Southern Austria (Klagenfurt, Burg Hochosterwitz & St. Veit an der Glan)

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Day 19 (Tuesday, September 23rd)

Today was our last day in Slovenia. After eating breakfast and checking out of the hotel, we began the drive north towards Austria. As was the case with all of our prior entrances into new countries, no passport check was completed at the border. Sometimes, it seems as though there is a similar mentality between countries in Europe as there is in the States; they just wave you on in.

It was raining in Lake Bled, but by the time we got to Klagenfurt, Austria, the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to come out. Klagenfurt is the provincial capital of the Carinthia, which encompasses the southern region of Austria. The town is of medium size in terms of population (about 90,000) and offers visitors many beautiful squares and colorful architecture to look at.

After driving into the center of town, we parked in a garage located underneath Neuer Platz, which was the central square of Klagenfurt. Within the square was located the Dragon Fountain (Lindwurm), considered to be the emblem of the city. Next, we visited Landaus which was a smaller courtyard and home to the provincial government, where two pretty steeples adorn the building. From the courtyard, we walked to a church located at the end of Alter Platz called Stadthauptpfarrkirche St Egid. The church was nothing spectacular or memorable inside, but we did climb the tower and were rewarded with awesome views of Klagenfurt and the surrounding countryside.

After the climb, we walked down Alter Platz, stopping in to buy some cookies at a bakery. I was surprised to see the variety of colors that were used to paint each of the baroque buildings; I can only guess and assume that because the town is located near the border of the country and therefore, close to the Mediterranean, certain aspects Italian living have spread beyond its borders into this part of Austria.

Before leaving town, we stopped in for a quick lunch at a kebab place. Mike ordered a chicken kebab with all of the normal trimmings while I requested a plain chicken kebab. Yes, I know it sounds strange (no, not any sauce either!) but I tend to dislike the accompaniments that come with kebabs. The people at the shop could not understand my request, and it took several minutes before the misunderstand in German and English was finally cleared.

From the center of town, we drove about five minutes to reach Europapark, which was a vast park space located on the shores of Worthersee. Within the park, we decided to visit Minimundus which was a park filled with miniature replicas of famous buildings and structures from all over the world. Each of the models had been meticulously designed, ensuring that every detail of each building was not missed. Some of my favorites included replicas of Neuschwanstein, a castle in Germany, the Taj Mahal from India, Sagrada Família from Barcelona, Chateau de Chenonceau from the Loire Valley in France, and the massive model of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. During the visit, I learned that I was able to make the replicas look more realistic if I got as close as I possibly could to the ground to take the photo (i.e. laying on the ground!). The entrance fee to the park was fairly steep (12 Euros per person, or $18 USD) but I understood and appreciated the high cost when I saw all of the work that went into creating each replica. While I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, I imagine that children would have even more fun, making it a perfect choice for families.

After visiting the park, we drove out of Klagenfurt to the castle fortress of Burg Hochosterwitz, which was dramatically perched on top of a hill. The complex was built in the late 16th century to protect its inhibitors from Turkish invasion. One has two options for accessing the castle; you can either hike all the way to the top, which is at a steep incline, or, you can pay 5 Euro extra more per person to ride a glass funicular to the top. Although the extra cost was expensive, we figured it would add to the experience (and save our thighs from pain!). As we walked into the compartment of the funicular, it began to sway slightly from side to side if anyone moved, even slightly. The track that the funicular itself rode on seemed to have seen better days and did not feel as safe as it should have. Needless to say, we were both happy to walk off the compartment as soon as it reached the top. The castle itself was not as interesting as I thought it would have been, but I guess it’s really the location and view that make the sight most impressive. The view of the surrounding valley and towns from the top was truly incredible; all you could see beyond you was lush green fields, sporadic small villages, with the mountains providing a beautiful backdrop. We also toured a small museum that was contained within a few rooms of the castle. None of the explanations were listed in English, but they had lots of interesting medieval armor and paintings to view.

From the castle, we drove about ten minutes to the town of St. Veit an der Glan. The city was small, but featured an old town section with a friendly, pedestrian only Hauptplatz (main square) that contained fountains and lots of pretty architecture. We walked around the town for about 20 minutes and then began the drive back to Klagenfurt, where we sadly and reluctantly dropped our rental car off. We had such an enjoyable time with our little car. We love the sense of freedom a rental car gives you when traveling. It allows you to get off the beaten path and see things you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. Since we had our Garmin navigator with us, the experience was filled with so much less stress than with our prior car rentals. We’ve begun to realize that we truly prefer renting a car and exploring the countryside more so than visiting a large city. Now, don’t get me wrong; we love big cities, but we just feel more comfortable and seem to have happier and more fulfilling experiences when visiting the small towns and rural areas of a country.

From the rental car office, we took a taxi ride to the train station in Klagenfurt, where we took a 3.5 hour train ride to Vienna, arriving around 22:00. From the Sudbahnhof train station, we took a tram to the Westbahnhof station. From here, it was just a few minutes’ walk to our hostel called Wombat’s City Hostel.

When we arrived at the hostel, the main lobby was filled to the brim with lots of young people talking, playing pool, and just hanging out. We had chosen to stay at a hostel in Vienna due to the high costs of hotels in the city. Even the usual cheap options, such as bed and breakfasts, were quite expensive (around 100 Euro, or $150 USD). Our only rule for staying in a hostel was that it be very close to public transportation, we had to have our own private room with a private bathroom, and we wanted to stay at a place that had kitchen and laundry facilities. Wombat's fulfilled all of our requirements, so we decided to book our room at a cost of 50 Euro per night. Our room was basic, which was fine, but unfortunately, the bed was incredibly uncomfortable and we spent most of our nights tossing and turning.

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Photos

Landaus
Home to the Provincial government