Annelie's Realfab TOURS & City WALKS

13/08/2023

Vienna waits for you - may it be spring or autumn 🤗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqqE1sUPxlI

Music video by Granada performing Wien wort auf di. (C) 2023 EH OK RECORDS distributed by Sony Music Entertainment

16/10/2022

Very HAPPY to announce to have received yet another award from TripAdvisor! I have been recognized by Tripadvisor as a 2022 Travelers’ Choice award winner for my Vienna Tours and City Walks. The award celebrates businesses that have received great traveler reviews from travelersaround the globe on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. Many many thanks to all my customers who kindly took the time to write a review and to recommend me! MUCH appreciated!! https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g190454-d18313904-Reviews-Annelie_s_realFAB_TOURS_CITY_WALKS-Vienna.html

17/03/2022

Vienna at night ... sleeping beauty! Have a look at these lovely sights!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM0z-IsJUSQ

© Vienna Film Commission 2020Music by Ernst Molden - "Awarakadawara"Cinematography / Concept / Colour grading: Ioan Gavriel_Second camera: Fabian MellerCut: ...

11/03/2022

A rare sight to behold : Have a look at this indulgence panel (Ablasstafel) dating back to the late 15th century, promising forgiveness of sins and a faster way to heaven. On this predecessor of a (religious) advertising poster people could read about how to bypass dreaded purgatory and head to heaven much faster. All you needed to do was to make a donation – easy for some people in those days! This malpractice of faith led Martin Luther to publish his 95 reformist ideas in 1517, just a few years after the production of this panel (and many other indulgence posters). This particular indulgence panel can be admired in the Treasury of the Teutonic Order in Vienna which holds many more interesting exhibits: Fabulous creatures serving as drinking jugs, spectacular remedies against food poisoning as well as quite a few more masterpieces attesting superb craftmanship and the exquisite taste of its collectors.

11/02/2022

Breathtaking views of the 1st district from Vienna's new rooftop terrace bar ISTROS. Feeling literally on top if my little Leopoldstadt world 😎😍☺
"rooftopbar

20/08/2021

Happy to announce that Tripadvisor just gave me a Travelers' Choice Award 2021!🎉🎶 🤩🥳💃🎊🎵

09/06/2021

Vienna from up above 🎵😍🦅🎶🤩
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3sT-YpFZHM

Vienna sightseeing from above

27/05/2021

27/05/2021

Ah. Finally! A sun break yesterday. After the long and rainy bouts we live through these past weeks. What to do while the sun lasted? We quickly jumped on our bikes and cycled along the Danube in the Klosterneuburg area with the sun out and a bright blue sky. So many remarkables things to see between Klosterneuburg and Greifenstein, so much here is deeply steeped in history! Towards the end of our tour we were also rewarded with a kind of a poetic interlude. A pretty peacock running along with us for a while. It felt like we were transported back in time, strolling through the realm of noble people once holding court here centuries ago!

17/04/2021

Led Zeppelin immediately came to my mind when first looking at this fairly new art installation at St. Stephen’s south tower. Created by artist Billi Thanner, this glowing ‘Stairway to Heaven‘ is meant to be a symbol of hope. Vienna born Billi Thanner likes her art works to be interdisciplinary and actionist, calling them ‘interactionist‘ herself. In a rather visionary way years ago, she created ‘art viruses‘ that are on view in the city of Wels these days. Another of her art installations focused on air pollution and was very fittingly shown in Beijing in 2016. There is far more depth to Thanner‘s work, however, than usually perceived at first glance.

Thanner’s heaven ladder fits perfectly in and on St. Stephen’s, as this cathedral is full of enigmatic number symbols. Catholic symbols, yes, but many of them also being sacred for the freemasons. Thanner‘s first 3 x 7 ladder rungs ascend from the cathedral's baptistery up to the exterior of the south tower and additional 3 x 11 ladder rungs then go up to the top. Especially in the catholic religion the number 3 (Holy Trinity) is a sacred number, whereas the number 7 not only stands for the seven days of Creation, but also symbolizes the unity of the four corners of the Earth with the Holy Trinity. There are 7 deadly sins as well as 7 virtues. 7 also features in the Book of Revelation (7 churches, 7 angels, 7 seals, 7 trumpets and 7 stars) etc.

While both 3 and 7 are also sacred numbers for the freemasons, the number 33 (3 x 11) holds a special position in the masonic world of symbols: Master Masons are able to extend their Masonic experience by taking further degrees, the 33rd degree being the highest according to the ancient Masonic Scottish Rite which is the one most commonly accepted in Austria.

