To The Beach ...... again

Hermann's Strandbar
Friday after-worx in the centre of the capital!
That's how we love to end a busy office week

Yummy Time - Meet the Jamie Olivers and Gordon Ramsays of Austria

Hungy?

Greedy for food?

Fancy some local delicious dishes?

No need to wait, no need to visit a posh restaurant!

Just visit Vienna's Stadtpark

on Friday, Saturday or Sunday,

6th to 8th May

and meet 'n' greet Austrians top chefs!

Free of charge!

At the stunning Gourmet Festival or Food Festival, to put it more international, you can experience Austrian cooking expertice.

We do have an equivalent to the internationally beloved Gordon Ramsay with it's famous F-Word: the Austrian TV chefs Alex and Andi are loved because of their slang and wit during cooking.

Jamie Oliver, though, famous for being the Naked Chef, is difficult to be compared.

In general Austrian chefs are too earnest, so serious, not a lot of them take it as easy as Jamie. But that's our culture. Unfortunately Austria does not live the british rule: The importance of not being earnest!

But Austrian Chefs do deliver excellent quality, nonetheless or perhaps precisely because of it. Think of Wolfgang Puck in Los Angeles!

Enjoy the chef's passion for food and pop into Stadtpark!

Meet Reinhard Gerer, Wini Brugger, Toni Mörwald and Christian Domschitz, to name just a few!

And do come hungry as a hunter! Eat as much you can. Rest on the green.
Done!

Just for fun: compare Gordon cooking Chicken Tikka Masala with Alex & Andi cooking a soup 

A Place with a View

FROM AN EAGLE'S VIEW

Have you ever wondered what it's like to fly free,

To see the world as far as the eye can see,

To view the surroundings from high and from low,

To hear only the sound of a distant echo,

To float in the air with the wind being your guide,

To admire many rainbows that the trees tend to hide,

To see the misty mornings over a beautiful mountaintop,

To glide over a flowing river that never seems to stop,

To watch the animals from over a mile away,

Or to rise above the treetops that glisten in the day?

If you were an eagle you would wonder no more

For it can see things you have never seen before.

Next time you look into the sky of blue,

Think of what it's like from an eagle's view.

© 1998 Stacy Smith

Vienna has, like many other major capitals, a place too, where you could feel like an eagle!

Don't miss to make your way up there on a bright day! Either by hiking up or by driving the long and winding road with bus or car. You definitely will not be disappointed. People love this spot not only in summer, but also on New Year's Eve!

Up there you can visit either the Kahlenberg with it's new trendy Coffeeshop and a posh brandnew hotel

or if you like it more private go a little further to Leopoldsberg. Unfortunately you won't find anything to drink or eat there, so bring along your picnic!

Leopoldsberg is 425m high and overlooks Vienna's posh 19th district on one side and Klosterneuburg on the other side. Around 1120 Leopold III built an impressive castle up there, which currently undergoes an owners dispute.


Another Leopold, namely emperor Leopold I, donated the construction of a chapel, after a vow for prevention of the plague in 1679. The finished chapel was destroyed 4 years later by the Turks. But after our siege over the Turkish invaders this chapel was rebuilt in 1693.

It's nice to mention that even Turkish people nowadays find their way up there and seem to remember this part of history!

And on your way back home you may stop in Grinzing, the touristy approach to vinyards, wine and Viennese tradition.

We recommend a stroll through the old cobbled streets!

Vienna Easter Markets

Easter Markets are open again in Vienna. Two of the best known in Vienna can be found in the city centre ('Freyung Easter Market') and in front of Schoenbrunn Palace. They are not as big and not yet as popular as Christmas markets in Vienna, but certainly worth a visit. 

Freyung Market offers a variety of paschal and not so paschal products at more than 50 stands as well as the biggest egg-mountain in Europe (don't try to climb it!). It is open daily until 25th April from 10am to 8pm.

