Author Archives: Joanna Ivanova

Volksgarten

May in Vienna

May is one of the most beautiful months through the year. The spring is in its sublime moment and the Nature is blooming generously. If you are flower & plant fan like me, than you will love Vienna in May. All of the public gardens and parks in the city look like fairytale decor. Splendid variety of colours and aromas are transforming totally the urban vibe.

Volksgarten

In the heart of the city is located one truly enchanting place – the Volksgarten. It is very easy accessible by U3,station Vokstheater, exit Volksgarten. The area is quite wide, including two local restaurants and one big outdoor night club. In May Volksgarten is attracting a lot of visitors due to the famous rose garden inside.

Queen of flowers

Among so many different types of roses, the May roses are outstanding with its aroma and long beautiful blooming. Entering Volksgarden you can feel the divine perfume made by Mother Nature. The wave of rose scents its so strong and non forgettable. In front of your eyes is opening a stunning view of hundreds roses in different colours. Red, pink, purple, yellow, white, creme,orange … so many beauties waving their petals gently.

Afternoon chill

We chose to visit Volksgarten for a Sunday walk and we had great time! The atmosphere is calm and chill. Although there was a lot of people visiting, there was space for anybody to enjoy the roses and make dozen of photos and selfies. The arty and positive vibe is completed by street musicians playing instruments. My personal favourite is a lady with harp- it elevates the experience on another level!

Picnic or restaurant

In Volksgarten you can choose how to spend your time – laying in the soft grass and chilling or try a traditional Schnitzel in the local old school bistro.

Vintage culture in Vienna – Flohmarkt

Vintage era

It’s so cool to be vintage nowadays! In the last decade „vintage“ is the leading wave in pop culture, impacting fashion, beauty and interior as well. Except the fact is super trendy, the vintage concept is also eco friendly! Fashion image + environment support – such a great combo!

Austro-Hungarian culture

Vienna was capital of empire and this is reflected in so many beautiful ways. As a strong and important centre, the city is rich in cultural heritage. For example the architecture, which is one of the most mentioned highlights from the tourists, is result from a very intense development of art. Klimt, Shiele and Hundertwasser, such a masters influenced local scene. Other example for long running tradition is the craftsmanship of hats and gloves, definitely  one of the fashion“must“-s here. The aristocrat & bourgeoisie population through the years, added a significant touch to the everyday habits and their utensils. This results in amazing variety of beautiful decor objects.

Flohmarkt

Good news for all vintage lovers: in Vienna this concept of living is more accessible, comparing other countries in Europe. Clothing, decor and furniture, everyday life objects and sophisticated details- you can find everything on the cult Flohmarkt!  There you can obtain really nice things for low price. Every Saturday, since early morning, people from all around the Balkans are coming to sell their vintage treasures.  You can find really rare antiques together with low quality stuff made in China. That’s why it is important to choose carefully and informed. If you keep the bright side and avoid the trashy stuff , Flohmarkt is actually a world full with old school furniture, baroque chairs and crystal lamps, gloves and hats a la empress Sisi. For me Flohmarkt  is very inspiring place to visit and buy nice beautiful things which are full of history.

Rules and location

There is only one rule on the Flohmarkt: never pay the price asked first, always negotiate it. It is all depends of the particular seller and object, but sometimes you can buy on half or even below 1/2  price. The local sellers, Austrian and Germans, are more fair in terms of pricing. They have better clothing also. The location is at U4 station Kettenbrückengasse. Every Saturday from early morning till around 2 pm.

Food stage 1: Best ribs in town

Food stage in Wien

If you feel like „foodie“ person, then Wien is definitely your city! The variety of restaurants, pubs and bistros serving food from all around the world is more than satisfying. And don’t worry if you are not so much into restaurants- the finger food options are so wide and insanely good! From delicious kebap to fine asian jiaozi – Vienna really is a heaven for street food!

Meat lovers

When I am talking and writing about the food in Wien, I always start with this one: the ribs in Strandcafe. The taste for good meat in different ways (Schnitzel, Goulash, Ribs) is very typical for Austria and the neighbour countries such as Germany and Hungary. My apologize dear vegetarian brothers and sisters, but the next lines are  dedicated to glorify a dish that would be admired by Fred Flintstone and the meat brotherhood: well done pair of pork ribs.

