Germany & Austria Trip

Greeting us in the morning is the non-stop raining. So we spend the morning in the shopping mall. The English novel pocketbook is quite expensive, costs around Euro 8-12 per book while in Thailand it would cost only USD 8 per book.

Finally we decide to drive to Hellbrunn, about 4 kilometers south of Salzburg. The Schloss Hellbrunn was built in the 17th century.

To see also a momento of the “Sound of Music” movie, we then walk to the end of the garden to this white glass pavilion which was reconstructed here. If any of you still remember, it was where the oldest Von Trapp child meeted her boyfriend before he joined the army. Now members of my group begins to suspect my motive to visit this town and can’t believe that I am that crazy to visit this place just for this simple small pavilion. (555 Actually, this is my second time to visit all these scenes in the film.)

Actually, the famous part of the schloss is the Wasserspiele section. It contains many ingenious trick fountains and water-powered figures. But we decide that it is no point to buy a ticket and get wet but couldn’t figure out any way whether it is the rain or the fountain that get us wet.
www.hellbrunn.at



Since my friends already figure out my purpose of today trip, I then ask them to stop at Leopoldskron Castle. The front exterior of the castle was used as the Trapp family home, the children were boating on the lake and fell into the water. The Venetian room was copied from this castle and used as the ballroom.




When we return to Salzburg, the rain stops so we decide to walk up to the Festung Hohensalzburg. The fortress provides the panorama town view. Here we meet another Thai group.



On walking up the hill toward the fortress, we pass the Abbey.

After so many days without spicy food, we decide to have Thai food for lunch at the latest Thai restaurant recommended by our new friends. But can’t find it since it has just been opened yesterday and our GPS data doesn’t have that information stored. (we don’t know the exact address). So I end up trying the chicken Kebab for the first time.

Germany & Austria Trip

Today we plan to visit Salzburg, another city that I like in Austria. Just walking along Getreidegasse street and see all the decorating shop is enough to make me happy.



Decorated Eggs



Salzburg market



With a good weather, many local lay down and enjoy the bright blue sky near the river.



Wanna play chess in Salzburg?



Another scene from the “Sound of Music” film was at Mirabell Garden. It was laid out in the 18th Century. In the film, Maria and the children were seen dancing around the 'Pegasus statue', the winged horse, and throughout the gardens singing 'Do-re-mi'


We then go back to the hostel whose owner is named as “scary aunty” by me (คุณป้ามหาภัย) since she is quite non-negotiable. The booking reservation conditions states that we can cancel the reservation if inform at least 48 hrs before time. We made the reservation for 3 nights; but decide to cancel the third night when we arrive in the morning. She denies and insists that we have to stay for the whole period. Since the only German word that we know is “Guten Morgen” (Good morning), we let her have her way. Another Thai lady group also stay at the hostel.

Germany & Austria Trip

The Wolfgansee scenery is beautiful that we have to stop and catch your breath. It would have been better if we had a hot chocolate to sip while sitting there.



Beautiful decorated cakes are laid down on the shelf and as soon as we enter the shop in Bad Ichl, the waft of delicious smell greet us. Of course we couldn’t resist the temptation, so we have an early coffee break here.

The oldest brine baths in Austria were founded in 1823 in this town, Bad Ichl. The parents of Franz Joseph, later the emperor, were already coming to Ischl by 1827 to find a cure for their lack of children. The couple received four salt princes in the years following. Emperor Franz Joseph stayed in Bad Ischl for the first time in 1849, it was here that he celebrated his engagement to his wife to be, Sissi.
http://www.khs.info/xxl/_lang/en/



I finally reach the Hallstatt, a beautiful town wedges in a narrow space between the lake and the steep mountain. This town was added to one of my dream destinations list after I saw my friends’ pictures few years ago. And the dream's just come true in this year.



I also enjoy souvenir shopping here to, though it is Sunday, some shops are open. The town is quite a “hot” place for Thai tourist because many Thai tourist group are there on that day. I would have to say that if you go to Austria and do not visit this town nowadays, it would have been like you did not go there at all. 555 (like my friends say about shopping that “ถ้าไม่ซื้อ ก็เซ่อ. :-)



Since many towns lies around the lake, we stop by at Bad Aussie with no particular agenda in mind. Just to stop for a break. However it turns out to be the town that I do not like in this trip, many teenagers hang out in the street making loud noises and screeching tire all that half an hour that we are there.



Before going back to stay another night at Mondsee, we stop by at St. Wolfgang, another famous Salzkammergut resort town. Many tourists visit this town by boat.

Germany & Austria Trip

We start our Linz tour with the rain. So I finally decide to stop my tour at this bakery café and sample the Linz Torte which is considered the oldest known cake in the world. It was already mentioned by name as early as 1653. Yet who named or invented the cake will always remain a mystery.



The Gmunden Rathaus with a ceramic glockenspiel.
Gmunden is on the shores of Lake Traun, surrounded by countless mountains. A chapter of world history was written in Gmunden. Important treaties that changed the shape of Europe were concluded here. Emperor Maximilian, the last knight, signed a wedding agreement with Bianca Maria Sforza of Milan. This marriage was the incentive for Milan being incorporated into Austria. In 1514 Maximilian concluded a friendship and peace treaty with the tsar Wassilij Ivanovitch II, which meant that after the Battle of Mohac, in 1526, Hungary came to Austria through the Gmunden alliance.
http://www.khs.info/xxl/_lang/en/



Seeschloss Ort. The castle has achieved recent fame through being portrayed as a hotel in a German-language TV series, Schlosshotel Orth – fan of the series often ask to stay there, though there are no bedrooms!



