FUN-travel: Vienna, Austria – Full Day 1
September 30, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Vienna, Austria – Full Day 1
Day 11 – Thursday, September 26 – Vienna, Austria – Full Day 1 – cloudy, sporadic light rain & wind – low 60’s
What I LIKE
- 8:00 – my love brings me a really hot starbucks venti
Opera House Ceiling
- nice chill out day – no hurry
- 11:30 – shower & get ready
- 12:00 – explore & eat
- today is Indian – found on TA (trip advisor)
- boycotting Hop On Hop Off bus
- Vienna easy to walk
- 12:45 – lunch @ Indien Village – great service! – tarkal dal & chicken vindaloo w/rice & garlic nan – 2 pints = $61.00 US
- *2:00 – ready to explore some more
- rain actually very light @ this point
- 2:30 – end up @ Opera house – by chance tour starts @ 3:00
Opera House FUN-facts:
- season is 10 months
- only closed 4 days during then
- 22 carat gold leaf décor adorns building along with marble allegorical statuary, breathtaking tapestries, stunning ceiling paintings and astounding wall ornamentation
- crystal chandelier in auditorium overwhelming – weighs 12 tons, is 7 meters in diameter, has 1200 bulbs & crystals weigh 3000 kilos (over 3 tons)
- has 1,709 seats plus 567 spaces for standing room
- standing room seats sold day of for 3 to 5 Euros ea
- boxes for Viennese ball are $18,000 Euros ea
- bombed during WWII – only 3 rooms still original
- has 180,000 costumes
- 4:00 – back to hotel (really close) for room R & R & Happy Hour
- open bottle of “Unplugged” got @ Spar grocery store
- dinner – eat leftovers from lunch
- **8:40 – Chris heads back to Spar for snack for me
- gets take away salami pizza instead from tram vendor @ corner– VG only $2.80!
ILI (I’m Loving It) – The Ring is truly ***** hotel, turndown service w/wonderful dark chocolate (& they say Belgium is the best) king size bed, Nespresso coffee machine, water, wine glasses, robes all included @ no extra charge!
What I DON’T LIKE
- 5:45 – wake up
- *it’s raining & didn’t bring my raincoat
- **Spar closes @ 8
FUN-fact – The Vienna State Opera opened in 1869 with a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
FUN-travel: Salzburg to Hallstatt to Vienna, Austria
September 29, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Salzburg to Hallstatt to Vienna, Austria
Day 10 – Wednesday, September 25 – Salzburg to Hallstatt to Vienna, Austria – sunny & 60’s
What I LIKE
- 7:45 wake up
View Across Lake in Hallstatt
- another good night sleep
- hot coffee on patio
- ready to go early (I’m feeling some more points coming on)
- *check out
- 9:25 – take off for Hallstatt
- muscles still sore – clearly ones not used that much!
- **have gps & map
- beautiful drive thru forested mountains & alpine meadows
- the hills are alive w/the sound of music!
- leaves starting to change color
- ***11:00 – arrive Hallstatt – story book village on lake filled w/swans
- stop @ grocery store (free parking) for snacks
- +11:50 – attempt to program Garmin for Vienna hotel – put in city center & head out using shortest route from map
- river flowing next to road
- 12:30 – another big lakeside drive
- able to program car drop off address
Hallstatt
- 3:00 – enter Vienna proper
- 3:30 – arrive city center
- WATCH (what are the chances) – our hotel is 3 blocks from car drop! Ritz Carlton right next door
Vienna
- would never spend that much on a room
- drop luggage @ The Ring Hotel first then car
- location, location, location!
- 4:00 – get settled in our big, beautiful, quiet room w/10 ft ceilings & king size bed
- 4:05 – head to happy hour for 2 pints @ Café Schwartzenberg
- GI – (great idea) – should download travel books into iPad instead of carrying – will look into that @ home
- no high rise bldgs in old town
- 5:00 – hungry & Friday’s is across the street – fajitas! jalapenos! salsa! YUMMY!
- 7:00 – Spar grocery store stop for the usual stuff
- they have Unplugged wine for only $15 Euro
What I DON’T LIKE
- *feeling ripped off – breakfast was $11 Euro pp extra and we opted out – told the charge for our 4 coffees per day totaled $22.40 Euros
- **miss correct onramp @ roundabout – takes us 20 mins to recover – morning traffic thru little towns – gps is not perfect
- ***no place to park
- +won’t take address we have & wants to take us on longer route
FUN-fact – Salzburg is one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps and become a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
Not so FF – At check in, when we said all we wanted was coffee, we were told, “That’s not a problem.” There was never any indication of a charge, or if there was, how much it would be. Had we known, we would have gladly paid $44 Euros. They missed getting another $22 Euro and we walked away saying… NA = Never Again! And feeling “shame on us for not asking.” Between that & the hop on bus experience Salzburg didn’t make the list for a most pleasant stay and should have.
