Advent, Advent ....

This weekend the traditional "Adventzeit" will start. Children will say:

"Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt, 

erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier,

dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür."

(Advent, Advent, a candle burns, 

first one, then two, then three, then four,

and then the Christkind has arrived)

Advent is the time before Christmas when Christian people are in expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Christmas. "Adventus" comes from the Latin and means "coming".

It is also the time when traffic jams are starting to build up, often mixed with weather chaos and huge queues in front of the cashiers. And the time, christmas lighting is turned on and mulled wine is drunken excessively.

And time of the "Adentkranz".
This is a green spruce wreath decorated with 4 candles and some christmasy schnick-schnack.
Either you buy a ready made wreath or you buy pine bundles and with lots of patience you manage to get a wreath, pin in the candles and use your creativity to match nice items for decoration. It will take at least an hour to finally have the wreath ready.

The story goes that the evangelic priest Johann Hinrich Wichern had a wooden wreath with 24 candles, 4 big ones for the 4 sundays and 20 "normal" ones.
Each day one more candle was lit so that finally on the 24th there were 24 candles enlighting the church. Each day the light was brighter and prepared everyone for the coming of Christ as the "Light of the World".

Nowadays it's a big business for the flower shops and each year prices increase and quality decreases.
So, if you dont want to spent 50 euro, the better, you make a DIY wreath.

Austrian families will have had lit up the first candle this sunday. And each next sunday the light will become brighter, with the increased number of candles burning. So, wherever you go in Vienna, watch out for the green wreaths.

Unfortunately you will not find it in bluedanube apartment as we decided to put safety over tradition. Tradition also has it that many of the wreaths start small fires .....

Here is my hand-made DIY wreath, done with lots of love, patience and passion.

Robbie Williams in Vienna

Book your tickets now 

and stay in our apartments just minutes away from the venue!

You will love the mediterranean air and

the excellent food in Vienna at that time!

Vienna in summer - definitely a good choice!

Christmas in Vienna - NOW!

Christmas in Vienna is waiting for you! 

 Book now to celebrate and indulge in Gluewein and Punsch! 

We have availability from 21st to 26th Dec 

for 4pax - €745 5nights!

 

Katie Melua in Vienna and the rest of Austria

On Friday, June 22nd Katie kicked off her live programm with a stunning performance at Hampton Court Palace in London.

The impressive surrounding was by far a well chosen start to her tour, which will soon bring her to Austria too.

So if you want to experience Katie live save these dates, wherever you are in Austria:

17 07 2012 Innbruck Saal Tirol

20 07 2012 Linz Domplatz

05 11 2012 Vienna Stadthalle

06 11 2012 Vienna Stadthalle

bookings can be made here

Watch out how Katie improvised at the gig last Friday in London - when sound suddenly decided to call it a day:

Vienna is stunning

Vienna is small

Vienna is snowy

Vienna is conservative

Vienna is music

Vienna is dance

Vienna is art

Vienna is modern

Vienna is austrian

Vienna is central Europe

Vienna is Mozart

Vienna is Danube

Vienna is sunny

Vienna is friendly

Vienna is picturesque

Vienna is yummy

Vienna is international

Vienna is traditional

Vienna is safe

Vienna is wine

Vienna is schnitzel

Vienna is christmas

Vienna is complicated

Vienna is history

Vienna is life

Vienna is us

Vienna is bluedanube

Vienna is different

Vienna waits for you!

City of Klimt

 

 Gustav Klimt once said about himself:

“I can paint and draw. 

There is no self-portrait of myself. 

I am not interested in my own person – more in other people, females. […]

I paint day by day from morning to night – figurative paintings and landscapes, less often portraits. 

Already when I should write a simple letter I get frightened like due to imminent seasickness. 

Those who want to know more about me shall observingly regard my paintings, and try to realize who I am and what I want.“

Austria will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of its most famous sons in 2012: Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). 

There will be more works by this genius painter and modernist pioneer on show in Vienna than ever before during this special jubilee year. Countless special exhibitions throughout 2012 will give art lovers unprecedented access to this artist’s prolific output.

Klimt spent most of his life in Vienna, and numerous examples of his work, particularly from his early period, are on permanent display in the Austrian capital.

