Blogs from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, Europe - page 4

Geo: 47.2627, 11.3947 We left Melk today bound for Innsbruck (Austria), roughly a four and a half hour drive. On the way we called in to see Mauthausen Concentration Camp, just outside of Linz. Mauthausen was classified as a so-called "category three camp". This was the fiercest category of concentration camp, and for the prisoners it meant "Rûckkehr unerwünscht" (return not desired) and "Vernichtung durch arbeit" (extermination by work). Mauthausen was chosen as a site for a slave labour camp because of the nearby granite quarry, and due to its proximity to Linz. The granite mined in the quarries had previously been used to pave the streets of Vienna, but the Nazi authorities envisioned a complete reconstruction of major German towns in accordance with the plans of Albert Speer and other architects of Nazi architecture, for ... read more

June 8 to 11 The Gasthof Halle was a very convenient, comfortable, friendly and clean hotel. It was one of the better hotels I had stayed in during the holiday. But who can turn down the offer of a friend's couch, even if it means rolling up the bed sheets every morning. My friend Mirjam, whom I had met in Malaga, Spain some time ago, made me this irresistible offer. I was able to experience living in a compact centrally located apartment in Innsbruck a stone's throw away from the Old Town with the Hofburg (castle), the rail station and varied shopping opportunities from small family shops where one was served from behind a counter to glitzy malls. Innsbruck is surrounded by snow capped mountains and lies along the banks of the River Inn. The best ... read more

You would think that after going 36 hours without sleep, except for a half hour snooze during Shakespeare on the plane, that I would've had a long night's rest once I climbed into bed. Yet I was up most of the night coughing my brains out. I assume I was allergic to the feather bed or some alien German mould in our room. I kept my poor mother awake as well. But when breakfast time rolled around I actually felt pretty refreshed. The planned itinerary for today was the cause for some concern before we left home. We would be driving through the Alps and a couple of high mountain passes on our way to and from Innsbruck. Innsbruck is only 50 miles from Innsbruck but it is over roads prone to receiving some heavy snow ... read more

I'm sending all of you a message from the future... welcome to 2012! Happy New Year! We brought in the new year beside the Inn river watching PHENOMENAL fireworks to a waltz, 'nothing else matters', a german song and '21 guns'. We have a few videos to show. Enjoy the rest of 2011!... read more

Today was supposed to be a comfortable drive from Heidelberg through spectacular mountains which surround Fern Pass, our route to the Austrian city of Innsbruck. All started well and we were making good time until we hit traffic which meant we did half the journey at a crawl – making it another long day in the coach. THE TRIP We drove south into the Bavarian Alps to see King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein Castle, one of the most spectacular in Europe and to have some lunch. I had goulash and Jeanette apple strudel – sampling local fare! A bit further along we also stopped to see Germany’s highest mountain Zugspitze. In general the views from the road were stunning, with huge mountains overlooking the green valley’s below. The valleys were dotted with small villages. Farming is still carried ... read more