Travel to Austria

A peek on Austria´s cuisine

Since cooking is one of my hobbies, I researched Austria´s cuisine and I discovered an amazing variety of deliciousness!

Vienna features one of the world´s most famous culinary traditions. This city´s mix of different nationalities and food cultures, reflects on the vast range of dishes you have to choose from. I have a few specialties that I strongly suggest to try when you are in town.

My favorite is a dessert named Kaiserschmarren, which according to the legend, was invented for the Emperor Franz Joseph! It´s made of shredded pancake and stewed fruit, and it tastes delicious!

And, of course, you simply just can´t be in Vienna and not try the world´s famous Wiener  Schnitzel! This specialty originates from the Italian "costoletta milanese", and it is bread crumbed and fried veal, usually served with another delicious specialty, Erdäpfel Salad ( a side dish made from potatoes). For the traditional Wiener Schnitzel, the Viennese normally use veal, and lard to fry it, but if you want to try this at home, you can also use pork, chicken or turkey and oil to fry it. It will taste just as delicious either way!

Hundertwasser

A working example of Hundertwasser's architechture, and one of the most popular addresses in Vienna. Hundertwasser has turned this apartment block into a lasting imprint on Vienna. The bright colours and his hatred of straight lines leads to something that you may not see the likes of ever again (and it's free!). You are not allowed into the building so as not to disturb the residents, but looking from outside and sitting on the fountain should suffice for most. On the other side of the street there is an arcade which houses (among tourist shops) the famous toilet, perhaps the finest in the world. It is worth the €1.50 to see what some people may consider absurd, but most genius. Easy access from Schwedenplatz, just take the N tram a couple of stops past Radetzkyplatz. Otherwise its about a 15 minute walk from Wien Mitte Station

Schloss Schönbrunn

The Grand Tour of the Schönbrunn interior involves 40 rooms, including the 22 seen on the Imperial Tour. It starts as the Imperial Tour, but in the Ceremony Hall, the majority of visitors head for the exit and things get significantly less crowded for those heading towards the apartments of Maria Theresa. The crowds deservedly miss the best part of the palace. The Maria Theresa apartments are  older than the used by Kaiser Franz Ferdinand, with exquisite decorations generally the originals from the 18th century. Nowhere is the feminine touch of the female royals more visible than here, with some of the decorations actually painted by the princesses. The first room of this tour is the blue Chinese Salon with hand-painted wallpaper. In this room, on November 11, 1918, Kaiser Karl relinquished all governmental power at the declaration of the Austrian Republic. However, he refused to relinquish his claim to the Austrian throne, and he, as well as the rest of the royal family, went into exile. (Only one princess gave up her very remote claims to the throne and was allowed to stay in Austria and keep her family fortune.) The room with impressive black Japanese-lacquer wall paneling was dedicated to the memory of Emperor Franz Stephan, husband of Maria Theresa, following his death in 1765. Less respectfully, Napoleon Bonaparte used this as a study during his occupation of Vienna. (Napoleon on credibility: "If you say you are going to take Vienna, take Vienna.") The adjacent Napoleon Room was his bedroom but is more famous as the room where the King of Rome spent most of his short life. For political reasons, Napoleon married Marie Louise, eldest daughter of Franz I – the last Holy Roman emperor and first Austrian emperor. Napoleon Bonaparte crowned their son, Napoleon Franz (1811-32), king of Rome. Following Napoleon’s defeat in 1814, the young Napoleon Franz returned to Vienna and spent the rest of his life in virtual isolation in Schloss Schönbrunn. The boy was given the title Duke of Reichstadt in order for him to take an appropriate place at Vienna’s protocol obsessed court. (Napoleon Franz’s very impressive rocking cot is in the in the Hofburg.) Further rooms have exquisite decorations and show off the Rococo art that Maria Theresa favored. It is somewhat ironic that despite centuries of hostilities, this more French interpretation of the heavier Italian baroque won the most favor in Austria. The Millionenzimmer (Millions Room) is particularly impressive and named after the expensive rosewood paneling with Indian and Persian miniatures. The only surviving ceremonial bed of the Habsburg court is in the Reichenzimmer. The bed was originally used in the Hofburg and dates from 1736 to the last years in which the emperor still went to bed in public. The almost 9€ admission fee to Schönbrunn is not cheap, but it is definitely false economy to save the additional 2.60€ that the admission to the Maria Theresa apartments require.