St Nicholas & Krampus ..... dating back to the Habsburger

 Archduchess Marie Christine: The distribution of the gifts on the Feast of St Nicholas, gouache, 1762
© Schloß Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H. /Schloss Schönbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H.

On 6 December the Feast of St Nicholas, the most important of the church festivals in the period leading up to Christmas, is celebrated in Central Europe

One of the oldest traditional customs, it has always been a festivity for children. In Austria, St Nicholas is accompanied by the diabolical figure of Krampus: the saint is benevolent and brings gifts for the children, while the role of the Krampus is to punish childish misdemeanours. Thus gift-giving was not originally associated with Christmas itself, which was a purely ecclesiastical feast; Christmas as a family festivity at which children received gifts is an invention of the Biedermeier era.

St Nicholas’s Day was celebrated in all social classes, including the imperial family: at Court gifts were distributed in the evening of the 5 December, and on 6 December the imperial family attended mass at the Convent of St Nicholas on Vienna’s Singerstrasse, later dissolved by Joseph II.

There exists a well-known depiction of this custom executed by Archduchess Marie Christine, a daughter of Maria Theresa, in 1762. Set in a small family living room, it shows a number of the empress’s children discovering gifts in their shoes under the fond gaze of their parents. This scene has often been adduced as evidence indicating that the Habsburgs led an almost bourgeois life within the inner circle of the family. However, recent research has demonstrated that Marie Christine based her depiction on Netherlandish models, copying them down to the smallest detail. As the furnishings of the room and the way in which the figures are depicted have absolutely nothing in common with ceremonial life at Court, it is now assumed that this scene is a kind of playful attempt to depict the ideal of middle-class family life that was just starting to emerge in the age of Enlightenment. It can be compared to the pastorals of the Rococo era, where the nobility fled the rigid world of court ceremonial for the ostensible idyll of rustic life.

The scene contains a number of details that are still associated with the Feast of St Nicholas. The children’s shoes are filled with sweetmeats and toys; while one of the girls is enjoying her new doll and the little boy in the centre is laying into the sweets, the older boy only has a birch in his shoe, an unwelcome gift from the Krampus …

Learn more and log on to The Habsburger (where this informative article is copied from)

Schoenbrunn Palace - best in winter time!

Hurry up!

The first bookings for November and December are coming in right now!
To secure a comfy accomodation with good heating, easy access to public transport and ideally walking distance to the best gluehwein spots - BOOK NOW!

Don't forget - after summer, wintertime is the best time to visit Schoenbrunn Palace!

Happy remaining summer!!!

Weekend trip to Salzburg

Salzburg, the city of Mozart!

Only 3 car/train hours from Vienna !

Enjoy the vivid city with its unique atmosphere in the Getreidegasse

Get wet at the waterfountains of Hellbrunn ....

take a deep breath high up on the mountains and
eat local food at the Zistelalm ...

explore the stunning Hohenfestung

or just chill in Cafe Stein or Tomasselli

and wait that Jedermann calls out loud!

Finally when leaving Salzburg with the car,

make a stop at the A1 motorway service area Mondsee

The restaurant is unfriendly and crowded,

but the view is absolutely stunning

Enjoy!

Bon Jovi back to Vienna

After 3 long years they are back!

In 2008 when Bon Jovi visited Austria and showed off their rock talent they chose Ebreichsdorf as their concert location.
Ironically Ebreichsdorf, our home town! This little village south of Vienna, a bit sleepy, for sure very conservative but that comes with a horse racing ground, by courtesy of Frank Stronach, the austro-canadian self-made man.
The trouble was built-in. Excellent concert, but chaotic logistics regarding on and off-transport!

This time the venue seems to be a much better option:
The Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna, THE austrian football stadium. By far not as big as the top stadion of the world with 150.000 seats in Pjonjang and only half of the capacity of Wembley with 90.000, but anyway! And since the EURO 08 the stadion even has a heated green - anyone know, why we need that?

And this Saturday, 22nd of July we expect 35.000 fans to join in!

The Ernst Happel Stadion is a 30min walk along the former "imperial avenue" the Praterallee ..... if you have opted for bluedanubeapartment. Or you take the Ubahn and drop off 3 stops later! It can't be easier!!!

