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Vienna – Summer in the Schönbrunn’s Gardens

Strudel, Schnitzel, Marzipan/

Strudel, Schnitzel, Marzipan/

Wiener Erdäpfelsalat!

 

HellO, WOrld!

Nope, it’s not Lady Gaga’s new song. But I woke up like this, repeating those words till I realized that something is missing. Vienna is missing.

Yeah, I love Vienna. Probably because there we’re invented some of the most delicious cakes in the world. Marzipan, Sacher torte, strudel, chocolate etc. you can find all those sweets everywhere in Vienna. And you know how much I love sweets!! Anyway, I’m on diet since yesterday (#sadbuttrue), so I will dedicate this post to something that won’t help me to get fat. And now you will find that my favorite place from the capital city of Austria it’s not a sweet shop or a confectionary! Believe me, it’s a palace. Actually, it’s the Imperial Palace of Schönbrunn. As you can see,  I love sweets, but I love opulence more. And this palace, made famous by Sisi, the Empress of Austria, has it. At large.

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Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

Ovidiu Muresanu VIenna

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

First of all, once you get there, you will be impress by the gardens. The name Schönbrunn (meaning „beautiful spring”), has its roots in an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court, and around this spring was built this beautiful palace which is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Schönbrunn Palace in its present form was built and remodelled in 1740—50s during the reign of empress Maria Theresa who received the estate as a wedding gift (lucky bitch!). But Franz Joseph, his grand nephew,  made it famous, after he married the Princess Elisabeth of Bavaria, the beautiful Sisi. She redecorated the palace and the gardens, and you can find everywhere here her beloved red roses. Anyway, if you want to see those wonderful gardens, June & July are the perfect month to spend a long weekend in Vienna.

You can fly there with Austrian, which has a very good offer right now  (109 Euros from Bucharest) and choose a hotel from Booking.com. I recommend you to stay near to a subway station. Vienna has a very good Metro network (U-Bahn), and Schönbrunn has his own Subway station, on line 4 (U4). If you want to visit the palace, you can buy your ticket online, from the  palace website, HERE. I choose the Sisi Ticket, that gives you also access to Hofburg Palace, to Imperial Furniture Collection, on  top of a Grand Tour at Schönbrunn.

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

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Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

Ovidiu Muresanu Vienna

I’m sure you will be amazed by the wonders  hidden in the palace, so you will need to rest a little after you will finish the tour. So you can walk through the gardens and maybe, if you have enough energy, to climb the hill to see the wonderful Gloriette. It’s not that easy, but it worth a try, because you will have a marvelous panorama of Vienna from up there, and you can relax after that drinking a tee or a glass of Austrian wine in the Café Gloriette. Down there you can admire the perfect geometry of the French Garden, which was planed in 1695 by Jean Trehet. Don’t forget your camera, cause you can’t miss a selfie and some fabulous pictures from Gloriette’s terrace. And wave to the people, even if they will think you are crazy. But the feeling is wonderful, because for 5 seconds you can imagine that you are an Emperor or a Princess (whatever you want).  Or Lady Gaga, which in these times is actually the same thing. Sorry, Madonna.

So, if you always knew that your blood is blue, this is a list of Must Do at Schönbrunn: 

Visit the Imperial Apartments of Franz Joseph and Elisabeth and the grand audience room used by Maria Theresa. Hide yourself in a corner and leave the group. Now you can enjoy your Imperial moments. Try not to break anything. Especially the chinese porcelain collection.

Buy yourself a quill set, a mini stamp and some red wax from the Sisi Shop. You will write letters like a Royalty.

Spend some time in the Palm House. Is the largest of it’s kind in Europe.

Buy a Demmer’s Teebox Vienna Special Edition. It’s sooo goood! I love it!

Wave to the people. They love it.

 

LOve,

O.

 

Strudel, Schnitzel, Marzipan/

Strudel, Schnitzel, Marzipan/

Wienter Erdäpfelsalat!

 

Nu, nu e cel mai recent refren al lui Lady Gaga. Dar m-am trezit cu cuvintele astea in cap si le repet de atunci in  nestire. E clar, imi lipseste ceva. Nu, nu  o doaga. Aaaaa…da, imi lipseste Viena.