Many, many reflections to this ladder leading up to the sky. The artist may or may not have had them in her mind, when creating this art installation. It may or may not be important knowing about certain quotes or symbols when looking at this ‘stairway to heaven‘. Either way it is a very pleasant sight. On view until May 31st.

01/04/2021

I do love Easter decorations and spring flowers. Yes, I know, lockdown. Again! Again ... How can anybody be in a happy mood these days? Why not just take spring into your home despite it all. Works for me. Looking at the daffodils and other bright spring flowers around me, even if it's just a small flower pot on my coffee table, never fails to bring me in a sunnier mood. 🥀🌻🥀🌼🌺🌻⚘🌷🌞⛅🌞 Hope springs eternal.

21/03/2021

As of today: Springtime!!! Looking at a concert given by the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra centering around spring melodies. That concert took place a while ago. But as flowers come back now, so will it be possible again to personally attend concerts, theatre and opera performances. Let's just really strongly hope that this will S.O.O.N. be the case!!! Meanwhile enjoy the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWXus3M_9XY

Manfred Honeck führt die Wiener Symphoniker auf eine musikalische Reise durch Österreich Seit über 40 Jahren gehört das traditionelle TV-Osterkonzert „Frühli...

20/03/2021

3 days ago I had the joy and privilege to attend a live concert in the evening magic of the magnificent St. Stephen’s cathedral. Styrian organist and composer Peter Frisée and the amazing Israeli opera singer Chen Reiss followed the very fitting motto ‘Romance in the Cathedral’, treating the audience with breathtakingly beautiful arias from Bach, Haendel or Fauré, as well as organ pieces by more contemporary composers such as Frisée, or Saint-Saëns. The time passed far too quickly listening to the angelic sounds of Chen Reiss’s soprano and Frisée playing the cathedral’s recently restaured giant organ.
Masterminded by Ursula Magnes, head of the music programm of Radio Klassik Stephansdom, there is a whole series of concerts in St. Stephen’s, titled ‘Wiener Dom-Konzerte’ which can be followed live or retrospectively. Do visit their youtube channel, you are in for a treat! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdWlmvxz8PVl6dRGZ1bRBWw
Next week, on March 27th at 8.30 pm, you have the chance to watch another of ‘Wiener Dom-Konzert’, this time live! The Wiener Staatsoper Opera School and the State Opera Stage Orchestra will perform Bach’s St. John Passion, BW 245. Not to be missed, I warmly recommend it! You can also attend this live performance at Radio Klassik’s own Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/radioklassikStephansdom/videos/1803688463133168/

15/03/2021

Birds flying towards the sunset near Hofburg and a blind man playing a sad tune near Heroes' Square. It doesn't happen often, granted, but sometimes a walk around the Ring Boulevard does feel like being transported into a surreal movie ...

04/02/2021

Having lived abroad for quite a few years before coming back to my home town, I have learned to appreciate many things about Vienna. You look at other ways of life, learn to love them und sometimes you compare. Personally, comparison gave me this growing certainty: In Vienna you feel on the top of the world! Also from this vantage point. Another of those many hidden places Vienna has to offer to visitors and its (happy) inhabitants alike.

If you want to continue feeling at the top of the world, even when you are not in Vienna, currently, do have a look at these fabulous aerial views of Vienna, produced by "Frank H. - New Entertainment Pictures" 🙂😍🤩 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67umbQgXnYw

03/02/2021

A dreamy little courtyard in downtown Vienna. There are so many hidden places, secret paths and passageways still to discover in our beautiful city. It often feels like a true treasure hunt - even for Viennese or real Vienna connaisseurs. See if you can place these courtyards! ☺
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01/02/2021

Vienna’s pastry shops as well as some bars and restaurants have found delicious ways to help us pass the time until a relaxing of the coronavirus restrictions is possible again. For instance you get fresh pancakes filled with abricot jam at a stand in front of ‘Schwarzes Kameel’ these days. This bar/restaurant is Vienna’s downtown place to be after work, a favourite watering hole for many when there is not a pandemic going on. At the ‘Demel’ pastry shop you currently even have a cooking show taking place at the store windows, much to the delight of people strolling along Kohlmarkt. It is indeed a mouth watering experience to look at the pastry chefs working on fluffy pancakes and shredding them in huge pans, thus producing ‘Kaiserschmarr’n’. A traditional Vienna dessert eaten warm and melting in your mouth.

