Well December is here again, it seems to have gone so quickly this year, as of today there is no snow, my motorbike has been put to bed and my winter clothes are ready. Temperature is just in the plus, but it feels colder than that due to the humidity, all the Christmas markets are up an running with hot gluhwein  and punch. The endless Christmas songs on the radio, yes its that time.
Vienna at Christmas is a very nice place to be, the back drop of the fantastic architecture at the christkindlmarkt 's is spectacular. (Vienna Dec 2015 )

If you want to get out of the cold there are a few  pubs I can recommend that serve food,
In the First district, that is the centre of town is Molly Darcy's, I must admit I have not eaten there but the grub looks good, ( Molly Darcys Irish Pub )
Flannagans is also in the first district and serves good plain food such as sheperds pie, bangers and mash, I have eaten there and normaly the food is nice. (Flanagans Irish pub ), across the road from Flannagans is the 1516 Brewing company, theysell beer made in the pub and also has good food, ( 1516 Brew Pub ) .
And close to the First district is Charlie P's which very good food and Booz, ( Charlie P's )

Remember For most Viennese the 24th December is a Holiday and many of the restaurants will be closed.

December 27, 2014

Its this time of year when a porcelain figure of Marx Augustine sits on our dining room table, the fabled legend of a seriously dedicated party animal who was found lying in the street in 1679 and thinking he was dead, taken outside of the walls of Vienna and dumped in a plague pit bagpipes and all, when he awoke sometime next day, he found he could not get out, so he played his bagpipes until he was heard and rescued, he never caught the plague and some say it was the alcohol that save him. he was a poet and song writer.

Oh, My Dear Augustine

(Chorus)
Oh, my dear Augustine
Augustine, Augustine,
Oh, my dear Augustine,
Everything's gone!

Money's gone, man is gone,
Everything's gone, Augustine!
Oh, my dear Augustine,
Everything's gone!

(Chorus)

Coat is gone, floor is gone,
Augustine lies in the mud.
Oh, my dear Augustine,
Everything's gone!

(Chorus)

Even rich Vienna,
Is broke, like Augustine
And cries with me the same way,
Everything's gone!

(Chorus)

Every day was a feast,
And now what? Plague, the plague!
Now all the corpses feast.
This is all that remains.

(Chorus)

Augustine, Augustine,
Lay down in your grave!
Oh, my dear Augustine,
Everything's gone!

(Chorus)

Karmelitermarkt

1020Vienna Leopoldstadt Austria 

A market close to the centre of Vienna in the second district, approximately 12 minutes walk away from Stephans Platz, you can also use the tram 2 from Schwedensplatz and get off the second stop on Tabourstrasse. Then walk down behind the Church on the left.

The Market is open every day except Sundays and Holidays. It is having a revival in the last few years, Monday to Sunday the fixed stands are open selling Fresh fruit and vegetables, Poultry, beef, pork and game, there are 2 flower shops. Also there is restaurants, coffee shops and much more.

Friday and Saturday mornings there is a farmers market, Saturday is now very busy with plenty off bio and organic food and drinks on offer, It is well worth a Visit especial on Saturday mornings.

Vienna Christmas market Rathausplatz

The Rathaus Christmas market

Vienna City hall was completed around 1883 and houses the city mayor and Vienna's municipal administration. More than 2000 people work in the building. The building is Gothic in style and is one of the most grand buildings on the Ring Strasse. The park in front of the Rathaus was initially the parade ground but in 1863 Emperor Franz Joseph commissioned a park for the citizens of Vienna . This is the site of the Christmas market, one of the largest in Vienna,

This is a very big tourist attraction, and I am afraid to say it, as a person living in this beautifully city, I would not go there, for the reason it becomes so packed you can hardly move. Now as we have had people visiting us from Grimsby England, we felt it improper not to take them to see this event and true to the popularity it was jam packed with tourists from all around the world, and its fair to say that if you are in Vienna this time of year this should be in your itinerary of things to do in Vienna.

To get there you can walk from the City centre or catch many of the trams that go past, http://www.wienerlinien.at will have the information you need to get there.

Belvedere Christmas Market Vienna 2014

Belvedere Christmas Market Vienna.

This charming Christmas market is situated in the front of the Beautiful Belvedere Palace
which in the  Spring and summer has some magnificent gardens with exquisite water features, but this time of year with the rain and cold it can be a bit challenging, but its worth the effort, the Christmas market is not that large but it has plenty of space to maneuver, its not the crush of the jostling crowds of the Rathaus platz and allows you to drink your punch or Glühwein while looking around the craft stands with ease

To get there you can take the tram D which stops outside one of the entrance points on Prinz-Eugen-Straße 1030   Vienna.
Belvedere Palace
The building was finished around 1723 and houses one of the biggest collections of Gustav Klimts works also Fin de siècle and Viennese Secession art works that  was established on 3 April 1897, founded by Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich, Max Kurzweil, Josef Engelhart, Ernst Stöhr, Wilhelm List, it was considered a forum of the international avant-garde that redefined and repositioned both itself and the country’s art.
The Gardens created by Dominique Girard  a pupil of André le Nôtre, who had designed the gardens surrounding the palace of Versailles.