Strandcafe

I visited Strandcafe for first time on a romantic occasion: my boyfriend invited me on a date there. We were so hungry and excited that we made a choice that we never repeated: we ordered 2 portions of ribs which is really big amount of food lol. 1 portion is fare enough for 2 people to feel full and enjoy, but still stay fit. The meat is so delicious and well prepared, it falls straight from the bone. It is served with two sauces, slices of onion and french fries which are also so good! They feel like real potatoes.

DOs and DON’Ts

I have to admit that the only food we have try in Strandcafe are the ribs, so I can not tell you about the other dishes, but I will say it again: the ribs are amazing! Beside that the draft beer is definitely a DO but the house wine is a certain DON’T (it is cheap and tastes like that).

History, location and prices

Strandcafe is really old and legendary spot in Vienna. It was originally smaller, but with the years and success running, grew and expand. There is big inside area and lovely outdoor garden. It is located right next to Danube river and if you make reservation in advance, you can get really great table outside. Easy accessible by U1, station Alte Donau. 800 meters approximately takes from the station to the restaurant (across the bridge and on the right following the river coast). The price for a portion of ribs is 20,90 Euro, beer is around 3,50-4,00.

 

mumok – a must visit in Wien

Art lover

Art is the biggest inspiration in my life! It brings me so much joy and happiness! That’s why I’m more than happy that Wien offers so many great museums and galleries with exhibitions from around the world. Mumok, the Museum for Modern Art, is certainly one of the outstanding art locations in the city

Modern art rocks!

Within a really wide taste range I have for different forms and expressions of art, the modern and contemporary art have a special place in my heart. I have visited many museums for modern art in Europe and I have to admit that mumok is one of the best ones ! As a museum that enjoys great international prestige, the mumok brings the international and Austrian avant-garde, in all its different facets, to art lovers. From Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol and many more!

MQ

Mumok is located in MQ-MusiumsQuartier Wien. This is a complex in which you can find both museums Mumok and Leopold. There is also additional art halls and spaces for events and workshops. The inner yard of MQ is very popular place to meet with friends for a beer or spritzer. You can choose some of the nice cafes (offering light food also) or just to sit on the free of charge beautiful purple sunbeds (on the picture below they are green as they were in August 2017, now they are purple;).

Mumok

Mumok (Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien) is the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in central Europe. It is home to an extraordinary collection featuring major works of classical modernism, pop art, Fluxus, minimal art, and concept art, as well as Vienna Actionism and contemporary art.

The entrance ticket is 12 Euro. Me and my boyfriend we have annual card- it costs only 28 euro for 1 year!

Location

MQ Quartier Wien is located in one of the most beautiful parts of the city. It is easy accessible by U2 and U3 , station Volkstheater

Museums Quartier Wien

MQ Wien

museum for modern art

mumok

 

 

Hello

Who am I?

My name is Yoanna and I am coming from Bulgaria. I moved to Wien in the end of January. The reason is that my boyfriend lives and works here. His name is Viktor and he is also Bulgarian.

I moved here with my dog.Her name is Romy (nach Romy Schneider;)

In Bulgaria I used to work as Marketing manager of luxury skincare brand. The languages I am speaking are English and Spanish fluently plus not bad Russian.

What are my hobbies?

My hobbies are art, fashion and vintage shopping. Viktor is a DJ in his free time and he collects rare vinyl records. He is all about  the  amazing music from around the world: Africa, Latin America and Middle East.
Our interests lead us to many different interesting places. The cult saturday Flohmarkt for all kind of vintage stuff, for example.
Here in Wien the variety of  Galleries, Museums and Restaurants is so wide! Person can satisfy all his/her needs of fine art and great food. Wien is a place for pleasures of all type!

Deutsch Akademie

I have already finished the A2.1 level in Deutsch Akademie and I liked a lot the place- the whole vibe is so positive and international.
Today I am starting the next A2.2 level and can’t wait to see my new classmates and teacher.
My goal is  to learn German as good and as fast as possible so I can feel fully integrated in Wien!