Blogs from Salzburg, Austria, Europe - page 10

Have to leave Vienna today. Did not feel like leaving the place. One of the best experiences for us of all stays we have had in hotels. The place is also close to all the attractions. We decided to continue learning about the history of Vienna. We packed as much as possible before we left for a tour of Royal apartments and Sisi museums. My recommendation is to get an audio guide of the facility. This is an individual gadget that you can listen to at your own pace and walk around the museums. These museums are huge. So we hurried through the important items and headed back to the Hotel. Our check out time was 1 PM. We came back from the Museum around 12:30, checked out and headed to the Vienna West station for ... read more

We met at the Panorama Bus station at 8.30am for the half day trip to the Eagles Nest which is in Germany just out of Berchtesgaden and Obersalzburg. Most of us have heard of this notorious place because it was built for Hitler rather than because of the nature beauty of the area. We had a large and very comfortable bus take us through to Obersalzburg with a very able and amusing Tour Guide called Walter. He is Austrian, has lived in Australia and speaks several languages. He had many tales to tell and was a stickler for being on time at any particular place or you would be left behind. For example, one of his jokes was "What is the difference between a motorist and a pedestrian? Answer: Being two minutes late for the bus!" ... read more

The holiday began with the usual long haul to the northern hemisphere. First to Bangkok on a 777 with Thai Air, arriving there in the usual heat and humidity. We’re pleased we’re not staying there with temps of 29 degrees at night. From Bangkok to Zurich the flight with Swiss Air was very good with friendly staff and more comfort since we were able to get seats behind the bulkhead with more leg room and a window for the odd view without clouds. We got plenty of sleep so arrived in Switzerland feeling reasonably refreshed despite the distance – assisted by “No More JetLag” and sleeping pills. It was great flying into Switzerland with the Alps in view. It had been cloudy through most of the flight but now the Alps were out in all their ... read more

Today we set out first for a small side trip outside of Salzburg. We took the number 25 bus which takes you directly to the Untersbergbahn in Grodig. In English, it takes you to the foot of Untersberg Mountain where you can board the tram to the top of the mountain. Every other day we have been in Salzburg has been picture perfect blue skies you could see for miles. The day we decide to go to the top of Untersberg it is of course overcast. This may have turned out to be a good thing, because otherwise I would know how far off the ground we were during the tram ride out. The 25 bus is actually a good bus for tourists, it also takes you directly to Hellbrunn Palace, Untersberg and the Zoo (if ... read more

Tonight was all about Mozart and has been the Highlight of the trip to Salzburg for me. The setting was Barocksaal in Stiftskeller St. Peter. This is the oldest restaurant in Europe. We were on the second floor in a beautiful room. Dinner was served in between sets of Mozart music. The room was candle lit and chandeliers from the ceiling (they of course were not candles). The music was done in three sets, the first selections from Don Giovanni, the second from The Marriage of Figaro. The final set started with A Little Night Music, you all know the song, it was made more famous than it already was by the movie Amadeus. The final selections were from the Magic Flute and it was a magical night. We had a three ... read more