Vienna Christmas Market

Its that time of year again when the Christmas markets open, originally called the December market here in Vienna, it is believed to have started in Vienna around 1294, Obviously the main attraction for most of us Brits is the Glühwein, roughly translated into Glow wine from the hot Irons once used for the mulling, its important to remember this is an alcohol beverage and you can easily fall foul of its seductive ways so be canny with it. Other stalls sell a range of products from food to hand made crafts and Christmas decorations.

                 Stephansplatz

Stephanplatz is in the centre of the city and can easily be reached with the underground lines U1 and U3, its named after the Cathedral which is reputedly one of the tallest in the world, when the Germans left Vienna at the end of the second world war shops close buy were set alight as the Russians approached and the wind fanned the flames on the cathedral and the roof caught fire and collapsed, but work to restore it began immediately so now you can see the full spender of the fantastic roof again, to the side of the cathedral is the Christmas market. It is open from the 15th November till the 23rd of December, Generally fo Austrians the have their Christmas dinners on the 24th December, (so as a lucky Brit I get 2 Christmas dinners a year :) )

The opening times are from 11am to 9pm

Cycle Vienna

A little later on the 6th July

This is the start of my cycle ride, though it could also be the end. This is Vienna's famous Bermuda triangle, its were husbands and boyfriends disappear, and when they eventual turn up there memories are a little vague. It is one of the hotspots for the evenings, but during the day its were people come to eat and sit out in the sunshine.
One thing about Vienna, it is normally windy, but that makes the hot summers better to cope with as the wind blows away the harmful affects of smog. Its located Just off Schweden Platz. About 2mins from where I live.

Now to continue, I head to the other side of the Danau Kanal, this canal comes right to the city centre almost. From Schweden Platz you can catch boats for a short trip to the Danube are even now to Bratislava, that is a trip I am hoping to do soon, Brigitte and me have already done the circular trip, it lasts some hours so its worth taking some food and drinks with you as its a little expensive to buy on the boat. As you can see from the picture to the right, this is an artists area, there are sculptures and paintings, they change regularly.





This all started last year, Austria is a landlocked country and they miss the beach, a long time ago they owned Slovenia and most of northen Italy, but due to some small upsets which I have no desire to go into they lost it, not the countries or land I mean there access to the sea!!! So last year to try and help restore the feeling of going to the beach they brought in bucket loads of sand and dumped it strategically along the Donau Kanal, yeh you guessed it, close to Schweden Platz, then sprung up bars on the sand with deckchairs and everything, the Greene brown water of the kanal screaming past is not quite the lovely blue of the Mediterranean but what the hell toes in the sand Yeh.















Continue my ride along the canal, this is not like an English canal its more of a bypass for the Danube river, it flows quite fast. Shortly I turn left and head towards Prater
Prater, well it is a huge park in the middle of Vienna, people normal think of the big wheel, and the amusement rides but its more than that, much more, the roads are closed off to traffic, its a huge park, it was once a hunting ground for the emperor, but they kicked them out and now its a place to get away from it all for us Joe soap types. It has all sorts, what I just mentioned,large swimming pools, football stadium, beer gardens, horse riding and the list just goes on.















And this is the famous Schweizerhaus, (Swiss House) Here you are served pig leg and a pint, the waiters carry dozens of pints on a tray with one hand above there heads, on a weekend its heaving, but if you are in Vienna this is a must, we try to go at least once a year, its only open for about 6 months. It was tempting to go in, but this place is best enjoyed with company.


















So on up that long avenue you seen earlier then left under the A22 and we arrive at the Danube, the cycle tracks also go under the bridge so you do not come in contact with traffic, quick waltz and we are on the Island, this is were the biggest open air party is held every year in June, music of all kinds and its FREE!!!.















This is cool, a system of pulleys drag water skiers around the New Danube, ( this is a dammed
section of water)
















ok getting close to the end before I turn back,this is theAlte Donau, boats are electric, you can sail, hire row boats or sail boats or small electric boats, people swim in here, now just to let you know, the Viennese love the sun and love to get naked, so as you are traveling around on your little electric boat, do not be suprised, also do not be to supprised if a couple are getting it together, Austrians have a more open approach to this. Its that water thing that does it to them I think, its fairly discreet but if you keep your eyes pealed you might see it, so if your easily offended beware.



This is the final part before I turn back, these are all reasonably priced little restaraunts on the New Danube. The whole Danube is great to explore, if its rollerblading or just a stroll its a great day, just stop any were and sunbathe, if you want to get it all off there is an area on the Alte Donau for that, ah those barmy summer days






Ok the Bumuda Triangle is calling me for a cold one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 July 06
Vienna district 2, a small area close to Schwedenplatz, around the Tabourstrasser area, it is where I live, not yet discovered by the mainstream tourists