Schoenbrunn Market is at similar size with around 50 stalls selling the usual suspects, and also offering a nice program for kids (like producing easter rabbits from almond paste - marzipan) as well as for adults (from Jazz performances to Schubert's Missa in C in the lovely Schoenbrunn Chapel). Schoenbrunn Market is open daily until 25th April from 10am to 7pm. For further details check out this site.

Go there and enjoy Easter time in Vienna!

Vienna Pop Festival 2011

It is less than a month to go before one of the many music festivals in Vienna is opening its doors - the 'Vienna Popfest'. The open air festival is running from 5th to 8th May, and as at many of these events in Vienna, the entry is free. Although the festival features popular music, the venue is a classic one - the lake stage in front of the baroque St.Charles church in the centre of Vienna. You might be wondering why it is called lake stage - well, other Austrian festivals like Bregenz or Moerbisch have their lake stages too, and as there is quite a big pond in front of the church... 

The festival is going to host numerous Austrian artists like rapper Skero, the new vocal sensation Lylit, or political singer songwriter Gustav. There will be around 40 acts, and the final program can be found here from 14th April.

Directions from bluedanube apartments - easy as usual. U1/U2/U4 station Karlsplatz, and a short 5 minute walk from there will take you right into the heart of Austrian popular music.

Discover Belvedere's hidden gem - The Botanic Garden - Video

While you may know Belvedere Palace as a stunning historic attraction there is this other, very different kind of attraction. This Garden does not really belong to the grounds of Belveders but  is bordering it.

The garden was founded 1754 by Maria Theresia as a "Hortus Medicus“ (a garden for Herbs and medical plants) and has been belonging to the University of Vienna for many years .

While we do not have the mild climate to have gardens like in the UK, the Vienna Botanic Garden has about 10,000 species, all of them a real interesting mix.

Join in, explore and wander through this garden with us: Botanic Garden (5min Video)

It's the first spring day this year!

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!

Vienna Prater – 2011 opening

Another season for Vienna Prater has started this week. The hibernation period is over, new attractions have been added and existing ones modernized. As usual, the entry is free and most attractions are open from 10 am until after midnight.

It might be a bit too cool these days, but it is good to know that the probably nicest beergarden in Vienna is open again as well after a thorough makeover. The traditional Schweizerhaus is a must for everyone who likes great beer and rich food. And now it is even easier to get there – the Schweizerhaus got its own railway station. Well, not on the Vienna underground network, but on the lovely narrow-gauge track of the Liliputbahn. For those who travel green, the Vienna Prater is offering a new charging point for electric cars and bikes.

And don’t forget, Madame Tussauds is opening soon – April 1^st is the date of wax! 65 wax figures will be awaiting you, the entry fee is reasonable - EUR 18.50 for adults and EUR 14.50 for children.

Let’s go there and have fun!

Directions for visitors staying at bluedanube apartments: it’s right on your doorstep, a 5 minutes walk will do.

More information can be found on these websites: Vienna Prater and Madame Tussauds Vienna
and if you are looking for any detail planning, watch out for this: http://www.praterservice.at/assets/content/prater-folder-plan.pdf

Vienna City Marathon 2011, April 17

This year Vienna will host the City Marathon for the 28th time. And again, it will become another special marathon. The concept of ‘Marathon Sound of Vienna’ will be responsible for providing the right sound for runners and visitors along 12 kilometres of the course. You will be hearing anything from Mozart and Strauss to modern Pop and Rock.

The World Champion and Olympic Champion Haile Gebrselassie will be there as well to run the half-marathon distance.

Now, with less than five weeks to go, preparation is coming to its peak. This past Sunday, around 900 runners took the chance for another rehearsal. At pleasant 16°C, sun and little wind, the Vienna Prater was the perfect surrounding for the last run of the winter run series. The motivation for the coming training weeks up to the Vienna City Marathon kept an extra thrust, with run desire and spring feelings included.

More info on the Vienna City Marathon can be found here