Salzburg

Monday, May 30, 2016

We love Salzburg.  We have gone twice before.  On our first trip to Europe in 2006 we took a train from Munich and went for the day.  In 2010 we spent a week in Schliersee (Bavaria) and drove to Salzburg for a day with Barbara and Sascha.  Believe it or not, they are not familiar with the Sound of Music movie.  Apparently people outside of North America haven't seen it.  Or maybe it's people outside of the engluspeaking world.  Either way, such a pity.

There are quite a few places I would like to see during our week here.  Unfortunately many of them are best enjoyed in good weather.  Rain is forecast for every day this week.  Just our luck.  Hoping the forecast changes in the coming days, we decided that we would go to Salzburg today.  After we arrived and parked the car we went to the tourist information office in Mozartplatz.  They have a walking tour that departs at 12:15.  Jim had only had one small (and in Europe that is tiny) cup of coffee this morning and I hadn't had any tea.  There was a place on the Mozartplatz where we could have a drink and wait for the tour.  I realized that it was the very same place we had gone to with Barbara and Sascha when we were here 6 years ago.  Jim had a couple of little cups of coffee and I had some tea.  We still had some time to kill before the tour, so we went in search of Starbucks.  Yeah, we should have done that to begin with.  It would have saved us some euros!  I wanted to see if they have a Salzburg mug, because I collect city mugs on our international travels.  I got a thermal cup in Prague and skipped getting one in Vienna.  We only have just so much room in our luggage.  They have them but we didn't want to carry it around all day, so we will go back later.

The walking tour was conducted in German and English.  The guide took us around the city center and was generally very informative.  I think the German speakers had the advantage.  About midway through the tour the rain began. 

When we walked into the cathedral we heard children singing.  I later learned they were from Glasgow, Scotland.  They sounded so angelic.  They were just finishing up a song.  Then they started singing Edelweiss, a song from the Sound of Music.  Have I mentioned I love the Sound of Music?  I couldn't believe I was in Salzburg hearing this song.

Some of the singers after they had finished.

After the tour we went in search for some lunch.  By the time we were finished it was after 3:00, it was wet out, and we were ready to call it a day.  We stopped at Starbucks for my mug and returned to St. Johann im Pongau. 

Why didn't we spend more time in Salzburg?  We will be going back tomorrow for something really special.  I can't wait!!!!

After all the rain today, this was our reward looking out our window this evening -

Berchtesgaden And The Eagle's Nest

Sunday, May 29, 2016

The weather forecast for this week doesn't look good.  They are predicting rain and/or thunderstorms every day we are here.  Of course the predictions have been wrong more then they've been right, so there is hope.

Sunday's in this area usually mean that almost everything is closed.  We experienced it before when we spent a week in Bavaria, just a little north of here.  What to do?  We figured that the only place we could dependably find things open would be in Salzburg.  When I checked the weather this morning it was showing that for the majority of the day it would be partly sunny.  Great!  I wore my sandals (for only about the 4th time on the trip so far!) and finally my skirt.  I have now worn every article of clothes I brought with me.  

We were almost to Salzburg when I saw a sign for Berchtesgaden.  Of course!  The sun is out and we should be taking advantage of that fact.  We went there instead, and then up to where we can take the bus to the Eagles Nest.  This is where Hitler did much of his planning for WWII.  No cars are allowed.  The road is only wide enough for the bus, and I times I wasn't sure it was wide enough for that!  The views are breathtaking and it does feel like you are on top of the world!

We then went to the Obersalzberg Documentation Center and Bunker.  When we paid to go in I asked about the audio guides.  I think she was trying to tell me they were out of them.  No problem, about every other place I've gone on this trip have information in the native language and in English, at the minimum.  Every other place that is.  No English here.  It was hard to get much out of it when I couldn't read the information on the displays.  We also went into Hitler's bunker.  I'm glad we went because its historical, but the best thing about it was the views in my opinion.  