The freud's museum

The Freud Museum it is kind of a  disappointment, and if you are going to see only one Freud museum in your life, the one in London (Hampstead) is the one I recommend. When Freud left Vienna in 1938, he took with him all his books, furnishings, art work, and even the famous couch with him, and it's in the Hampstead house. In the Vienna apartment you will only find  a few certificates, a video film, some photos, but almost non personal effects. You just will enjoy climbing the stairs of this modest apartment building, but you won't be able to say that this venue is a must-see.

Country Paradise

Well, who wouldn't go crazy over the Alps? They're even more beautiful in person than on the silver screen, so an alpine tour is really in order. Where shoud you start? The Sound of Music was shot in and around the charming town of Salzburg, Austria. Just south of Salzburg, yet lying within Germany's borders, you'll find an amazing view from the heights of Berthesgaden; back in Austrian territory is scenic St- Gilgen—one stop on the original The Sound of Music tour. 

To the west lie two Olympic villages from Games past Innsbruck , Austria, and  Germany. Just a few miles from Garmisch is F|ssen, with its fairy-tale castles.  All of these stops are day-trip possibilities from the Bavarian metropolis of Münich, Germany. And they all combine storybook scenery, outdoor adventure, and Old World charm..

From the New York Times

I saw this articule in the New York Times and I couldn't resist myself of posting it here, it's so accurate and well written that you must read it, so here it is.

IT'S nowhere near high noon, but a tough-looking hombre in a black leather vest, black stovepipe pants and a black cowboy hat is sauntering down the dusty length of a frontier Main Street, a gun belt slung low on his hips.

He strolls past the sheriff's office, the Palace Hotel and a saddled horse hitched loosely to a wooden railing, then pauses for a moment at the broad covered porch of the Black Bison Saloon.

Entering, he strides up to the bar and places his order.

''Ein bier, bitte.''

This is Pullman City, a theme park in southern Germany where more than a million visitors a year step out of 21st-century Europe into an American Wild West fantasyland of stagecoaches, gunfighters, mountain men and Indians.

Set on 50 rolling acres a two-hour drive northeast of Munich, near the Bavarian town of Eging am See, Pullman City is a compendium of mythic iconography engrained in the global psyche by well over a century of hugely popular adventure stories, movies, television shows and traveling Wild West extravaganzas.

Main Street features covered plank sidewalks, double-decker railings and cutout clapboard facades. Outside the sheriff's office, the town marshal, Big Joe -- a Turkish-born character actor little more than three feet tall -- obligingly poses for photos, pointing his six-gun at guests and ordering ''Hände hoch!'' (''Hands up!'')

A stockaded fort ''guards'' one end of town; at the other stands a tiny white-washed church, Boot Hill cemetery and a covered rodeo arena. The surrounding woodland conceals a rough-hewn facsimile of a frontier trading post, and pathways through the towering pines lead past a cluster of tepees to a gold mining camp where, for $3.70 (at $1.25 to the euro), kids can splash in a pond and pan for something that glitters.

Nearby, in the cool dimness of a Mandan Indian-style earth lodge, Hunting Wolf, who is described as a half-Cheyenne French citizen, holds forth. Part shaman and part showman, his face painted and his long, flowing hair pulled back, he plays soothing music on an American Indian flute, leads ''Indian meditation'' sessions and presents daily programs on American Indian culture.

Here and there a painted totem pole or a clutch of fluttering American flags poke up, and souvenir shops and concession stands proffer cowboy clothes, Western trinkets, Indian jewelry and enchiladas -- as well as beer, bratwurst and giant German pretzels.

