 |
| “But for the pit confounders, let them go,
and find as little mercy as
they show!”
|
I had all sorts of good old days Angel flashbacks
watching this one…. sewer tunnels, medieval weapon, Wesley …. Oh, well! Back to Grimm!
Grimm: 3x07 “Cold Blooded”
Grimm: 3x06 “Stories We Tell Our Young”
 |
| “We don’t believe, we only fear” |
Well, I guess it was only a
matter of time before we got an exorcism a la Grimm. You could tell
by the lateness of this review, how mush I dislike any shows or movies that
involve exorcism. The unsettling factor here was that the possessed person was
a child. To hit us with something like that this close to Christmas was just
unpleasant.
Grimm: 3x05 “El Cucuy”
 |
“Duérmete niño, duérmete ya…
Que viene el Coco y te comerá”
|
El Cucuy: “Ay, chihuahua. You're a
Grimm.”
Grimm this week was heavy on mother's theme. It was
confirmed (not that it was any doubt) that the email Nick received was indeed
from his mother. Juliette
was obsessing for ‘couple of hours’ over the email, she even learned it by
heart (not that it was too long). Yes, she was in a coma when mama-Grimm was in town,
and considering everything that happened Nick didn’t have time to let her in on
yet another secret, but paranoid much? Did she really think Nick
was involved with someone else? Come on! Be reasonable, Juliette!
The “Reign” phenomena
From the
moment the series order was announced it received mixed feedback. On different
boards and sites people have been complaining about the silly premise of the show,
some didn’t even want to try it, others were more willing to give it a shot.
Then, before the premiere, Reign has received three additional script orders.
Again there was a lot of speculations regarding the quality of the show and its
potential, many were hopeful, many predicted it’s certain and quick demise.
The period drama
premiered on October 17th this year and…. it turned out to be much better than
many expected. It had
good parts and it had “rolling eyes” parts. It was not the best pilot ever seen, but people loved it. I loved it!
Grimm: 3x04 “One Night Stand”
 | |
| “More and more she grew to love human beings and wished that she could leave the sea and live among them” |
Nick: “Nobody is Jake, it’s Portland”
After few strong episodes it was inevitable to
have a so-so filler-episode. This was certainly not bad, but it wasn’t great.
Also it didn’t feel like a Grimm episode. At the beginning I even had to check
whether I was watching the right series or not.
Grimm: 3x03 “A Dish Best Served Cold”
 |
“‘Tis Death’s Park, where he breeds life to feed him.
Cries of pain are music for his banquet
”
|
Grimm this week went into full Revenge mode and what a delightful hour it was!
It started out nicely with
Monroe and Rosalee out on a date in a fancy restaurant. The whole “we should
maybe think about moving in together” speech was so adorable and totally
Monroe-like, only it took him about five minutes to say it out loud and it involved
clothes and closets spaces, following by the first “I love you”. How sweet… but
since it is Grimm we’re watching it was bound to get grim.
Grimm: 3x02 “PTZD”
 |
|
“It is not more surprising to be born twice than once;
everything in nature is resurrection”
|
My prediction last week
about Nick getting cured and everything going back to normal was a bust. Yes,
he was cured but with what it seems the weirdest side effect ever. And yes,
everything looked like it was back to normal, only it wasn’t.
Grimm: 3x01 “The Ungrateful Dead”
 |
| “But if I stand at the sick person’s feet, he’s mine” |
That pretty much sums up the
entire episode.
Grimm made its comeback to
our screens and let me say it was rather a disappointing one. Lots of running
around, lots of crazy zombie catching and zero progress of the story. Silly me
thinking we’d get some Grimm versus Royal Families action in a beautiful Vienna! No, we didn’t even
get to leave the country.
Grimm: 2x04 "Quill"
 |
“Death stood behind him, and said: Follow me,
the hour of your departure from this world has come.’ ”
|
Yellow plague, horrible
rash, giant porcupine, crazy cat out of the cage and walking on the ceiling,
yet another Wesen killer sent after the key, but for some reason I couldn’t
stop smiling throughout the episode.
From awkward adorable
romance of Monroe and Rosalee to Juliette questioning Bud with Hank in between
so eager to catch Wesen of this world with all of the best quotes this time it
made this episode a fun ride and I couldn’t for the life of me take it too
seriously.
Grimm: 2x03 “Bad Moon Rising”
 |
“Then she began to weep bitterly, and said,
‘What can a poor girl like me do now?’ ”
|
Juliette: “Well, I guess we really know each other
pretty well. Like... Like sleeping together well?
Nick: “We live together.”