22/12/2020

Kaum vorstellbar, dass in Wien eine Ausstellung aktueller und besser zu den jetzigen Entwicklungen passend sein könnte wie die neue Ausstellung „CORONAS AHNEN“ in der Wagenburg in Schönbrunn, die erst vor 4 Tagen eröffnet wurde. Es geht darin um Masken und Seuchen in Wien und am Wiener Hof zwischen 1500 und 1918. Wir sind alle erschüttert durch die Einschränkungen und Sicherheitsmaßnahmen rund um die Covid19-Pandemie. Und vergessen dabei, dass unsere Vorfahren jahrhundertelang mit der Angst vor Seuchen leben mussten, und zwar noch viel tödlicheren Epidemien als Corona. Mit der neuen Ausstellung möchte die Wagenburg einen Beitrag dazu leisten, die Ereignisse mit denen wir derzeit konfrontiert sind durch den Blick auf die Vergangenheit umfassender zu begreifen. Einzigartige Objekte erzählen die Geschichte von Masken und Seuchen bis zum Ende des Kaiserreiches. Dabei spannt sich der Bogen von Turnier- und Karnevalsmasken des Wiener Hofes über imposante Trauerroben der Habsburger bis hin zu Zeugnissen der großen Epidemien und ersten Dokumenten zur Impfgeschichte. Sie können die Ausstellung vor dem harten Lockdown täglich von 10h-16h besuchen. Auch am 24.12. ist sie offen, allerdings nur von 10h bis 13h. Schauen Sie sich das an, wie Farkas sagen würde. Es lohnt sich!
There is almost no way to be more up to date than the excellent exhibition ‘CORONA’S ANCESTORS’ in the ‘Wagenburg‘, the Imperial Carriage Museum, which opened its doors just a few days ago. You get very interesting and enlightening insights into masks and epidemics in Vienna and at the Viennese Court between 1500 and 1918. We are all upset and shaken by the restrictions imposed on our lives in order to contain the Covid19 pandemic and prevent any further spreading. An experience like this is not all that new to Vienna or to our world, however. We seem to have long forgotten that our ancestors lived in fear of epidemics for many centuries. With its new exhibition the Wagenburg is set to contribute to a wider understanding of the current developments by casting a look at the past. Unique objects address a wide range of topics: They bear witness to the huge epidemics in the past. You see documents on the early history of vaccination as well as a large variety of maks in the course of Vienna’s history and the Imperial Court’s impressive ways of mourning. You can visit this exhibition before the upcoming lockdown dayly between 10 am and 4 pm. On 24 Dec until 1 pm. Do go there, this exhibition is well worth seeing!

16/12/2020

Nur mehr wenige Tage bis Weihnachten! Was schenke ich, wenn ich nicht weiß, was ich schenken soll? Manche Menschen haben irgendwie eh schon alles oder sie pflegen sehr spezielle Vorlieben. Und eigentlich würde man gerne wieder etwas mit ihnen unternehmen. Es sollte in Zeiten verstärkter Sicherheitsmaßnahmen Sinn machen und etwas Persönliches sein, dass dem/der Beschenkten auch wirklich Freude bereiten soll. Und man möchte vielleicht auch etwas Hübsches überreichen können. Bei mir gibt es z.B. einen individuell gestalteten Gutschein für einen privaten und maßgeschneiderten Stadtspaziergang. Eine Führung, die ganz speziell auf die beschenkte Person/en zugeschnitten ist. Bei meinen Stadtführungen kommt mein eigenes Quiet-Voice-System mit Empfängern und Ohrhörern für jede/n Teilnehmer/in zum Einsatz. Dies garantiert ein tolles Hörerlebnis auch bei Straßenlärm, gleichzeitig können damit auch locker Sicherheitsabstände eingehalten werden. Und es ist ein wirklich persönliches Geschenk. Auf diesem Link sind ein paar mögliche Themen einer solchen Führung aufgelistet, die beliebig erweitert oder ergänzt werden können: https://realfab.net/ …
Just a week and a day until christmas! Have you found suitable presents for your loved ones yet? This can be a tricky matter with certain people. So, why not buy an individualized gift certificate? A truly personal present that also makes sense in times of stronger security measures: Find out more about your city, while being entertained out in the fresh air. Each participant will be provided with a receiver and earphones of my own city guide ‘quiet voice’ system:. This will ensure a good acoustical experience for all participants, diminish disruptions by traffic noise and enable you to listen to explanations while keeping safety distances. I’ll be happy to put together a custom tour for you and also create individualized gift certificate for my private tours, customized to the specific interests and preferences of the person receiving your gift. https://realfab.net/en/
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05/12/2020

Another stroll in the Danube wetlands. This time 20 miles (32 km) east of Vienna, near the remnants of Carnuntum, ancient Roman capital of Pannonia which was situated in this area approx. 2,000 years ago.