On our way to Sankt Johann im Pongau yesterday we drove by a castle on the edge of a hill very close to here.   We learned that it is called Burg Hohenwerfen and it's over 900 years old.  We considered stopping there on the way back today, but it was getting late and I was tired.  Another day.  We avoided going back to our hotel for awhile because there was a 6:30 meeting for guests to attend and sign up for outings.  The man in charge approached us a half dozen times yesterday to remind us to attend.  It think it's great for those who don't have cars, but we do.  Our mission was to avoid him.  We walked around town a bit until we could go get dinner.  We were outside under an awning when the rain began.  The awning leaked near Jim so we moved.  The wind picked up and rain got harder.  The rain didn't end before we had to walk back to the hotel.  My feet were cold and wet by the time we got there.  So much for a skirt and sandals!

I sure hope we get good weather tomorrow.

Driving To The Alps

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Before leaving Vienna we picked up our rental car for the week, a VW Golf.  It's a diesel with a start/stop engine feature like the Audi A3 had in Italy.  At least it doesn't freak me out any more.  It's only about a 4 hour drive from Vienna to our next location, Sankt Johann im Pongau.  Sankt Johann is approximately 35 miles south of Salzburg.  

Having plenty of time for the drive, we made a very small diversion to Melk Benedictine Abbey.  The entire complex is enormous.  Photos were not allowed inside except in the cathedral.  It is located along the Danube River.

We made it to the Alpenland Sporthotel in one piece.  Driving in Austria is a dream compared to Italy!  We checked in and found our room.  It's big enough, and decorated in 1970's chalet decor.  This is a ski resort area, so that makes some sense.  Our room is on the back side with mountain views all around.  We have a balcony with a table and chairs.

These are our views from our balcony 

With a little refrigerator for our wine and beer, I think this place will be just fine for a week.

Vienna

Friday, May 27, 2016

We are staying at a boardinghouse, so no breakfast is included.  We went to Starbucks for coffee/tea and something to eat.  We then went to the TI to do a walking tour.  We were told the tour would last 2-2 1/2 hours.  It actually lasted over 3 hours.  We stopped at another Starbucks for coffee/iced tea and a snack and rested up while deciding what to do next.  

Schönbrunn Palace is the second biggest palace in Europe.  The only one larger is Versailles.  We decided to spend the rest of the day there.  By the time we got to the front of the line to buy our tickets, we couldn't get into the Palace before 5:09.  There were other areas to see before that, so it worked out fine.  We went to the Privy and Orangery Gardens, but skipped the maze.  The palace and grounds are quite large.  I think the gardens at Versailles are more impressive, but I liked that Schönbrunn was not nearly as over the top as Versailles.

We had a nice dinner to end our stay in Vienna.  Tomorrow we depart for the mountains.  I am so looking forward to spending the next week in the country.  Unfortunately the weather forecast calls for rain and/or thundershowers every day.  Fingers crossed the weather cooperates for us.

On To Vienna

Thursday, May 26, 2016

After a meager breakfast at our Cesky Krumlov hotel we were picked up by CK Shuttle for our ride to Vienna.  This was a bigger vehicle and there were already 6 passengers in the van.  Jim and I sat in front.  We chatted with the driver the entire way to Vienna, about a 4 hour drive.  It made it go so much faster.  We were dropped off at the K&T Boardinghouse.  Our room is nice and clean, and the location is good. 

After we dropped off our bags we walked into the City Center.  It was mid-afternoon and we didn't want to eat too much and not be hungry for dinner.  So we did what anyone should do when arriving in Vienna.  We went to the Sacher Hotel and had original Sacher Torte.  I had Sacher tea and Jim had coffee.  It was a pricey snack, but when in Rome...or Vienna.  You know what I mean,  I compare it to going to Laduree in Paris.  A special experience and a local treat.  

