Photo by infraredhorsebite

A sibling love affair, a taxidermic incident with the family dog (whose name, of all things, is Sorrow), and a dancing bear. Need we say more? These plot details are just the tip of the iceberg in John Irving’s novel, The Hotel New Hampshire.

The story follows a family from New England as they open their Hotel New Hampshire and endure various travesties. They take the show on the road, moving to Vienna to run a Gasthaus for an old family friend, Freud, a former European refugee who, along with his traveling companion—the dancing bear—originally brought the parents together. Intrigued yet? You haven’t even reached Vienna.

We don’t want to spoil the plot, so we’ll just say that once you arrive in Vienna you can look forward to a hotel floor of prostitutes and a plot by radicals to blow up the Vienna State Opera. It’s a wild ride, and we are willing to bet you won’t want to put it down.

Because Vienna is a fairly placid place, a novel like this one provides an enjoyable and counterintuitive take on the Austrian capital.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Photo by rena5

The inhabitants of Vienna appear to find the charms of Asia irresistible. The imported healthy lifestyle (yoga, Ayurveda, tai chi) and tasty food are key elements of Vienna’s love affair with Asia. No wonder Asian-styled restaurants keep on multiplying in the city.

Vienna’s hip and trendy urbanites prefer Japanese cuisine with its sushi and tempura over other Asian cuisines, and consequently sushi restaurants tend to be a luxury.

Hanil, on the Rechte Wienzeile of the Fourth District is thankfully removed from the pack. It is the best place for sushi in Vienna. While other Japanese restaurants in Vienna charge more than €20 for a full Japanese meal, Hanil only charges €12.90 for an all-you-can-eat option.

Advice: Try to be there before the “rush hour” or call the staff to make a reservation. Both the seriously committed and the curious flood the restaurant after 5 p.m., even on Sundays.

Hanil is located at Rechte Wienzeile 7 1040. Telephone: +43 (0)1 585 3590. Fax: +43 (0)1 585 3890. Hanil is open daily from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., except on Sundays, when it’s open from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Every year the city of Vienna gives away 100,000 books to the masses. In 2005, John Irving’s “Setting Free the Bears” was given away for free. Irving’s first novel was directly influenced by his long stay in Vienna.

Last November, it was Toni Morrison’s turn. Her debut novel “The Bluest Eye” was the city’s pick. Morrison’s story is about humanism and racism in early 1940s America. Its themes intersect powerfully with Vienna’s seemingly never-ending fight against xenophobia.

As far as we’ve been able to tell, Vienna is the only city in the world that hands over free books written by internationally known writers for mass consumption.

Through May 1, ORF Wien and the cultural magazine Wien Live are requesting input from the public regarding favorite literary picks as part and parcel of the launch of the Read Me: Mein Lieblingsbuch program.

By signing up, inhabitants are eligible to win prizes. This week, a complete tea service is up for grabs. We’re hoping to be notified that our tea service will arrive shortly. The main prize? A weekend trip to London for two.

A huge gala announcing the top 100 choices is scheduled for May 2 in the Main City Hall. Andrej Kurkow—a Russian best-selling author—will grace the event.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Photo by netmyller

Centuries ago, when Vienna was the center of music and the best composers felt compelled to come to town, prodigies and wannabes set their eyes on the city and dreamed that one day, they, too, would be celebrated in the Austrian capital—and later, around the world.

Fast forwarded to today. Vienna’s days as the center of the music world are past. Happily, however, there’s the Haus der Musik on Seilerstätte Street 30 in the First District. The museum represents and documents Vienna’s musical traditions.

Aside from the regular exhibitions, concerts, press conferences, podium discussions, and special children’s programs, the Haus der Musik boasts a virtual Dirigentenpult (virtual conductor room) where visitors can pretend that they’re legendary Austrian Meisterdirigent Herbert von Karajan conducting the Wiener Philharmoniker.

Starting this month, the Haus der Musik also offers a yearly membership card for a price of €27 per person. Card owners gets a 10 percent discount at the Mozart House in Vienna and free entry to the monthly Haus der Musik concerts and other musical and culinary museum events.

Though budget-seekers might find the €10 entrance fee a bit pricey, the museum provides a great way to enjoy the music of the early masters. Discounts are available for students, seniors, and children under the age of 12 and almost free for kids under three.

Haus der Musik opens from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more info, call +43-1-516-48 or email info@hdm.at.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Photo by gek_at

The path is clear for all bicycles in Vienna—the old, the cheap, and the new.

On April 14 and 15, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the Viennese Rathaus, bicycles—and, perhaps, their owners—will be the stars at Vienna’s Fifth Bike Festival. The event is sponsored by Argus, a non-profit, non-partisan association of like-minded bike-crazed individuals aiming to promote the use of bicycles to ease traffic in the city and protect the environment.

For anyone searching for cheaper bikes (or wanting to sell an old bike) the Bike Festival is there to help. This year’s theme is mobility. A flea market for two-wheeled transport will be joined by a few tents selling bike accessories and parts at bargain prices. The latest maps for bikes will also distributed for free. A Nostalgia Corner will exhibit historical bikes, and seminars will tackle issues, including bicycle mobility in the city and children’s safety.

