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!!!

A Freebie in town - Summer Night's Concert at Schoenbrunn Palace

Summer is here!

Morning temps around 21 Celcius, noon around 30 and very pleasant evening temps of 23.
That is Vienna end of May!


Don't miss the endless al-fresco bars, pubs and open-air-stages AND prepare for one of the most sought-after freebie-concert in Vienna:

Summer Night's Concert Schönbrunn 2011

Conductor: Valery Gergiev

Thursday, 2nd June 2011, 9pm

Schoenbrunn Palace Gardens, in front of Neptune's Fountain, 

1130 Vienna 

The unique baroque surroundings of Schoenbrunn Palace offer a great scenery for this excellent concert played by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Like every year admission is absolutely free and the event will take place with good weather only.

There is an alternative date in case of rain, but it is not published yet. Let's hope the weather god will mean it well.

Also not published is the detailed "chartlist", but you can expect hits from Josef Strauss, Franz Liszt, Joseph Lanner, Johann Strauss, Richard Strauss, Jacques Offenbach or Maurice Ravel.

More than 30.000 guest are expected! 

Here some advices:

- arrive early to guarantee access to the more frontern areas

- wear kind of slippers as you'll walk on gravel paths and hi-heels will definitely be out of place

- consider to pack a rug or a folding chair, as the mass is not provided with seating and you may find a cosy place on the green

-  finally we suggest to take a picnic-hamper with you and some bottles of wine as food and refreshments are quite lousy

-  AND: use the U-Bahn U4 coming from centre of town, get in the first wagon and exit with the elevator at Schoenbrunn stop. You just have to walk 5 more minutes from there

ENJOY and maybe you'll catch a glimpse of me!

Casanova in Schloss Schoenbrunn - german only

This post will be a premiere as I will write in GERMANGLISH!

Fancy a visit and explore Schoenbrunn the different way? Liebe locals - wann waren Sie zuletzt in Schoenbrunn?

Well there is indeed a new form of wandering through the palace. 
BUT unfortunately for german speaking visitors only: 

Besucher werden nach Sperrstunde des Schlosses von zwei Hofdamen auf der Blauen Stiege in Empfang genommen und befinden sich innerhalb weniger Minuten im höfischen Geschehen. Das Zeitalter Maria Theresias, die Lebensformen bei Hofe, der Alltag und das Außergewöhnliche werden spürbar und sind hautnah zu entdecken. Die Akteure führen die Gäste im Laufe dieses Abends durch die schönsten Räumlichkeiten des Schlosses, die damit zum Bühnenbild werden. Geschichte wird dort erlebbar, wo sie tatsächlich stattgefunden hat. Seriös recherchiert – amüsant präsentiert. Sie erfahren über die Geheimsprache des Fächers, lernen traditionelle Tanzschritte oder erfahren den latest gossip des Hofes. Ohne bemerkenswerten technischen Aufwand, nachempfunden in Kostümen aus der Zeit und durch facettenreiches Spiel. Theater pur. 

After the official closing hours two actors will guide you through the most attractive rooms, entertaining you with the story of Casanova, a lady-in-waiting will conference with a bavarian visitor. It's a interactive theater you're in, so viewers will be part of the action. They will learn about the hidden language of using a fan, about court ceremonies and how to dance a proper court hop!

Visitors prepare for 2hrs standing - ja, liebe Gäste, sie wandern zwar durchs imperiale Schloss Schönbrunn, aber wählen sie gute Schuhe, denn otherwise werden sie ihre Füsse danach kaum mehr spüren.

Please indeed take good shoes, as otherwise your two sticks will hurt terribly after the grand tour!

At the very moment the premiere is going on. The pics I added here are taken at the pre-premier-show, the Uraufführung, the world premiere, however you wanna call it!


So, save the dates, hurry and book soon! Wenn Sie Schönbrunn einmal anders erleben wollen, sichern Sie sich Ihre Tickets! 35 Eurobucks per person! book here - This interactive theatre is presented in GERMAN ONLY! Sorry!

20., 23., 30. Mai 2011
6., 14., 21., 28. Juni 2011
22. und 31. August 2011
5., 12., 23., 29. September 2011
4., 11., 17., 24. Oktober 2011
3. und 8. November 2011

It's definitely an interesting experience, even though I do see room for improvement.
Maybe they should watch british actors, when active in heritage sites and do a little copy'n'paste !?

Schoenbrunn Castle is Vienna's Hampton Court Palace

Must-do in Vienna - Tourist attraction No 1 - and really worth a visit:
Schoenbrunn Castle is waiting for you. Soon an interesting event is coming up.
So prepare and have some insights!


Enjoy our slide show and ideally plan your visit to Schoenbrunn in the afternoon. Less people - better light!

A stunning event is coming up at Schoenbrunn Palace

Locals and German speaking people 

watch out!

Keep posted!

Very, very soon the secret is unveiled

and you'll be happy to know it first hand!

HERE!

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!

Fu Hu, our little Panda, in Schoenbrunn Zoo

The Fu Hu Diary is worth looking at, but even more his clumsy and giggly moves in his home at Schoenbrunn Zoo.

Did you know, that this is the oldest zoo of the world?

1569 the former Katterburg was bought by emperor Maximillian II including a vast hunting area.
73 years later, well let's say one generation later, Schoenbrunn was born on these grounds.
And again one generation later, 1752, a big celebration takes place in the menagerie of Schoenbrunn Palace.
The 31st of July 1752 is the birthday of the Schoenbrunn Zoo.
 
It's a must, when visiting Vienna and as the sun's out again, you`'ll definitely enjoy a stroll around this history filled park.

Enjoy, relax and just feel happy watching this wonderful animal kingdom!

Snow was Coming to Town

It started with a snow storm (picture from Schoenbrunn Palace) in the early evening hours...

... and the final result were a few milimetres of snow (picture taken at 8.30 pm close to bluedanube apartments). Much less than expected, but a start, after all...