After going to the tourist information office to get information about walking tours tomorrow we went to Naschmarkt.  It is a marketplace to buy produce and other items.  We walked all the way there, just to discover that everything was closed because today was some sort of holiday.  

The weather was beautiful today.  Tomorrow the weather forecast is for thunderstorms.  We decided we should take advantage of the sunshine and go into the countryside to see the Vienna Woods.  We took the U4 subway to the end of the line, then the bus to Kahlenberg.  The view was amazing!  

We returned to our neighborhood and finally tracked down some dinner.  Not much was open, and we stumbled across a French place near where we are staying.  What do you order at a French place in Austria?  A burger of course!  Jim proclaimed that his was the best he's ever eaten.

Cesky Krumlov

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

This morning we said goodbye to Prague.  A CK Shuttle van picked us up at the apartment and drove us to our hotel in Cesky Krumlov.  Well, almost to the hotel.  The street to the hotel is very steep and narrow. He wasn't about to drive on it.  The driver helped us down the road with our bags.  There were two women from Australia sharing the shuttle with us. The drive went by quickly.  The woman who runs Pension Nostagie let us in and showed us to our room.  It is quite large with a bed, sofa and two chairs.  We also have a view of the castle, if you walk to the window and look up and to the left.  She showed us our room. Then she had us go upstairs and showed us where we will have breakfast at 8:00 tomorrow.  She doesn't seem to speak too much English, but she makes her point.

The view from our window

We went to the tourist information office and learned that there will be a walking tour at 2:00.  We had a light lunch and walked around this very cute town until it was time for the tour.

The tour was interesting and informative.  This town is a UNESCO World Heritage sight.  The guide told us a lot of stories about the history of the town.  The tour lasted 2 hours and ended at the castle.  We continued to walk around the castle grounds and gardens following the tour.

The guide suggested that we go to Papa's for dinner.  We sat outdoors looking over the river.  Our food was very good.  

Before

After

After that we made our way slowly back to the town square, where we found a bench and soaked up the ambiance of this fairytale town.

Prague- Day 2

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Today would have been my sister's 58 birthday.  She had wanted us to go to Prague on our first trip to Europe in 2006.  Logistically we couldn't make it work out.  She would have liked it here.

We devoted most of our time today to the Jewish area.  There is a very long history of Jews in Prague, both their segregation and persecution and when they were accepted and an intergral part of Czech society.  Sadly their integration was not very long lived.

We started at the Pinkasova synagoga, or Pinkas Synagogue.  There they have a Memorial to the Victims of the Shoah from Bohemia and Moravia.  It included drawings made by children in Terezin.  From there it led us to the Old Jewish Cemetery.  There are graves there many hundreds of years old.  They are on top of older graves, and those are on top of even older graves.  There are tens of thousands of people buried there.

We also saw both the Klausen Synagogue and the Ceremonial Hall, where there were exhibits on Jewish customs and traditions.  The Spanish Synagogue explained the history of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia, and included silver items recovered from those areas.

This is Oskar Wiener.  I'm pretty sure his middle name is Meyer.

We spent hours going through all the buildings and exhibits.  We walked back to the Old Town area.  Jim is still dragging a bit a wanted some coffee.  Hello Starbucks.  One thing I always miss when in Europe is iced tea.  Yeah, you can get Nescafé peach or lemon in a bottle.  No thanks.  We got to Starbucks and I had a genius idea, if I do say so myself.  You can get hot tea at Starbucks.  They have ice.  I asked for a vente cup full of ice and a hot tea, and made my own iced tea.  I was so happy!!!

We went back to the apartment for a while because a thunderstorm was coming in.  We almost made it back in time.  We ventured out to look for dinner. We passed these two guys getting their feet nibbled on by fish.

We finally found a place for dinner.  It was excellent and a good way to bring our stay in Prague to an end.

 Tomorrow we leave for Cesky Krumlov.