This time we are already fully booked with guests from Germany, who took the chance for a Vienny City trip and mix it up with a hopefully unforgettable Bon Jovi gig just around the corner! Well done!

Did you know, by the way that Jon named the band Bon Jovi because this name was more simple and sounded more like the name of a band than 'Bongiovi'. Jon was born John Francis Bongiovi.

Let's just hope that Richie Sambora doesn't have to comment on our austrian red-white-red flag, as he will see only a grey misch-masch. Never forget he's blind to red, greens and browns!

While the New Jersey boys are currently playing in Athens, obviously the Greeks do have money for the gig, but not for paying their taxes, the final stage setup in Vienna is under way.

And if you fancy to be a paparazzi, hurry up and position yourself at all sides 'n' corners of the Hotel Imperial, where the boys will reside.

Wedding free zone in Vienna

No Royals in Vienna!
No Wedding Party in Vienna!

But let's not forget, we could have had the same hype it life had developed differently.

Karl of Hapsburg, grandson of the last Austrian Emperor, Charles I of Hapsburg, is of our age.

For long time he lived in Anif, a small village outside the city of Salzburg. His residence is called Villa Swoboda and was formerly used by crown prince Rudolf.
Yes, The Rudolf, not the reindeer. But the son of Sisi!
The son, who committed suicide .... all royal families have similar occurencies!

Ok, back to Karl.
He married  Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon and has 3 children with her. Like many marriages in blue-blooded families not a happy relation.

Since then he has been living in Vienna, his children visit one of the three international schools of Vienna, they submerged in daily routine and live an (almost) normal life.

Their granddad Otto is exiled, their grand-grand-dad Charles I, the last Austrian emperor married exactly 100 years ago!

But we are no monarchy anymore and monarchists are not welcome.

Different to Britain, where monarchy is back to it's peak today!

Grace-Kelly-ish Catherine and Wills gave an excellent couple, parrot-coloured Queen did look impressivley young and the baby girls on the balcony couldn't stand the noise.

"'It's amazing" commented the Queen and indeed it was!

But how different it was 100 years ago!

Will & Kate - the Countdown is on .... and what about the Austrian royals? Sisi!?

I can't wait for the new wedding in the house of Windsor!

Although I have to admit, that I am still more interested in the Tudors, Henry VIII with his 6 marriages and the according tragedies & affairs.

After living in the UK for some years I became interested in royal history as it shaped society till today and still does - to a certain extent.

Well, we Austrians too had a quite flash royal experience, but people here tend not to be too fond of it anymore.
You'll be seen as a monarchist, old-fashioned, dusty, almost like a political extreme, if you're too much into the royal history. But dear me, we had the Hapsburgs!

And they were at least that posh, fancy and spellbinding like the Tudors, Stuarts or Windsors.
We had similar intrigues and adultries, incest stories, suicides and endless birth-givings.
And, let us not forget, we do have a familiar bond with the Tudors too! No, you do not want to know the details, unless you can follow, when I explain the family tree for 15minutes!

And we even have our Elisabeth who made it into the hearts of the people and is well known throughout the world as Sisi.


Elisabeth, Sisi, (born 1837) a stunning and beautiful woman, was married to Franz Joseph I.
They had 4 children. And like in so many royal families unlucky fortune: their first child, Sophie, died at the age of two, their surviving daughters Gisela (1856-1932) and Marie Valerie (1868-1924) both married and had several children, from whom there are numerous descendants. Their only son, Crown Prince Rudolf, born in 1858, committed suicide together with his mistress, the seventeen-year-old Baroness Mary Vetsera.
 
The tragedies in her life did influence her spirits, she was a melancholic and sad person, tried to escape with travelling, but never ever overcame the loss of her small child and her son.

Like all tragedies also her life had a sudden unexpected end: she was stabbed to death at the Lake Geneve and reunited in heaven on 10th September 1898.

I just hope, that Will 'n' Kate will be more lucky, I wish them the so much needed heirs, lots of love and over all peace!

