Austria has taken the art of relaxation to another level for its residents with a hammock-filled public art installation entitled Flederhaus (Bat House) right in the capital city Vienna :)!
A House Filled With Hammocks
Tag Archives: leisure
The Swarovski Crystal World
Any idea what this bright green monster is? It is the entrance of the Swarovski Crystal World.
We’re pretty sure you’ve heard of Swarovski before? Yes? Well if not, let us give you a short introduction of this Austrian company. It is a producer of luxury cut lead class (or crystals), headquartered in Wattens (Tyrol) and was founded in 1895.
Jumping a few decades into the future, to the year 1995 to be precise, which marked the 100 year anniversary of Swarovski, the multi-media artist Andre Heller created a place of true amazement with 14 subterranean Chambers of Wonder.
In 2003 and 2007 the so called home of the crystals became extended with new chambers. More than 8 million people have been enchanted by this world of experiences encompassing the full spectrum of art, music, dance and literature. This unique crystalline theatre is Austria’s second most visited museum, right after Schönbrunn Palace. There is a daily bus transfer between Innsbruck and Wattens available
All in all, we did hear that the Crystal World in all honesty was a little bit overrated. Nevertheless, our conclusion is that if you are into crystals, glass cutting, contemporary museums, and Swarovski, and – above all – are thinking of getting one of those pretty little crystals from this world-renowned Austrian company, then what better place to buy it then at the Swarovski Crystal World, right ;)?
Anyway, check out the pictures and decide for yourself.
We would love to hear your opinion: HOT or NOT?
Why not Jump off a Bridge?
Why not jump off a dam or a bridge while in Austria :)? Did you know that Austria has some of the best and most dangerous bungee jumps in the world?
One of the jumps is actually among the highest 5 jumps in the world and it is the one when you jump off the Europabruecke Bridge in the state of Tyrol. Standing 630 feet (192 m) high, and supporting the Brenner Autobahn, the Europabruecke Bridge was Europe’s highest jump from 1963 until it was topped out by France’s Millau Viaduct in 2004.
However make no mistake: just standing on the edge of this structure, let alone thinking about jumping from it, would be enough to make many feel sick with…well, you can imagine.
Once you’ve had those ties wrapped securely around your ankles, it’s a quick look at the alpine panorama around you and then a leap off the launch platform, your face turning to stretched rubber as the floor of the Wipp valley rushes towards you, before the bungee finally kicks in, leaving you bouncing like a rag doll on a piece of string – albeit a very grateful one. To do this jump, it’s about $167 a person (see: http://www.rupert-hirner.at/content.html).
Some other crazy Austrian bungee jumps are jumping off the 169 meters (about 590feet) Kolnbrein Dam (Koelnbreinsperre) in Carinthia. The scenery is really breathtaking, also jumping off a dam instead of a bridge. It just has a different kind of feel.
The last spot we want to mention in Austria that’s popular among the Austrian extreme sport lovers is to jump of the Danube Tower (or Donauturm) in Vienna. The Danube Tower is the tallest structure in Austria, at 252 meters, and among the 75 tallest towers in the world! The launch pad has been installed at 152 meters. At that height the jumper has a fantastic panorama of the city and way further (it’s truly breathtaking!) – the view stretches for about 80 kilometers. And we recommend to savour it well before you launch yourself as, at a velocity of somewhere around 90 km/h, you won’t have time to take much in while you fall ;).
As you can tell from our website already whilst you’re in Austria there are plenty of other adrenaline sports you can do. There’s paragliding – and Austria’s truly a sensational place to do that. There’s also: kayaking, rafting, windsurfing and kitesurfing on the idyllic Lake Achensee which has great wind conditions and on Lake Reschensee near Nauders and Durlaßbodenspeicher Reservoir in Zillertal – to name but a few. There’s hiking, climbing, ice climbing …. we could go on and on and can’t wait to post about these amazing things you can do in Austria.
So if you happened to be wondering where to go this Summer – you might think of Austria! It’s got it all hehe ;)….
CNN’s Insider Guide to Vienna
Good morning TTMAA fans,
we found this great link by CNN and wanted to share it with you guys. It’s an awesome one page guide to some great restaurant, shops and sights in Vienna and just great to print out while visiting Vienna and start exploring this rad city.
Furthermore, we have been asked to post travel tips as well as what locals love to do in Austria and are going to write a post soon on the top 10 things that you should not miss when you visit our beautiful home country. So, stay tuned ;)!
Talk to me about Austria 