picture, but this nice blogger did, and since I don't steal photos from the internet you'll just have to click over and peek at her picture)</a>.

(Don't be so lazy. Just click and come back.)

"There they are!" I basically shrieked at my husband as I gripped his arm and dragged him into the store.

My husband couldn't figure out what had me so excited about a bunch of teacups. I don't even know what it is about them, really, other than they are beautiful and I had filed them away for someday. And then they appeared, just when I wasn't looking for them.

Turns out the shop we walked into is the Augarten showroom -- Augarten just happens to be one of the oldest brands in the world and the porcelain is handmade in a castle in the second district of Vienna