Some Austrian trivia about Easter Time .... and more

-  NAME
In Austria children believe that the Easter bunny hops over the fields and makes its way to the gardens. The bunny is the official symbol of fertility since the 16th century. But the bunny and the egg are also symbols of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eastre, after which Easter has been named.
-  COLOURS
The customary act of painting eggs is known as Pysanka. In Austria we use to paint the eggs and colour boiled eggs. This custom was taken by the pagans, to whom colours had a special meaning: red for death of Jesus, green for hope, yellow for wisdom, just to name a few.

-  HIDE 'N' SEEK
Tradition has it that we hide chocolate eggs, preferably in a garden and children then will have to seek them.
-  FOOD
In Austria we love to eat a "Pinze", a deliciouse sweet yeast bread, some smoked ham cooked in a bread dough, called "Osterschinken"

-  DECORATION
We also decorate the houses with consecrated pussy willows, decorated with eggs hanging around. Is was tradition in Jerusalem to use palm branches to show your devotedness to Jesus. In absence of palm trees we use willow branches

-  TREATS
Chocolate eggs were made for the first time in Europe, in the 19th century. Till date, they remain one of the favorite Easter treats.

Easter is the top-selling confectionery holiday in the west, second only to Halloween.


-  STATISTICS
On Easter, 76% people bite off the chocolate bunny ears first, while 5% bite the feet first and 4% eat the tail first.


-  SYMBOL
Right from ancient times, the egg has been regarded as a symbol of rebirth in most of the cultures. Eggs, bonfires, candles, lily, cross, palm, bunny and lamb are the most popular symbols of Easter.

-  TIME
Just like Passover which is dependent on the phases of the moon and has different dates each year, Easter is also a movable feast. BUT Easter always falls between March 22nd and April 25th.


-  HISTORY
The custom of giving eggs at Easter dates back to the time of the Egyptians, Persians, Gauls, Greeks and Romans.

-  VATICAN
Every year on Easter, Pope gives his "Urbi et Orbi" (papal address) to the world.


-  INTERNATIONAL
Easter is known by different names across the world. Some of them are: Easter (english), Paques (French), Pascua (Spanish), Pasqua (Italian), Pashke (Albanian), Ostern (German), Pascha (Greek),  Paaske (Norway), Pasen (Holland) and  Pask (Swedish)




-  COMMERCIAL
Egyptians were initially the ones who exchanged eggs to symbolize the resurrection of Christ. It was later that the tradition was passed down to early Christians. But it was forbidden by the church to donate eggs. As people loved this habit it was adapted and the eggs where hidden in neighbours garden.

The first stork is here

Did you know that storks love Austria?

Normally they leave during winter to the warmer places of earth

and as soon as spring is in the air

the spread their wings

and return to the beauty of Austria's nature

This year I encountered the first stork last weekend!

In the beginning of February!

So, definitely it's time to book your flight too

and visit Vienna!

You'll find the storks in the dreamy village of Rust,

a gathering of houses on the beaches

of the Neusiedlersee

This lake is a phenomenon,

 the second largest steppe lake in Central Europe

has no natural feeder river -

the water level is totaly dependent

on rainfall and hydration

the depth of only approx up to 1.50m

makes it interesting for swimming due it's warm temperatures

surfers enjoy as well as boaters

but beware during storms!

Storks love the place

and as soon as summer is here

you can sit and watch birdlife like nowhere else around!

Only 50 mins from bluedanubeapartments -

rent a car and head for it -

you'll indulge in the pure nature

with the local produce in the idyllic restaurants and taverns

all around

and just don't miss the sunset!

Guardian & Observer Travel Awards 2010

Well done Austria!

And the Favourite European Country title at the prestigious Guardian and Observer Travel Awards 2010 goes to AUSTRIA!

The readers of the Guardian and Observer newspaper and the online Guardian awarded our country to be worth going at. Quality of companies, airlines and hotels seemed to be fit for British customers!

The results are not brand new, sorry- They were announced on 9th October 2010 at Cardiff Castle.

To find out just why Austria has the honour of being UK's Favourite European Country, take a look at the Guardian Insiders' Guide To Austria http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/oct/16/austria-vienna-insiders-guide

Be quick - book now
- only some days left before christmas: http://www.bluedanbeapartments.com/

Visit Vienna now - the best time of the year!