17/11/2020

Autumn walk in the magnificent gardens surrounding Schoenbrunn Palace. Statues galore with their stories from Greek and Roman mythology, awaiting you with their sometimes enigmatic attributes to see whether you can guess their identities and meanings. A park full of stories, symbols and riddles to explore. Full of lovely views, autumn beauty and fresh air.

04/11/2020

United we stand. Love prevails. 💓 Vienna 💓

26/10/2020

A historical advertisement for fig coffee dating back to 1916, right in the middle of WWI. During war and other times of need fig coffee was the go to substitute for Viennese who cannot live happily without their coffee. Popular in times of need, fig coffee continued to tickle people’s taste buds even in much better times. I remember that my paternal grandparents loved to mix a bit of fig coffee in their regular coffee because they just liked the taste.

Vienna may not have been the first city in the world to open coffee houses. Far from it, this honour belongs among others to Mecca where we know about several coffee houses as early as the 12th century. It is believed to have been Venice which opened Europe's first coffee house in the 1640s. Vienna followed the new trend a couple of decades later in 1685. And Vienna’s first cafetier was Johannes Diodato (not Polish adventurer Kolschitzky). Diodato, an Armenian businessman, adventurer and part-time spy for Emperor opened the first Vienna coffee house nearby the former Greek quarter of Vienna in 1685. Around 1700 there were several other coffee houses in the city, the Viennese embracing the hot drink and the accompanying culture with open arms and mouths.

The first coffee houses already had several of the characteristics that are still typical of a Viennese-style coffee house today. Waiters served a glass of water with every cup of coffee and clients were encouraged to pass their time there with card games and pool tables. In general, the Viennese, who mostly lived in tiny, crowded flats, regarded the elegant coffee houses as their "extended living rooms" or second homes where they could meet friends and other people.

To this day time seems to pass slower while you are in a good coffee house and those good waiters who know how to leave you in peace just as they themselves mostly appreciate to be left in peace by their customers. Live and let live. Acknowledging the special atmosphere in Vienna’s coffee houses, the UNESCO included Viennese coffee house culture in the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. Rightly so!
Among my personal favourites Cafés are the Diglas on Fleischmarkt and the Amacord near Naschmarkt.

13/10/2020

Maybe not a new Banksy yet, but a promising giant-sized advert for Absolut vodka is coming up right next to Danube Canal, fittingly close to the canal's party and graffiti mile. Having worked in PR and advertising for quite a while I am personally quite curious to find out what Absolut's new advertising line will look like. In any case will this giant bottle be a welcome change to the current autumn grayness in the city … and why shouldn’t graffiti artists earn some money too ?

01/10/2020

Today is International Coffee Day. And this is Café Jelinek, one of Vienna's lesser known (and truly traditional) coffee houses where time seems to stand still. So cosily unkempt and so happily unrestored, it immediately generates heartwarming feelings in me. 😉 This is where I ended my guided tour through Vienna’s 6th district today at noon.

I had the honour to be hired as a Vienna guide by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce which supported several cultural events surrounding the International Coffee Day. Among them were guided tours through various Vienna districts. This included a tour of mine through Mariahilf: We climbed a few beautiful stairways to bridge the huge difference in level between the Naschmarkt and Mariahilfer Straße, saw beautiful Art Nouveau houses and other tokens of this district’s rich and very long past. All the way through many coffee houses, from Café Sperl to Café Ritter and finally ending up in this cosy place.

25/09/2020

Schon wieder Corona! Was geht in Wien überhaupt noch an Veranstaltungen laut neuer Covid-Schutzmaßnahmen? Bei meinen Stadtführungen eigentlich noch ziemlich viel. Denn mein eigenes Quiet-Voice-Audio-System erleichtert es, den nötigen Sicherheitsabstand zu anderen Personen einzuhalten und garantiert neben dem Seh- auch im Freien ein ausgezeichnetes Hör-Erlebnis. Herbstwetter ist meist wie geschaffen für Stadtspaziergänge, nicht zu heiß aber noch nicht zu kalt und falls es doch mal regnen sollte, geht das schnell vorbei.