One of the tragic things
that can happen to a person is a memory loss. Some of you may agree or disagree
and I am sure that there are lots of other awful things that can happen, but
memory loss is still somewhere near the top. Can you imagine losing your
memories, not knowing who you are, what you are and not remembering all those people in your life. It is impossible to process
but somehow I think the memory loss is much harder on those around than on the person itsel.
Grimm: 2x02 "The Kiss"
 |
| "If a man of pure heart were to fall in love with her that would bring her back to life” |
This episode was fantastic!
It had great fights scenes, an expected arrest, an unexpected death, some major
revelations, somewhat twisted sacrifice and the kiss.
It had all,
yet at the core of an episode was a recurring theme of trust and love. Nick was
able to express his feelings about not having his mother in his life and
ultimately forgiving her. I don’t know how I’d feel if the mother I thought was
dead was suddenly in my life, but it sure as hell would’ve taken a lot longer. I
still don’t trust her, neither should Nick, at the very least he should stop
and think and not jump in blindly. He doesn’t really know her. I mean if there
was ever a reason for her to let him know she’s alive it was when aunt Marie died,
yet she only appeared when the coins resurfaced. So even though she obviously
cares for Nick, it still feels like she has her own agenda, so that “I love you” bit
at the end made me a little sad.
Grimm: 2x01 "Bad Teeth"
 |
“The blood-dimmed tide is loosed,
and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned”
|
What a terrific season opener, quite a match for last
season finale. Episode started right where it was left off, actually even a bit
before that. The whole fight sequence was replayed. And once again we saw “woman
in black” to be revealed as Kelly Burkhardt – Nick’s mother. Apparently she did not
die in the car accident with her husband, it was her friend who was killed
instead and mistaken for a Grimm, so Kelly had to “stay dead” and walk away to
protect her son. And now she’s back. I really like this turn of event, totally
unexpected and therefore very interesting.
St. Anne's Church in Vienna
“Music Exclusive at St. Anne's Church - simply breathtaking!”Gorgeous church with thousands of years of history, outstanding performance, music that you can listen forever. In the program that night were Mozart, Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Schubert’s serenade and as a bonus Bach and Strauss. The evening you will never forget. Highly recommend.
You can buy the ticket at the door, however depending on the season and the program there might not be seats left. So if you're in Vienna for a short period of time you might want to book online in advance to be on a safe side.
The church is tucked away in the alley not far from the Opera. Dinner at a good Italian restaurant after concert is perfect way to end the day (when out of the door go left, it’s first on you right, just 2 seconds away, called SOLE).
SOLE Restaurant in Vienna
“Fantastic pizza!”
After a long day of walking and sightseeing it is important to find a lovely place for dinner to have a complete experience, so to speak. Look no further! SOLE restaurant just steps off the main shopping avenue (on the side of the Opera) is exactly what you need.
From the second you enter you have a feeling you've stepped through a portal to a restaurant in Italy. As we were shown to our table I heard staff speaking Italian which only added to the impression we had.
After a long day of walking and sightseeing it is important to find a lovely place for dinner to have a complete experience, so to speak. Look no further! SOLE restaurant just steps off the main shopping avenue (on the side of the Opera) is exactly what you need.
From the second you enter you have a feeling you've stepped through a portal to a restaurant in Italy. As we were shown to our table I heard staff speaking Italian which only added to the impression we had.
David & Jenny's B&B - Qala, Island of Gozo, Malta
"Home away from home"
David and Jenny are wonderful hosts. They have welcomed me as a friend and from second one I felt like I was at home. The house is just lovely, very nicely decorated and the terrace upstairs where you have breakfast has a beautiful view down the village.
The room is spacious, very clean, shower’s very hot and strong, the bed is insanely comfortable and there are even towels that you can take with you to the beach, which is very convenient. You wake up every morning to a fabulous breakfast: bowl of fresh fruits, juice, coffee, homemade jam, different kinds of bread (toast or not how you like it) and “main course size” plate of tomatos, mushrooms, bacon or sausages and “David’s Special” - omelette that is to die for – so delicious. If you lucky and stay there more than 1 night you get to try yet another omelette.
Grimm: 2x22 “Goodnight, Sweet Grimm”
 |
| “And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest” |
Lots of attention is paid to
a season finale. Stakes and expectations are higher than ever. It is the
episode that could turn the scale either way and be a decisive factor as to
whether one will tune in next fall or not. So as a season finale this one definitely had a lesser impact than season one finale.