11th Nov - Martinmas Goose or watch out for lanterns

On November 11th we do not only celebrate  the opening of Carneval as you may have read in a previous post but also the feast of St. Martin, also known as Martinmas!

St Martin of Tours, born 317, started out as a Roman soldier, was baptized as an adult and became a monk. It is understood that he was a kind man who led a quiet and simple life. The most famous legend of his life is that he once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the beggar from dying of the cold.

And there are 2 nice traditions here in Austria on this and the following days:

1. eating geese

2. children celebrating St Martin and wandering around with self-made lanterns, singing along a very traditional song (see below)

The goose is actually a symbol for St. Martin himself since it is said that a honking goose revealed his hiding place, after he hid to avoid being made bishop of Tours!

So go out to restaurants and ask for the delicious "Martinigansl". You will be more than happy to try out the roasted goose, which comes along with red cabbage and potatoe dumplings. If you are very lucky the goose is even filled with a flavoury mix of chestnuts and bread dumplings. Yummy!

Better to eat it during day than in the evening and definitely add a lot of good red wine!

You will find a lot of excellent reatsurants near our bluedanubeapartment in Vienna. Worth a try is the "Kuchldragoner" in the old part of Vienna city, just a 5min u-bahn drive away from our apartment. Better to book a table and mention that you are keen on the goose! And maybe a last tip: walk home! It's said to be good for the goose in your belly!

And if you are around in the early evening on that day, you probably will encouter kindergarden-children walking around proudly with their self-made lanterns, singing and re-telling the story of St Martin 

Ich geh' mit meiner Laterne und meine Laterne mit mir.

Da oben leuchten die Sterne und unten leuchten wir.
Ein Lichtermeer zu Martins Ehr'! Rabimmel, rabammel, rabumm.

Happy B-Day, dear Austria!

Holiday!

26 of October as the Austrian National Day - this celebration goes back to the beginnings of the 2nd Republic after WW II.

After the end of the War, Austria was occupied by the four Allied powers (Soviet Union, United States, Great Britain and France) and divided into four zones. With their consent an Austrian government was elected democratically, but every legislative regulation or political action required their consent.

In spring 1955 discussion about a State Treaty ending this occupation was finally brought to conclusion:
the Austrian State Treaty was signed on 15 May 1955 in Vienna's Schloß Belvedere (maybe one of the most moving events in Austrian history) and entered into force on July 27 1955.

Why now October 26?

Well, this day marks the first day on which the last foreign troops left the Austrian territory; therefore de facto the first day Austria was again an independent and sovereign country.

But it took 10 more years for the parliament and the politicians to decide which day should be the "National Day of Austria".
They had the choice of 4 dates:

-  12 Nov - birth of the first republic (1918)
-  27 Apr  - interim austrian state government (1945)
-  15 May - signing of State Treaty (1955)
-  26 Oct  -  first day without any foreign troups and passing of the law on permanent neutrality

God save .... oops! sorry - Tu felix Austria nube!
Any you ... enjoy your stay in bluedanube apartments and in Vienna!

185 years ago ....

This is it!
185 years ago, on 25th October 1825, on a similar rainy days as today, Johann Strauss was born.

He was one of THE Austrian composers, "the king of waltz". As so often he should become a banker rather than a musician, but as soon as his talent was recognized there was no way to stop him. He composed over 500 waltzes, quadrilles and polkas and came up with quite famous operettas, like The Fledermaus.
But maybe his most famous work was The Blue Danube, the secret hymn or anthem of Austria.

The Blue Danube is still one of the most recognized songs in the world  - maybe together with Imagine or Yesterday.

This is also the song, which is played very first on broadcast and TV when the New Year starts!

bluedanubeapartments took over the name because we identify with one of the biggest stars the country has every produced - his music is loved for almost 200 years! What a star!

And this star lived a celeb's life: married three times, even had to give up the austrian nationality to marry the third time and all marriages have been without children! And in the end, after his death, his only surviving brother distroyed much of his work - they agreed to this pact beforehand - whoever outlived the other, will destroy the work, so that no one ever can claim that work for them. Obviously the copyright issue wasn't solved yet!

Anyway, pneumonia made him kick the bucket with 73. But his music is fully alive!


Enjoy his music and listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmsIGxYHelQ&feature=related