Pullman City was founded in 1997 by a group of Germans who had already staged a series of successful Wild West shows and competitions. Pullman, I was told during my first two-day visit last summer, is a type of fancy Western saddle.

Both a resort and a roadside attraction, the complex offers a broad spectrum of entertainment from shooting galleries to lavish music hall productions, country and western concerts, rodeos and even biker rallies and Civil War re-enactments. Almost all the visitors are German; the handful of Americans include members of the military stationed in Germany.

Guests are encouraged to regard themselves as an interactive part of a ''living'' Western town, and not just passive spectators. Pets are permitted, and overnight visitors can stay in Main Street's hotel or rent funky log cabins and even tepees on the grounds. The park swarms with children whooping it up in cowboy suits and war paint.

It's not just kids, though, who get into the spirit. I saw an astonishing number of adults strolling about in buckskins, calico, feathered headdresses and even buttock-baring breechcloths, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I have to admit, the mood was infectious.

AS I watched a Daniel Boone clone exchange pleasantries with a stout blond woman dressed head to toe in beaded buckskin, I felt an unexpected surge of satisfaction that I was wearing a set of turquoise earrings I had bought from a Navajo craftsman in Santa Fe. Maybe, I thought, I'd check out the shops and pick up a bandanna. (When I made a return visit to Pullman City six weeks or so later, I made sure to take along an old fringed leather jacket and a pair of cowboy boots I hadn't worn in 20 years.)

RUTH ELLEN GRUBER is working on a book about the Wild West scene in Europe.

Christmas Markets

As winter comes to Austria and the Christmas season approaches it will be time for the Austrian Christmas Markets to open their doors again and let the magic flow in the air.

Starting November 18, the Advent season will descend upon Vienna again. The heart of the Magic of Advent is the Christmas Market, which has enchanted old and young alike for 700 years.

The aromas of candied fruits, cotton candy and other delicacies like Christmas punch and roasted chestnuts (called Maroni in Vienna), wafting around the small wooden stalls of the market, still retain their magical power.

Market stalls offer a tasteful array of Christmas decorations, objets d’art, handicrafts and toys. Something you don't want to miss.

Imperial Palace

For more than seven centuries, the great empire of the Habsburgs was ruled from the Imperial Palace. Today, the Gothic Imperial Chapel, where the Vienna Boys’ Choir performs during High Mass on Sunday, is a remnant of the Imperial Palace during the Middle Ages.

In the center of the old city, you can admire the splendor and magnificence of the daily life of the noblest family of the Habsburg monarchy when you visit the private apartments and state rooms. Numerous museums and collections represent the imperial family’s passion for art.

The Imperial Palace, which until 1918 was inhabited by the imperial family, was originally a castle built in the thirteenth century, which was extended to a splendid residence in accordance with the increasing power of the Habsburgs and the expansion of their realm.

Today, the Imperial Palace houses the office of the President of Austria as well as an important congress center and numerous art collections.

Klagenfurt

According to legend, the area around Klagenfurt was haunted by a special kind of dragon, a 'lindwurm'. A very brave man killed it and as a result Klagenfurt was founded.

Klagenfurt is Carinthia's capital. The main sights include a huge statue of the 'lindwurm' at the centre of the 'Neuer Platz', Klagenfurt's major square which also houses its city hall.

The Klagenfurt cathedral it's also a site you must visit, really impressive...

On the Road with Mozart

On this bicycle tour through Austria, pedal the same roads as Mozart did in his carriage, back in the day. In 2006 the world, and especially Europe, celebrates the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest composers that ever lived. All of Austria commemorates the composer in this special Mozart Year. What better reason could there be to take the Mozart Bicycle Route (Mozartradweg) this summer? If you're planning on exploring Austria by bike, now is the time. Of course you'll also visit Salzburg, the composer's place of birth. In short: there are plenty of opportunities to partake in the festivities surrounding the Mozart Year