This little town, Mondsee, looks as if it was just painted before our arrival.



The “Wedding Church” (Pfarrkinche St. Michael) that "Maria" was married in (in the "Sound of Music") is in the center of this town. It is beautiful on the outside and inside. The church began as the former Benedictine monastery which was reason the town was founded way back in the 8th century.



After strolling through the town for a little while, we then walk to the lake.

Germany & Austria Trip

The Nibelungemonument
29 kilometers west of Vienna is Tulln, the nation’s first capital.



Stift Gottweig in Krems an Der Donau
After walking around Krems old town, we then head to the abbey which is situated on a hill and can be seen from afar. The abbey was founded in 1083.



Durnstein with the blue and white church. The town was notorious in the 12th century when King Richard I (the Lionheart) of England was imprisoned here.



Stift Melk
This Benedictine abbey is one of Austria's most famous and superb abbeys. It is situated at the western entrance of the Wachau valley was founded in 1089 on a steep rock above the Danube. Built by Jakob Prandtauer, it is the oldest residence of the Babenberg dynasty bearing their tomb and countless art treasures.
But too bad that we reache the abbey quite late, it is already closed.

And that would be all for our Danube valley tour before we are heading to Linz to stay overnight.

Germany & Austria Trip

This morning we separate into 2 groups, I and Oh visit Schoonbrunn Palace first thing in the morning before it is too crowded.
Schloss Schönbrunn, the former imperial summer residence, is now part of the UNESCO’s cultural heritage due to its historic importance, its unique grounds and its splendid furnishings.
http://www.wien.info



Karlskirche was built between 1716 – 1736 in fulfillment of a vow made by Charles VI at the end of the 1713 plague.




Schloss Belvedere
The splendid baroque Belvedere palace today houses the Austrian Gallery displaying the largest collection of works by Klimt and Kokoschka as well as famous paintings by Schiele.



Hundertwasser House - a "somewhat different" council house. It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, whose highly innovative guildings feature uneven floors, colored ceramics, patchwork decoration, irregular corners and grass and trees on the roof.



More of this eccentric building style can be seen in the nearby KunstHausWien



Vienna’s prime landmarks are the Gothic Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral).



We passed the famous Sacher Café, but too full to stop and taste the delicious chocolate apricot cake.



Johann Strauss under a white arch in Stadtpark.



Near the Naschmarkt is the Secession Building. Its most striking feature is the enormous golden sphere (some described as a “golden cabbage”) rising from a turret on the roof. In 1897, it was aimed to present current trends in contemporary art and leave behind the historicism then.



Our final place to visit for today is at Naschmarkt, which is a premier open-air fruit and vegetable market that should be on everyone's itinerary. Naschmarkt is an ethnic melting pot full of vibrant life and exotic scents. With endless rows of stalls selling fruit, vegetables, seafood, spices, homemade pasta, pickles of all kinds, cheeses, breads, this superb market can satisfy the most demanding culinary requirements.
http://www.wien.gv.at/english/fima/markets.htm

And that should be all for this capital city; although this is the second time for me to visit this city, I still don’t have time to visit the Spanish Riding School with their world-famous Lipizzan.

Germany & Austria Trip

Before check-out from the hostel, we try rock-climbing at the outdoor playground. The climbing mountain school is located inside the hostel.



Driving from Graz to Vienna, we decide to visit a historic small town, Rust, of which almost every house has a stork nest on top of the chimney.



Nice decorated corner.




The decoration on the brightly coloured Baroque and Renaissance facades give the town its unmistakable character. It is a recommended town to visit if you happen to be around that area. For a wine lover, Rust has 500 hectares of vineyards at one of the warmest points in Europe offer not only optimum conditions for the Rust trilogy (dry white wines, full-bodied red wines and mature-sweet wines).



We also stop at another small village, colorful houses with thatch roof.

Our main point for this indirect route from Graz to Vienna is to stop at the outlet mall near Parndorf. The outlet is fine but with the current foreign currency exchange rate, shopping in Europe is a high-price experience that I can’t afford at the moment. Otherwise I might have to depend on the Euro 1 Chicken-Mc Donald-burger promotion for the rest of the trip. So we all don’t do that much shopping.

Germany & Austria Trip

This morning we intend to visit the stadium for the UEFA football game; however it is still in the construction process. So we stop by to take a "sakura" picture instead before going to Graz.





GRAZ is Austria's second largest city, 200 km south west of Vienna. In 2003 Graz enjoyed its unique position as 'Cultural Capital of Europe’ and its old town was recently granted world cultural heritage status by UNESCO. http://www.visitgraz.com/



View from the landmark clock tower which overlooks the city gives wonderful view of the red roofs below.
Actually when we reach the bottom of the hill and see the crisscrossed staircase leading up to the top, Oh, Chim and I decide to wait at the bottom. Until Mer finds out that there is a Euro0.60 lift to carry us to the top.


Magnolia in full bloom.



Contrasting to the surrounding is the new Kunsthaus, labelled by locals as the ‘friendly alien’. It was constructed right next to the River Mur in 2003, housing Contemporary Art.



Groundfloor of the museum.



And here come the café or the floating Island in the Mur which bring Graz boldly into the 21st century. The New York artist Vito Acconci designed a steel grid structure in the shape of a half-opened shell.

Walking all day long, I am quite exhausted by the end of the day.