Mittwoch, 31. März 2010

Salzburg "mapped" out

Here we go, our sightseeing articles linked from a Google map:

http://www.visit-salzburg.net/sights/salzburg-city-map.htm

Salzburg "mapped" out

Here we go, our sightseeing articles linked from a Google map:



http://www.visit-salzburg.net/sights/salzburg-city-map.htm

Sonntag, 28. März 2010

Sonntag, 21. März 2010

Austrian Watercolours in the Leopold Museum

I have just returned from the Leopold Museum, where I saw two of the current exhibitions. One is a Schiele show dedicated to Dr. Leopold himself upon the occasion of his 85th birthday and comprises in most parts of the permanent exhibitions, spiced up with interviews of Leopold and his wife and a few personal items from both their life and the one of Schiele.

The other one, "Verborgene Schätze der österreichischen Aquarellmalerei", is more commonly advertised. In a nutshell: It is over-rated by those who celebrate it. The opening gallery is the core of the show with Schiele watercolours, many of which are normally not shown. This gallery is remarkable and by itself, it justifies a visit; the other thing I liked was the way in which the exhibition illustrated the transformation from Biedermeier landscapes to watercolours of the Secessionists and eventually the Austrian expressionism as seen in Schiele's work. This aspect is highlighted in the next two galleries. All other parts of the exhibition are unexciting and neglectable in my opinion.

By the way, the Museumsquartier is already filling up with sun-starving crowds. The enzis (the outdoor furniture) are not out yet, though.

Schwechat & Vienna Airport

2 new articles on TMC:
http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/vienna-airport.htm
http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/schwechat.htm

Enjoy!

Montag, 15. März 2010

Austrian Dolls: Porzellanpuppe revisited

Dear Benedikt,

My name is xxx, I stumbled into your site in search of a gift for my friend.I tried hotels, sites, tours - all in vain. Finally, I found a web page with a personal approach, and it's great to see that you try your best to do a good job!

What I'm looking for is a boy doll - exactly like the one you can see at the photo attached. This one is mine, and I got him at one of the gift shops in Austria, but don't remember where - it was in 1997, and pretty close to the German border. As you may have figured out from my email address, I am Russian, but I've recently moved to the USA.

I can't go to Europe anytime soon, alas. But a good friend of mine here in the States fell in love with my doll, and she wants exactly the same one. She helped me a lot through difficult times, and I feel like doing whatever I can for her. It is tricky to look up small gift shops online, and I have little idea if they have their own sites at all. But maybe, if you see the pic of my little buddy who had been with me for 12 years now, you might have a clue - or even a link, if I'm not asking for too much.

It won't be a problem to order the doll and make all the payments, including the shipment - I just have to know where to look for it, any contact info of the stores who may have them. I don't expect you to think it's something you are supposed to do, so no offence if you don't know the answer to my question. It's been a pleasure to visit your site anyways, and I especially like the touch of sarcasm - the human society needs it. Thanks for your time, and best of luck with your endeavours!

---

My reply:

Hi xxx,

A tricky assingment, since I am by no means a doll type of person. But from the picture I assume that the doll's face is made of porcellain or (if bought in a souvenir shop) some kind of cheap substitute. Dolls of this kind are generally called Porzellanpuppen in German and I found a website that specialises on all sorts of dolls, including the type of yours. The company is located in Vienna and has an English version: http://www.puppendoktor.at/
I hope this helps! Best wishes,

Benedikt
---
Hello Benedikt,

Wow, it was so nice of you to make a quick research and give me the link to that company in Vienna! I just sent them an email and something may come out of it. Of course I didn't expect you to be a doll person. Your site gave me an impression that you've got the detailed knowledge of real Austria, - and my task is tricky.

Thank you so much for your effort!! I can tell my friends about your web page and give them the link, so when they plan their travels they can check it out. I haven't got the whole bunch of friends, but after all it's a small world. Keep up the good work, I can see you put a lot into it! Best, XXX

Salzburg Reiseführer auf Deutsch & new Hotel

We are testing a small German version of Visit-Salzburg.net to see how that affects traffic from Germany and Austria. Note:

Startseite

Allgemeine Reiseinfos
Urlaubsplanung - Im Jahreswechsel - Kunst & Kultur - Winter & Skifahren - The Sound of Music - Spezielle Interessen

Salzburg Fotos
Salzburg im Sommer - Salzburg im Winter - Salzburg im Sommer II - Salzburg im Winter II

Sehenswürdigkeiten
Die Top-10 - Weitere Attraktionen, die Sie sehen sollten - Museen und andere "Innenattraktionen" - Auf den zweiten Blick - Moderne Architektur - Abseits der Touristenpfade

Salzburg Hotels
Salzburger Hotels - Allgemeine Tipps zur Unterkunftssuche

Gastronomieführer: Essen & Trinken
Salzburger Rezepte - Gastronomieführer Salzburg

Umgebung & Land Salzburg
Land Salzburg - Destinationen & Tourismusregionen - Im Umland der Stadt - Tagesausflüge - Weiter entfernt

Sub-Seiten
Fußzeile - Sitemap - Grußseiten in verschiedenen Sprachen


Furthermore, we would like to welcome the 8th hotel member of Visit-Salzburg.net, the central hotel Auersperg from Salzburg City: http://www.visit-salzburg.net/hotels/central-hotel-salzburg.htm

Mittwoch, 3. März 2010

Smoking ban in Austrian restaurants, inns and bars

Austria is one of the most backwarded countries in Europe when it comes to smoking regulations in public places. This is particularly annoying in Balkan-extensions such as Vienna, where one can hardly escape from heavy clouds of cigarette smoke pretty much anywhere. Therefore, I would like to express my full support for the following initiative:

http://www.nichtraucheninlokalen.at/

If you have Austrian citizenship, please sign the petition!