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Published: June 16th 2008
Roho: Photos once again not a happening thing. Sorry, don't blame us, it's the super security-ised hostel computers! We're trying our best, so some may appear...maybe. So we totally forgot to tell you about the truck we saw between Prague and Cesky Krumlov.
Rich: Rohani turns around, taps me on the shoulder, and says 'look at this'. To our astonishment, the truck in the traffic queue behind us was black. But wait, there's more. Above the driver's window is a big All Blacks sign with the silver fern! The other Kiwis with us on the back seat were just amazed! So we stood up on the back seat, pointed and gave the thumbs up to this grumpy old Czech truck driver, who probably had no idea who the All Blacks are.
Roho: Now we've got that out of the way, let's move on to Austria. Vienna first, oh, it's very pretty. On our first night we went to dinner at a restaurant near the hostel recommended by that day's Busabout guide - she promised schnitzels the size of your head for 6 Euros. Turned out she was exaggerating somewhat but it was very good nevertheless. We weren't all that
surprised to see a gaggle of Busabout guides turn up and get free drinks...
Rich: I was very disappointed that I didn't get a chance to hold up schnitzel as big as my head beside my head to have my photo taken, but yes, it was very good. We were also told the proprietor takes photos of groups and puts them on her wall. We didn't have our photo taken either.
Roho: I'm sure I noticed several photos of our Busabout guide...anyway, next morning the weather wasn't fab so we headed for the Museum Quarter to take in all the big old buildings. Once again I chose one museum, the Albertina. It had an excellent selection of works exhibited (it has around 50,000 pieces so does revolving themes). There was a Paul Klee exhibition plus a sort of Monet to Picasso - a progression from Impressionism to Cubism and Surrealism. I think Richard actually sort of enjoyed it for once.
Rich: I did enjoy some aspects of the Albertina, but I swear to god some of those paintings could have been done by Nadiah, plus the weather was not great - it was blowing a gale, so
it was just nice to be inside.
Roho: Ah, that would be the Abstract Expressionism, Mark Rothko and all that. Still not sure how I wrote entire essays on flat fields of colour....we also went into the State Rooms of the Albertina, where they keep a few Durers and Michelangelo drawings. Amazingly they were kind of outshone by the furnishing. Brocade curtains, gilt furniture, Wedgewood, chandeliers, the works. Stunning.
Rich: Can we move on? The following day the weather was better so we decided to stroll the grounds of the Schonbrunn Palace, which today seems a bit over the top, but I'm sure back in the day it was quite a spectacle. My mum would kill for gardens like this place!
Roho: No, she'd die trying to maintain them! It is still a spectacle, huge gardens, fountains, complete with zoo, maze and folly facade called the Gloriette. We only did half of it and that was the free half! Apparently the rooms inside are incredible. We are being quite stingy with our admission fees so we missed that bit out.
Rich: We then went to the Prater fun fair, which really is a sight to behold.
They agree with our stingy ways and don't charge an entrance fee - you only pay for the rides you go on. We walked around for a bit and decided to jump on one of the two ferris wheels. While going round and round, Rohani got very excited.
Roho: You could see how cool all the other rides were! Cool rides like I haven't seen since in Japan! I didn't go on any of them though because I would have been a loser going on them All By Myself...
Rich: Well apart from that there was nothing stopping you...
Roho: All By Myself = Loser.
Rich: It was a hit for Eric Carmen, it could've been a hit for you too...anyway, moving on...since we posed for a photo on the ferris wheel and it looked pretty good, we decided to fork out the extra €4.50 for a copy of it. And I must say, it's a very good photo!
Roho: It's OK. By this time though I was starting to get excited about Salzburg. The hills are alive!
Rich: I thought you were going to say you were starting to get hungry, but however...
Roho: Well that goes without saying...
Rich: Well I'm sorry for saying it...the bus trip to Salzburg was a heart wrenching one. Trying to decide whether to go on the Sound of Music tour or not. OK that's a lie. I couldn't care less about the Sound of Music tour. I did however decide to do the ice caves tour and left the Sound of Music tour to Rohani.