Rathaus, Vienna
FUN-travel: Salzburg, Austria – Full Day 1
September 28, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Salzburg, Austria – Full Day 1
Day 9 – Tuesday, September 24 – Salzburg, Austria – Full Day 1 – overcast clouds clear to full sun – warm & 70
What I LIKE
Mozart’s Birthplace
- 8:30 – wake up – best night sleep so far
- memory foam mattress
- feels more like a B &B than a hotel
- hot coffee on the patio
- 10:00 – walk to Hop on Hop off bus near hotel
- only takes 15 min walk
- 10:25 pick up – runs every 30 mins
City View With Fortress
- OMG – sore muscles from walk yesterday (from coming down the steep hill)
- 1st stop – Mozart’s birthplace home – in heart of Salzburg – lots of tours – pass on going in
- 2nd stop – Starbuck’s – big cappuccino & hot breakfast sandwich on corner
- 3rd stop – Leopoldskron Palace – on small lake w/nice gardens outside of town
- 4th stop – Hellbrunn Palace – one of oldest Baroque gardens in Europe – some Sound of Music scenes filmed here – gazebo used for “16 going on 17” song relocated here too
- *12:58 – bus is a no show
- 1:50 – lunch @ trattoria donomi – has trip advisor sign
- what else but pizza w/ham, salami, mushrooms & hot peppers – 2 pints of beer – $17 Euro
- walk up to Nonnberg Abbey where Maria was nun
- **walk over to hop on bus stop
- 24 hr pass gets us free city bus too
- Mirabell Palace Gardens – huge w/straight shot to fortress on top of hill
Leopoldskron Palace
- 3:45 – Mozart’s 2nd home – a museum but don’t get to see it as a home w/personal items
Hellbrunn Palace
- 4:30 – city bus back to hotel
- R & R in room
- 8:00 – dinner @ Steinlechner local restaurant just around corner – Caesar salad (dressing not!) & mixed grill plate w/turkey, pork, beef, sausage & homemade potato chips – Umathum 2010 Baideboden (cab) – $89 US
- 1st time ever! wine has glass cork – my souvenir
What I DON’T LIKE
- *have to wait 30 mins for next on
- **another no show
- wish I would have taken Rick Steve’s recommendation on the SOM (Sound of Music tour) I totally spaced his book in the car!
FUN-fact – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and spent the first 16 years here in a small apartment where he wrote most of his boy-genius works. When he was 17 they moved to a much larger apartment just across the bridge where the museum is. He composed over 600 works with Don Giovanni and the Marriage of Figaro still operatic mainstays today.
SOM Gazebo
FUN-travel: Füssen, Germany to Salzburg, Austria
September 27, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Füssen, Germany to Salzburg, Austria
Day 8 – Monday, September 23 – Füssen, Germany to Salzburg, Austria – sunny w/clouds – high 60’s
What I LIKE
- 7:30 – machine cappuccino not bad
- 8:30 – breakfast – really nice spread
- 9:00 – drive to castles (I’m so on time I got another 10 travel bonus pts!)
- 9:10 – park & walk up to ticket booth
- 9:15 – pick up tickets for 9:25 reservation tour for 10:25 (you lose your position if late)
- 9:30 – get in line for bus ride to top – 1.80 Euro pp
- *really long line
- 9:55 – bus finally comes
- 10:05 – arrive for walk to Mary’s Bridge for photo op (over 100 yrs old & engineering fete)
- offers spectacular views of Neuschwanstein Castle
- 15 walk down to castle entrance
- 10:24 – arrive for 10:25 tour – just made it!
- 1st floor – servants quarters & kitchen
- 2nd floor – never finished – supposed to be guest wing
- 3rd floor – features Throne Room – 2000 lb chandelier – gold plated brass can be lowered to floor – floor consists of 2 million mosaic tiles – all walls & ceilings are painted
- living quarters contains kings bed & took wood carvers 4.5 yrs to carve
- contains multiple huge wall tapestries
- features man made cave & winter garden area – w/colored electric lighting & real waterfall
Mary’s Bridge
- 4th floor – study & office
- concert hall he never experienced – completed 1 week before he died – once a year concerts held here
- over 300 stairs in tour
- kitchen has multiple ovens & stoves – state of the art for 1869
- 10:55 – tour over
- go to 2nd floor for 3D movie showing the original final castle plan
Neuschwanstein Castle FUN-facts:
- runner up for one of the New 7 Wonders of the World
- inspiration for Sleeping Beauty & Disneyland castles
- built from 1869 to 1886 by King Ludwing II
- he died mysteriously and building ceased
- he was spending way too much money & was declared insane
- next day he & his psychiatrist were found drowned in a Munich lake
- only 1/3 complete
- only lived there for 172 days
- designed by a stage painter – not an architect
- gravity fed fresh water & sewer systems
- built over the ruins of 2 medieval castles
- incorporates state of the art technology for 1869
- Europe’s most spectacular castle
Hohenschwangau
- Chris wants to walk back up to Mary’s Bridge for back up photo op
- 11:45 – need to get back down for 12:25 tour of 2nd castle
- take 30 minute walk trail & book it down in 15
- then walk up to Hohenschwangau castle for 2nd tour
- childhood summer & hunting home of King Ludwig II
- 12:25 – starts on 1st floor – Queen’s living area
- includes “king size” billiard table, study & library, bedroom & living room
- 2nd floor – kings quarters
- 1:30 – cappuccino break
- **2:00 – back to car
- 2:20 – found it and drive out (always need to remember visuals for finding them)
- 1.5 hr beautiful drive thru countryside before autobahn
- ***4:30 – get iPod to work!