Bei meinen Touren gibt es auch für erfahrene Wien-Bewohner/innen noch viel aufzuspüren. Ob nun bei Themenführungen in der Innenstadt oder in den unterschiedlichen Grätzeln - wetten, dass Ihr längst noch nicht alles Bemerkenswerte entdeckt habt? Außerdem eine schöne Gelegenheit, etwas gemeinsam mit mehr als nur ganz wenigen Freunden zu unternehmen, das in geschlossenen Räumen derzeit ja regelrecht kompliziert sein muss. Sucht Euch einen Termin und ein Thema oder ein Grätzl aus, fragt Freundinnen, Freunde und/oder Familie, ob sie mitmachen, dann ruft mich an und es kann schon bald losgehen.

Die seit dieser Woche gültigen Schutzmaßnahmen schreiben für uns u.a. Folgendes vor: Personen, die nicht im gemeinsamen Haushalt leben, haben einen Mindestabstand von einem Meter voneinander einzuhalten oder einen Mund-Nasen-Schutz zu tragen. An einer Führung im Freien dürfen derzeit theoretisch bis zu 100 Personen teilnehmen. Meiner Erfahrung nach ist es aber für alle einfacher und viel gemütlicher, wenn eine Gruppe bei einem Stadtspaziergang nur 20 Personen oder weniger umfasst - auch wenn es laut Covid-Schutzmaßnahmen viel mehr sein dürften.
Auf diesem Link findet Ihr einen kleinen Vorgeschmack auf mögliche Themen unseres Stadtspaziergangs: https://realfab.net/

24/09/2020

Lovely inside and out. Enjoying nature in its various forms. These views are just a quick and easy bicycle trip from the centre towards the outskirts of Vienna. While in the area enjoy also remnants of more than 2000-year history. Or the totally current fresh storm (Sturm) in the young wine taverns (Heurige) of the region. 🌿🍃🍁🍇🍷🍾🥂

24/08/2020

How well do you know Klimt and his works? Need to freshen up your knowledge? Feel like exploring lesser known venues? Ever been to his last abode, the garden studio? Seen the 'Vienna 1900' exhibition in Leopold Museum? Or the one in MAK? Or seen his early works currently shown in Belvedere? Ever wanted to explore Gustav Klimt beyond 'The Kiss' and the Golden Period? Want to seize the opportunity to see the Stoclet Frieze in Vienna? Well, am ready whenever you are! 🙂🎶🤓🤩 Freshen up what you know about Gustav Klimt!

22/08/2020

They look a bit like old ladies’ doilies. Cross stitch embroideries spelling out inspirational quotes. Except that they are not old proverbs (yet) and they do not embellish an elderly person’s fuddy duddy drawing room. Instead you see women’s lib slogans covering spaces which are traditionally loaded with testosterone: construction sites! Since July one of these embroidered dust nets can be seen on a construction site of Vienna’s Linke Wienzeile, declaring ‘As long as you are afraid of being eye-level, I will be a feminist’. The works of Austrian artist Katharina Cibulka keep popping up at much frequented locations all over town. Next week a construction site in the heart of Vienna‘s centre will be veiled with one of her messages in cross stitch embroidery.

Following one of feminism’s key issues her projects target gender-specific inequalities. She starts with interviewing local people, asking them how long they will be feminists. Cibulka and her team then create sentences based on the interviews‘ answers and embroider them onto dust nets in meter-high letters made out of pink tulle. They present controversial slogans that address current problems, but also imply hope for a change. Earlier this year you could see them i.e. at the Academy of Fine Arts on Schillerplatz ‘As long as the art market is a boy’s club, I will be a feminist’ or at the former Hotel Ku**er on Mariahilfer Straße ‘As long as it is all about sixpacks and sexbombs, I will be a feminist’. Cibulka gets the message across in a refreshingly lighthearted and jokative way, playing with stereotypes on many levels – all at the same time. It is a constructive provocation that wants to withhold blame or judgement. And its varying locations spell out the current state of gender inequality : one big construction site after the other. Ironic really … and very impressive. It does make you think. Next week, on 27 August, another SOLANGE net by Cibulka, sponsored by KÖR Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Wien, will be on display on Tuchlauben, right in Vienna’s historical center. I really look forward to read what this new message is going to say!