Roho: My dilemma was whether to do both tours or one. Bugger it, I thought, and forked out for both. Please don't ask how much. So. Worth. It. A couple of hours after arriving I went on the Sound of Music tour - a minibus excursion through Salzburg and beyond with a pommy woman dressed Austrian style. There was singing. There was strudel. There was a gazebo.
Rich: Yes, the hills are definitely not alive when you find out what the price was! The ice caves today were absolutely amazing. Not quite what I imagined, but brilliant nonetheless.
Roho: I've been thinking of Boot Camp Pam a lot lately. Generally when walking up hills and steps. I thought about her almost constantly during the ice cave
tour.
Rich: We were bussed from the hostel to the parking lot of the ice caves, followed by a 20 minute walk up some pretty steep terrain to Europe's steepest cable car. This is a pretty scary ride up a mountain, then another 20 minute walk up some even steeper terrain and steps to the entrance of the cave.
Roho: Where they tell you the cave tour itself consists of 700 steps up and 700 steps down.
Rich: The cave is 1600m above sea level and 42 km long, but we only saw around one kilometre of it. Those 700 steps go up a further 100 metres, so at the highest point, we were just over 1700 metres above sea level. And it was pretty cold.
Roho: I was pretty hot and sweaty. And I'd just like to point out that we only saw the first kilometre because that's where the ice ends, not because I collapsed and died, although I was close.
Rich: There are some interesting stories along the way, some which make you think, surely that didn't happen? But apparently so.
Roho: The caves are 'run' by a third generation PhD
whose grandfather married the mayor's daughter way back when. They present the caves in the way they were seen when they were first discovered - it's totally unlit except for the use of carbide lamps and coils of magnesium the guides light every now and then. We think they could do with some strategically placed floodlights. And an escalator.
Rich: Some good lighting would make the place look phenomenal, but not how god intended. And just to clarify, when I say it was pretty cold, it was just below 0.
Roho: We were steaming. That was funny.
Rich: For you...I don't think anyone else found it funny.
Roho: They were probably amazed at how someone so unfit would PAY to walk up a mountain.
Rich: Good point.
Roho: Of course while we have been having wonderful mountainous, musical, beerical adventures, a little thing called Euro 2008 has been swirling around.
Rich: I'm amazed at how passionate people are about a game that can end nil all after 90 minutes of falling on the ground pretending to be hurt so bad that it makes you roll around, face all scrunched up, then get up
and play on.
Roho: Like Pio says, I never swear, but football is the most pointless fucking game on earth. Like, literally, POINTless - nobody ever bloody scores!!!
Rich: But I can understand how they're so passionate.
Roho: Me too. The beer is so cheap. That's why.
Rich: So tomorrow we head for our final German destination, Munich, although I'm sure Rohani will manage to get in some Sound of Music time before we leave.
Roho: Hell, YEAH!! Our hostel shows the movie every day.
Rich: We promise to put up photos as soon as possible and we'll chat again soon.
Roho: So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, good night...good byeeeeeeee.... (Sound of Music trivia - that big high note Kurt sings in that song was actually sung by the sister of the girl who played Liesl).
Rich: Oh god.
Lots of love (still big schmacky beery love for at least another two stops)
Rich and Ro
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Miss Marple
non-member comment
Well what will you be drinking??
Hello Double R's Beautiful, 11 pm and I will be off to bed humming that jolly old Sound of Music tune all night... perhaps by the time you get to do your next post some other tune will have popped into your heads... We have recieved the CK postcard, thanks very much, the Prince has commented that he has never seen Czech Republic stamps before. How did the schnitzels compare with the Drury Butchers? Something else about travelling ie CK vs Prague, it will be all the smaller places that will stand out but you have to go to the big ones too just to prove it to yourself, but dont miss out on Paris, looking forward to hearing about food in French railway stations. Highlight of the week was finding Harrys bedroom window wide open the other day (middle of winter, strange thing) as it turns out he was piddling out of it, must have given builders in the paddock next door a good laugh watching an 8 year old stand on his bed to piddle out of the window. Keep on trucking...MM