- 5:30 – arrive Salzburg proper
- 6:00 – arrive Hotel Rosenvilla – more like B&B w/15 rooms in residential area 15 min walk to town
- 70 and sunny!
- 6:15 – happy hour – Trummer Pils beer break
- 6:45 – walk to city center for mini Oktoberfest
- 7:30 – dinner @ Hagenauerstuben – caramelized sheep cheese on mixed leaf salad, fried sausages w/cabbage, mustard & fresh horseradish (finely shredded looks like cheese & really hot) Hannes Reeh “Unplugged” merlot – Yummy! $85
What I DON’T LIKE
- 6:00 wake up – no coffee until 7:30
- *have to “hurry up & wait” for 30 mins
- **can’t find car – Chris thinks it’s in a different place than I do – feel minor panic – there are multiple parking lots w/lot more cars than when we arrived
- ***car radio totally complicated for manual operation
Lake at Base of Hohenschwangau
FUN-fact – During WWII, Neuschwanstein took on a sinister role. The Nazi’s used it as one of their primary secret storehouses for stolen art. After the war, Allied authorities spent a year sorting through and redistributing the art, which filled 49 rail cars. It was the only time the unfinished rooms were put to use.
FUN-travel: Munich to Füssen via Dachau, Germany
September 27, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Munich to Füssen via Dachau, Germany
Day 7 – Sunday, September 22 – Munich to Füssen via Dachau, Germany – sunny w/high wispy clouds – high 60’s
What I LIKE
Dachau Train Tracks
- 7:00 – wake up
- usual routine
- ready to go before planned (I get 10 travel bonus pts!) they’re like gold stars from Mr. “I’m always ready to go way ahead of schedule”
- 9:00 – walk to train station to get car – leave bags at hotel
- having a car allows freedom to come & go as you please
- *only takes one u-turn to figure out directions
- 10:20 – car loaded and ready for drive to Dachau
- GARMIN WORKS!
Front Gate Translation “Work Will Set You Free”
- 11:00 – arrive Dachau
- free & includes audio guide
- 11:30 – 20 min film in museum
- get to enter all areas – see barracks, gas chamber, crematorium, religious memorials
- 1:00 – drive to Füssen
- 3:00 – arrive Hotel Schlosskrone
- tell little white lie to front desk – “we’re on our honeymoon” – Chris says “every day is our honeymoon”
- get room upgrade! has couch – separate toilet room – separate shower & tub – remodeled in 2011
- front desk very hospitable & helpful – take care of tickets for castle tours tomorrow
- take off for walk in small, pedestrian only area town square
- 4:00 – Ludwig Hotel Café for snack of mixed salad – egg, tuna, cucumber, bell peppers, onion – 2 pint beers – $16.70 Euro
- 4:30 continue walk around town square
- 5:00 – room R&R – nice little nap
- 7:30 – dinner downstairs @ Chili’s – hotel Italian restaurant – 2 free glasses of house wine – quite good Italian – order pizza w/salami, red & green chilis & buffalo mozzarella w/tomatoes salad – pretty good & 2 more glasses of wine – 36 Euro
- 8:45 – we’re done & ready for bed!
What I DON’T LIKE
- *get turned around coming out of garage – only have map – GPS w/bags @ hotel
- hard to comprehend the torture that went on at Dachau & all concentration camps
Sculpture Made By Prisoner Picked From International Competition
Not so FF (FUN-fact) – Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany in March, 1933. In the twelve years of its existence over 200,000 persons from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsidiary camps. 41,500 were murdered. On April 29, 1945, American troops liberated the survivors.
WATCH – (What Are The Chances) – Brian who let us sit @ his Oktoberfest table had a grandfather that was imprisoned @ Dachau. He was Polish (not Jewish) and was an engineer who made airplane parts. His status kept him alive and treated better than most.
Where Barrack 3 Once Stood