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.

Germany & Austria Trip

Wake up in the morning with the snow is all over the roof and field.

We drive and stop and drive along the way until we reach our destination for tonight at Klagenfurt. A town that will be one of the 5 cities for UEFA Europe 2008. Three European top teams will play to reach the quarter-final of the Euro here. The town is feverishly awaiting this grand game, the advertisement is all over town.



The famous Dragon (Lindwurm) Fountain in Neuer Platz is the emblem of the city.


Cobber street in old town.

Germany & Austria Trip

We start our today tour by walking along the bridge for a while before its start raining. Here is the famous golden roof, a classic Austrian hybrid of Gothic and Baroque,



After walking and window shopping in the old town for hours, we decide to leave for our next destination, Zell Am See.


Too bad that the highly recommended road in Austria, Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, is still closed during this time of the year. The only Alpine Road available is Gerlos with a day ticket of Euro 7.



The scenery is beautiful as we climb higher and higher up the mountain.

The snow are all over the place so we couldn’t tell where the glacier is. With a maximum gradient of only nine percent through eight bends and a maximum height of 1,630 metres, and a length of 12 kilometres, the road offers us the panorama view. info@gerlosstrasse.at


We are prepared for snow fighting.



Zell Am See, the medieval town is situated on an lake with a mountain backdrop. Zell am See and the town of Kaprun have collaborated to develop the Europa Sports Region. We meet an England student group who comes here for skiing.
http://www.khs.info/

Our hostel is near the lake. So we have a superb view during dinner at the balcony; though I almost alternately eat and dance due to the cold wind. Can’t sit still though.

Germany & Austria Trip

We start our trip by renting a Budget car and plan to stay overnight at Innsbruck, Austria.



Our first stop is at Ettal, a small town on the way to Oberammergau. Coming from a hot pot Thailand, we can’t stand passing by the snow town without taking any pleasure in playing in snow covered field and taking lots of pictures.



Oberammergau is our second stop for today. What I like most for this town is the painting on the buildings. It is so charming. But with a time running so fast when one is on vacation, we rush to Linderhof.



Flowers are ready for the coming spring season.




Linderhof is one of the palace built by King Ludwig. Among his three famous palaces, I like the interior in this palace most. Though we don’t have time to visit the inside this time because another of his, Neuschwanstein Palace is waiting for us.



Lake Phansee is still covered with ice.



Neuschwanstein Palace, the original model for all of Disney’s palaces.



Near by Neuschwanstein Palace is Hohenschwagau Palace.

And finally we reach Innsbruck hostel in the evening without getting lost. Thanks to the GPS borrowed from my brother.

Germany & Austria Trip

Again, almost on the last minute (for oversea trip) – two weeks before Songkran holidays, we decided to have a trip. Not only all top-list-Europe-destination-airline ticket’s price is skyrocket; but also the answers to our booking are “full/overbook”. Munich destination is the only available and affordable choice for us.

Visa is another problem to tackle: a long queue at every Schengen embassy. Apply to Austria Embassy seems to be the least difficult one, but you need to have ALL accommodation booking confirmations.

Finally everything is ready for us. Our friends, Mer and Chim, fly and travel around Munich 4 days before I and Oh meet them there.

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