Show of hands: How many of
you knew who the fake passport and the death certificate were for? Everyone? It
was very obvious, wasn’t it? Who else could it be? Granted for few minutes I
thought it was going to be Renard, but after the two brothers met and nothing
major happened I realized that Eric came to Portland
Grimm: 2x21 "The Waking Dead"
 |
| “Papa Ghede is a handsome fellow in his hat and coat of black. Papa Ghede is going to the palace! He’ll and drink when he gets back!” |
Well, I do. As a penultimate episode of season 2 this
one does get the job done in terms of building up for the season finale. It’s
the zombie part of it that I have serious problem with.
So far Royal Families in the person of Eric alone have
been very much on the background. What do we really know about them? They are looking
for the rest of the keys that will reveal the map of where the “treasure” was
hidden. That’s about all we know. And I’ve
been waiting for this plot to unravel, to have the two brothers meet. Obviously
Eric is planning something really bad with a container full of zombies, I just
wish it was something more on a royal level.
Grimm: 2x12 “Season of the Hexenbiest”
 |
| “Oh there is a terrible witch in that house who spewed her poison over me and scratched me with her long fingernails” |
I think I finally understood what was missing – some
personal drama. The world of Grimm, as we know it, though in parts scary and
all, is still relatively safe when it comes to home. It would have been nice
for a change to shake that world up a little bit. I think it’s what the
writers tried to do with Juliette, but either they didn’t think it through
or they not moving with this story fast enough, because as exciting and
promising this twist was in the beginning, I for one am losing interest in it
and starting to hope for a better handling of the other side of this coin –
relationships between Nick and his Captain. It will be interesting to see how
their work dynamic will change.
Cafe Sacher Vienna - Sacher torte!
"Sacher Torte...hmmm..."Well, the torte itself was not all that fascinating as one can imagine after reading all these “Oh” and “Ah” and “Yam” everywhere. My opinion is absolutely subjective because we all have different taste and this was just not my type of cake. But it is THE most famous cake, and it felt like a must, like being in Paris and seeing the Eifel Tower kind of thing! (I wonder if that’s why everyone’s eating it, but is anyone’s actually liking it?).
Having said that, going to that cafe, sitting by the window and looking at the Opera – all this is an experience in its own.
Vaux-le-Vicompte & Fontainebleau Tour from "Paris Vision Tours"
"Fantastic!"
I loved this tour! Very well organized. All went smoothly. The departure is at 9am from the Agency on Rivoli street. When you get in the bus the company representative gives you a program with your name on it and entrance tickets to both castles + tickets for audio guides. Before we left the lady explained the route/bus stops/times in French, then asked who speaks a different language and explained once again for certain tourists in English and Spanish.
Albertina Museum in Vienna
"Do visit!" The permanent exhibition “Monet to Picasso” worth seeing for everyone who has a soft spot for the art. Matisse, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Picasso and others. Not many paintings, for some just one or 2, Picasso however is well presented.
State Rooms are marvelous and some paintings and drawings are presented on the walls. There’s no need in audio guide, unless you really want it. All paintings and drawings are signed and as far as rooms there’s an indication of who and what and when but only in German. I don’t speak the language, but I could read names and sort of imagine the rest. The only one paragraph I was interested in and a nice fellow tourist near by were kind enough to translate for me.
The Exhibition “Maximilian I” is interesting and whether you’re a fan of the emperor or never heard of him it is definitely worth seeing. There’s an audio guide but the information is extensively presented in English on the walls, so if you’re not a fan of audio guides skip it. I did.
11 Euros for all exhibitions.
After you treat your soul stop for lunch or dinner in Augustiner Keller (same building).
St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna
The Cathedral is simply stunning and breathtaking! But in order to lean about it and actually remember it all, to find out interesting facts and listen to fascinating story do yourself a favor – forget about audio-guide. Sure, they are comprehensive and detailed and in most cases are better than the guide-person, but not this time. If you early, wait for it, if you’re late come back next day (if you can), it is absolutely worth it. The man’s got a real talent and knows the Cathedral very well. I only wish I had written down every single word he said so fascinating it was. Having said that you don’t really need to write it down, you will remember it all anyway, because the history of the Cathedral is presented not in a form of boring lecture, but in a form of a very interesting story. I didn’t quite catch the guide’s name, I believe it was Florian (or something close).
The English tour is at 3.45pm. The price is 4.50. And that was the best 4.50 Euros I’ve ever spent.
Before tour, I went up to the top to see a bell (4 Euros). Well worth it, if the weather is good, nice view from up top.
time and price valid for October 2012, so please recheck.
10 tips for first-time travellers to Vienna
When you go somewhere for the first time it is always a good thing to do some research before your trip to avoid unnecessary troubles. Please find below some basic tips for your first-time trip to beautiful Vienna
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