Blogs from Austria, Europe - page 243

In Graz we walk around the city the first day and go to an opera, Der Evangelimann, and a Cabaret Show in the evening. Both are very enjoyable. Saturday we cycle in the countryside west of Graz and go to see The Merry Widow at the Opera House in the evening. Have a good dinner at 'Im Fuenften', a stylish modern restaurant on top of a new shopping centre near the Opera - has a wonderful view of old Graz. Our first night at the opera while watching the crowd on the lawn outside from the upstairs balcony, we saw a very elegant woman in long evening dress walking her dog a minute before the beginning of the opera. We were impressed by her dedication to operaanimal care - however we learnt that the dog ... read more

Arrive in Leoben just in time to see the center of town before starting on the Mur River. Ray´s bike has a sound from the front wheel which Andrew and Ray are unable to diagnose. They find a bike shop still open at 5:50 p.m. Closes at six. The owner-mechanic is very quick to diagnose the problem as spokes caving in under excessive weight. He trues the wheels and puts us out onto the street in time for a massive thunderstorm. As the storm lets up, Ray and Andrew decide to go to a Gasthof (hotel). There is one listed in the Bicycle Guide to the Mur valley very close to the bicycle shop. It´s a very interesting and pleasantly designed hotel, with an old building where the restaurant-bar is and a new courtyard and ... read more

When we arrive in Feldkirch Austria we get on the intercity train for Innsbruck. The train ride is very scenic as we go by the highest mountains of our trip. There is a group of 8 retired Germans from Baden Wuerttemburg in our car. As we approach Innsbruck, the leader of the group gets out his map and cell phone in order to locate/contact their hotel. He has no luck on either front. He has been generally quite officious throughout the trip. Two local Austrians on the train proceed to help him - one phoning a friend to ask him to search on the internet. The leader of the group is very frustrated and perhaps embarassed by all this attention. Ray offers to lend him a street map of Innsbruck which the two Austrians pore ... read more

Grundlsee, Austria Our first night in Austria was spent in Salzburg, jetlagged and after an unpleasant two hour flight from London following an ill advised trip to the pub with Griff's friends. Red wine should not be taken within hours of a 24 hour flight. Ever. Consequently, my first night in Salzburg is a bit of a blur. In the morning we left for Grundlsee, this time by train (my favourite form of transport, about the only type that doesn't leave me a nauseated wreck). My strongest memory of this is the colour green. It was quite a wet summer in the Salzkammergut and everything was thriving. It even smelled green. Grundlsee is a little town near Bad Aussee, about two hours by train from Salzburg. The houses were all made of natural timber with ... read more

Today was our last day in Vienna. We started by taking the U2 to Karlsplatz, where we transferred to the U4 to Hietzing, which lies on the outskirts of the Schonbrunn Palace area. After walking through the Hietzing Gate we came to the Palmhaus. The Palmhaus is the largest and last remaining palm house of its kind in Europe and houses flora from every continent. I became quite enamoured with a turtle inside who seemed to pose for the pictures I was taking of him. After the Palmhaus we strolled closer to the Schonbrunn Palace and walked up the winding roads to the Gloriette, a building that was commissioned by Emperor Joseph and Empress Maria Theresia in 1775. We chose not to pay the admission to go inside because the building does not look like ... read more