Vienna – Cool & Classical
bloggers group press trip in Vienna
Sunday, 28 November 2010 to Tuesday, 1 December 2010
Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel
Flights sponsored by BMI
Thanks to the Ring Hotel, The Best of Vienna blog had the great pleasure to meet the 4 top bloggers from the UK, a representative from Mango PR in the UK, as well as representatives from BMI, Lewis PR and from the Vienna Tourist Board. Despite of such a short time, our program was very compact, including visits to historical and modern part of Vienna, some boutiques, museums, coffee houses, art galleries and concept stores, Christmas market and different types of restaurants like Hidden Kitchen, AtEight and the famous Japanese restaurant Unkai.
There is so much to do and see in Vienna! Vienna is famous not only for its unique mix of imperial splendor, delicious food, excellent wines, outstanding arts, culture and architecture, classical concerts and balls, coffee houses, events but also Christmas markets that are currently showing themselves in all their beauty.
The first meeting place on Sunday evening was nothing less than a 5* hotel in the center of Vienna: fabulous
Grand Hotel Wien. Dinner was sponsored and hosted by Carl-Peter Echtermeijer from the Ring Hotel at
Unkai Restaurant. The fine food, excellent wine, outstanding qualify of service all contributed to make this experience truly special. Photos below can give you an idea how wonderful this experience was.
On Monday, 29 November 2010, we met with Alexa Brauner, art historian, fashionista and Vienna guide who has an incredible in-depth knowledge about Vienna and speaks 4 languages: German, English, Italian and Spanish. The group visited the classical heart of Old Vienna, including the landmark St. Stephen's Cathedral, the famous Spanish Riding School, the stylish shopping streets that include Kartnerstrasse, tour of the magnificent Hofburg Palace, Rathaus, Lobmayer, Loos Bar, Muehlbauer hat shop, Graben, Pestasule, Schuhmacher Scheer, Sissi Museum, Josephsplatz, Kohlmarkt, Platz am Hof. Founded in 1823, Lobmayer store, long-established Viennese business, produces hand-made chandeliers and valuable glass items for quality glass collections and artistic lighting.
The group met for lunch with Eva Draxler from Vienna Tourist Board, at the brand new eating place Hidden Kitchen, where 27-year old Julia Kutas creates meals that you can enjoy with a clear conscience.
Afterwards we visited MuseumsQuartier, a cultural attraction of international standing. Covering 45,000 square meters it is an architecturally fascinating combination of baroque (the former Imperial Stables) and future-oriented design by architects Ortner&Ortner. Today it is one of the ten largest cultural complexes in the world, offering a unique mix of uses. Key attractions include the Museum of Modern Art and the Leopold Museum with the world’s largest collection of Schieles and works by renowned modern Austrian artists like Gustav Klimt.
Behind the MuseumsQuartier, in recent years a unique and colorful fashion and designer scene has sprung up in the narrow streets of the 7th district. A wide range of original shops offer a broad selection of fashion, shoes and accessories that cater to all tastes.
Enjoy kubik Vienna
This year one can experience a slightly different kind of Christmas market at the "kubik" lightroom installation in Votive Park. At this exceptional location, architecture, light and sound merge into a unique Advent attraction - featuring electronic music by DJs, punch and Christmas gift ideas (open 5 pm to 10 pm.)
One of the highlights of this experience was our delicious dinner
AtEight in the Ring Hotel, where we had the pleasure to meet Daniel Kraft, whose last name means "power", who is the youngest head cook in the history of the two-toque restaurant.
Additional shows and references: 