One of the festival’s highlights is Vienna Air King, the International Dirt Jump Contest. Participants will show off back flip or Superman tricks. Hardcore.

For more information, call +43 (0)1 505 0907 or email service@argus.or.at.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Photo by Steffen J.

This year, St. Stephen’s Cathedral—or the Stephansdom—will celebrate its 860th birthday. Located in the First District, it is the absolute epicenter of the capital. And while Stephansdom is a tourist must-see, it’s also a place of real ongoing significance for the Viennese.

As the Lenten season unfolds in Vienna, for example, the main focus of its celebration is Stephansdom. Ask a local about about the structure’s signs and faint codes. One example: the cryptic “O5″ faintly scratched on the wall of the church; this stands for the Austrian resistance movement during the Second World War.

And of course the best view of the entire city can be seen from the top of the North Tower where its crowning glory, the Pummerin, can be seen. This famous bell tolls only on special occasions, and at mid-day on Easter Sunday—for five to seven minutes—the Pummerin will ring.

Open all year-round and with no admission charge, Stephansdom sometimes holds concerts and special matinees. For information about tours, call (+43) 01-515-5237-67. Stephansdom is located on the U1 U-Bahn line, at Stephansplatz station.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Photo by antshez

Last Sunday the Twin City Line opened up for business after a long winter slumber. The ship connects the capital cities of Vienna and Bratislava via the Danube River three times a day. The journey takes about 75 minutes and the Twin City boats can accommodate up to 102 passengers.

The liner is not only a service to tourists but also another means of transport for locals of both cities as well as business people who would like to try an alternative to trains and cars. Ship passengers don’t have to worry about parking spaces or grumpy cab drivers—the liner takes passengers from city center to city center. Plus, the murky waters of the famous Danube afford great views along the way.

The cheapest one-way ticket costs €15 on weekdays and goes up to €17 on weekends and holidays. Kids up to two years old travel for free, and there’s a 50% reduction for children under 12. Twin City Line is also wheelchair-accessible and accepts dogs and bikes.

For the month of April, 2007, the line is offering a child-free-with-parent special. The offer is valid for all routes but can only be reserved by telephone: +43 1-588-80. For more information, please email twincityliner@ddsg-blue-danube.at.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Photo by seadipper

You’re strolling around Venice when suddenly it strikes: an insatiable craving for Mélange mit Schlagobers. Where did this hankering for the whipped, caffeinated Austrian delight come from? Who knows? In any case, you need to get yourself to Vienna pronto.

Taking the night train from Venice to Vienna is an old Cheapo trick. Why does it make sense?

For one, hotel rates in Venice are notoriously inflated, from €100 to €200 per night, with a few one-star pensions and hostels running cheaper. In comparison, a 2nd class overnight ticket between Venice and Vienna costs about €75. If you have a Eurail pass, traveling on the Allegro line can be even cheaper. Deals are also sometimes offered on the route—over one Easter weekend not long ago, we scored a €45 ticket.

Once you’re in Vienna, there are more affordable hotels to choose between. You’ll pay between €45 and €75 for a cheap room. A more upscale room can be had for between €75 and €149, leaving you enough money to go on a ravenous strüdel binge. What happens in Vienna, stays in Vienna, after all.

SkyEurope flies between Venice and Vienna for even less. This summer they’re offering €.01 fares, which swell to €19 once taxes are taken into consideration. Cheap, no question, but traveling by night train allows you to consolidate your lodging and transportation costs and eliminate time- and euro-sucking trips to the airport.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Photograph by SkyEurope

To promote their recent addition of Vienna as a new base airport, SkyEurope is hawking €19 airfares (taxes and charges included!) to and from Vienna.

These low fares will apply to flights to and from all sixteen destinations served by SkyEurope from Vienna. Among the highlights, in our view: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bucharest, Larnaca, Paris, Thessaloniki, and Zadar.

The €19 fares are on sale through Sunday.

We’re still waiting for Kiev and Istanbul to show up on the SkyEurope map, but these low fares will do for now.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Photograph by World of Jeff!

The important cities in Austria and Switzerland are where the action is when it comes to the UEFA European Championship 2008. According to the UEFA Web site, groundwork for a European national-team competition began in 1956, achieving fruition in 1958 as the European Nations’ Cup, and is now known as the UEFA European Championship. Fans have until March 31 to book tickets to see their football idols live. There will be six matches in Vienna, including the finals on June 29 at the Ernst Happel Stadium. Beyond Austria’s capital, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Innsbruck will see some action as well. Invididuals can order a maximum of four tickets, which are on first-come-first-served basis. So hurry.

Austria will also import security manpower from neighboring Germany to ensure smooth sailing. After a violent incident that took place in Italy earlier this month—costing one life and rendering several spectators severely injured—officials are keen to keep hooliganism in check.

To quench public thirst for the upcoming event, several street football matches will transpire in Vienna, beginning next month. Plus, there will be gratis open-air kinos in several locations—this circuit includes a free kino in front of Vienna’s Rathaus on August 12—featuring films, like “Dan Wunder von Bern,” with football themes.

The Rathaus will also be the meeting point for public viewing of EM 2008. Here fans will be able to watch and cheer on their favorite football team on a huge screen.

Popularity: 4% [?]