Recunosc, iubesc Viena. Si nici nu ar fi avut cum sa fie altfel, atata timp cat acolo s-au inventat unele din cele mai bune torturi de pe Pamant. Ba nu, din Galaxie! Tortul Sacher, marzipanul, strudelul, ciocolata, o multime de dulciuri care te ademenesc pe toate strazile Vienei. Si doar stiti cat de mult iubesc dulciurile! Dar uite ca fix de ieri am inceput o dieta, asa ca postarea de azi o sa fie aproape in totalitate Sugar free (ghinion). Ma rog, atat cat am reusit. Si o sa aflati acum ca locul meu preferat din capitala Austriei nu e o cofetarie sau un magazin simandicos de dulciuri, ci un palat. Da, exact asa cum ati auzit. Poate ca iubesc eu dulciurile, dar opulenta, off, opulenta o iubesc muuuult mai mult. Sincer, n-ati fost niciodata constienti ca ar fi trebuit sa va nasteti intr-un palat? Eu da. Poate chiar la Schönbrunn. Iar palatul asta, facut celebru de Sisi, are opulenta data la maxim.

Anyway, cand ajungeti aici, veti fi impresionati pentru inceput de gradini. Palatul a fost construit ca o resedinta de vara a familiei imperiale habsburgice, asa ca e inconjurat de niste parcuri ce-ti taie respiratia. Si de multe fantani arteziene, pentru ca numele Schönbrunn inseamna in germana chiar asta: izvor frumos. Iar palatul construit in urma cu vreo 500 de ani este inclus in Patrimoniul UNESCO, pentru ca adaposteste unele din cele mai frumoase comori ale lumii baroce. El a fost reconstruit si extins in repetate randuri, dar cea mai mare influenta asupra arhitecturii sale a avut-o Maria Tereza, imparateasa ce a primit Schönbrunn ca si dar de nunta (lucky bitch). Insa cel care a facut faimos palatul in toata lumea a fost Franz Josef, nepotul sau, cel care s-a casatorit cu Elisabeta a Bavariei, cunoscuta mai ales sub numele de Sisi. Ea a redecorat palatul si, pentru ca iubea florile, a acordat o atentie deosebita gradinilor palatului, care acum sunt pline de trandafiri rosii, florile preferate ale lui Sisi. Iar daca vreti sa le vedeti acum in toata splendoarea, ar fi bine sa va programati un weekend prelungit in capitala Austriei in lunile Iunie sau Iulie.

Puteti zbura direct cu  Austrian, care au o oferta foarte buna acum (109 Euro dus-intors, de la Bucuresti) si sa va cazati intr-un hotel rezervat pe Booking.com. Incercati sa gasiti unul cat mai aproape de centru si de o statie de Metrou. In Viena se calatoreste foarte usor cu metroul (U-Bahn), avand o retea foarte bine pusa la punct, iar la Schönbrunn puteti ajunge pe linia 4 (U4), coborand la statia cu acelasi nume ca si palatul. Puteti sa va cumparati online biletele pentru a vizita palatul, de AICI. Eu am optat pentru turul Sissi, care va permite accesul si in palatul Hofburg, in muzeul de mobila imperiala, dar si turul complet al palatului Schönbrunn.

Sunt sigur ca o sa fiti si voi fascinati de toate comoriile pe care o sa le descoperiti in palat, asa ca o sa simtiti nevoia sa va trageti sufletul in gradinile superbe de la Schönbrunn. Si poate, daca aveti suficienta energie, o sa urcati pana la Gloriette, de unde se deschide o superba panorama a orasului Viena. Si daca ati ajuns pana aici, trebuie sa va relaxati pe terasa de la Cafe Gloriette, savurand o ceasca de ceai sau delectandu-va cu un vin austriac. Si nu uitati sa salutati lumea care va priveste, facandu-le cu mana. O sa creada ca v-ati pierdut mintile, dar ce va pasa? Pentru 5 secunde o sa va simtiti ca un Imparat sau o printesa (orice va doriti voi). Sau Lady Gaga, ceea ce in zilele noastre e cam acelasi lucru. (sorry, Madonna).

Asa ca, daca intotdeauna ati simtit ca va curge sange albastru prin vene, am pentru voi o lista cu  lucruri de facut NEAPARAT la Schönbrunn:

Vizitati Apartamentele Imperiale folosite de Sisi si Franz Josef, dar si Sala Mare de audiente pe care o  folosea Maria Tereza.  Ascundeti-va intr-un colt si asteptati sa plece grupul. Apoi bucura-te de momentul tau Imperial. Insa incearca sa nu spargi nimic. Mai ales colectia de portelan chinezesc a imparatesei. 

Cumpara-ti un set de caligrafie, o mini stampila cu sigiliu personal si niste ceara rosie de la Sisi Shop. De acum incolo vei trimite scrisori ca o adevarata Alteta Regala. 

Viziteaza Sera Palatului. Este cea mai mare sera de palmieri din Europa.

Cumpara  o cutie de ceai Demmer’s Teebox Vienna Special Edition. E atat de buuun! Nu mai pot trai fara el. 

Wave to the people. They love it.

LOve,

  O.