My wife had sent me a gift certificate to attend one of their courses, as an anniversary gift. It…read moredid look very interesting, although at first I was a little bit apprehensive because my German language skills are limited and maybe not good enough to understand the class. However, the instructors there assured me that this wouldn't be a problem, and if I needed any help or had any questions, they would be there to assist. It was very informal, very informative, and I had a great time there. Not only did the instructors make an effort to see if I was following along or understood what they were saying, the students in attendance also were very helpful as well. I basically felt at ease while doing this course. As one student said, "Food is an international language!", and "See, it's not rocket science?", even if I couldn't understand all the German spoken there, it was very easily to follow along and figure out, just by listening and watching what they were doing. It is also a good idea to be active and help out with the cooking to get some hands-on experience, which everyone did of course as part of the instruction. There was plenty of wine and other drinks there, and we got to eat our project during the course. Basically it was like a 4-course meal with dessert and drinks, but we prepared our meals for everyone like in a fancy restaurant. The most difficult part of the course was not my fears of being able to understand, but during the middle when we cooked and prepared the meats, because they smelled so good! One of the students joked with me in saying, "Hey Jerry, just sliced the meat, don't taste it now!" Hahah... If you enjoy cooking and want to learn something new, I highly recommend attending Das Kockwerk sometime. As a matter of fact, when the time comes, I may take another one of their courses, perhaps the Thai/Asian course, or one of the other many classes they offer that are informative and interesting as well. They have a very friendly and helpful staff, so don't worry, you won't be on Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen!

It was an age of extraordinary wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few. It is a palace…read moreof opulence and wealth on a grand scale.The Austrian-Hungarian Empire reigned at it's height and today it is reflected in the museum's collections in the Hofburg Imperial Palace. There are numerous museums including the Albertina showcasing Durer, Raphael, Rembrandt, Picasso, Klmt and others. The Augustinekirche (14th century Gothic), Schatzkammer Imperial Treasury, Lipizzaner riding school, Globenmuseum of cartography and the Nationalbibliotek and others. I'm reviewing the tour of the Imperial apartments, Imperial Silver Collection and the Sisi Museum which are in the Hofburg Palace and included in a one ticket price for Adults of 12.50 Euro. This tour comes with a free audio-guide in 13 different languages. I highly recommend the audio-guide which gives detail and perspective you would miss on a self tour. Admission with a guide is another option and costs 15.50 Euros and lasts about 55 minutes. There are other neighboring museum combinations with the Hofburg Palace Tour you might be interested in which include the Art/History Museum and the Schonbrunn Palace. The Imperial Apartments feature Franz Joseph & wife Elizabeth's private quarters, the Audience Hall of great magnificence, conference room for ministers and crown council, living room and bedroom of Elizabeth which are on the scale of the Hermitage and Versailles. The Rococo style, Bohemian crystal chandeliers and 17th/18th century tapestries augment the numerous salons. The furniture is 19th century Louis XV and Empire style. The Sisi Museum has numerous personal items owned by Elizabeth as well as famous portraits of Elizabeth. Her Hungarian Coronation dress is a highlight as is the black coat with egret feathers which she was laid out in after the assassination.. The Silver Collection holds 7,000 coins. It also includes the Vienna Court Silver Service and the "Grand Vermeil Service" which was a service for up to 140 people. The Milan Centerpiece is also a highlight. Interesting little nuances include the dinner menu. Anyone for veal lips or liver dumplings. The tour is accessible to the disabled with ramps, elevators, free wheel chairs and free entrance to aids for blind visitors. Seeing-eye dogs are also allowed. I attended a Mozart Concert in the Hofburg Palace which I enjoyed but others may not appreciate.

Hofburg was amazing! I love the nice tourguides, the director was even saying hello to our group…read moreand the art was one of a kind. I loved loisl wiener, our friendly host for the tour and will come back with all my friends and more family members. An amazing adventure to see the habsburg family castle in imperial vienna.