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Austria

September - October 2021
A 15-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 10

    More Salzburg

    September 26, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    ISTM that any trip to Salzburg has to recognize Mozart. Here is his statue (in the 1st picture) in, of all places, Mozartplatz, one of the main squares.
    The 2nd picture overlooks the city from the castle (see Festung Hohensalzburg post).
    The 3rd picture may look familiar from The Sound of Music. Atop this wall is where Maria was walking after leaving the convent. What looks like a tunnel at the bottom of the wall was built as an air raid shelter in world war 2. It's a parking garage now.
    The 4th picture is in the cemetery at St Peters Abbey. This is the cemetery where the vonTrapps hid during the movie, though it was filmed on a set in Hollywood.
    St. Peters Abbey is the 5th picture. This is where St. Rupert founded the abbey in the 7th century. His statue is over the door to the church (see the Salzburg Churches post). Salzburg developed from here. It is why Salzburg celebrates St Rupert's Day with an extended festival. (I happen to be here in the middle of it, and there are dirndls and lederhosen everywhere.) St. Peters remains an active abbey, housing both Benedictine and Franciscan monks. It is one of the oldest, being continuous since its founding.
    The last picture is in the church of Nonnberg Abbey. Yes, this is where Maria was. So start singing "You'll Never Walk Alone." It, too, is an active abbey, and it is said to be the one if the oldest convents, dating back to the founding of St Peter's. The 1st abbess was a relative of St. Rupert.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 10

    Oktoberfest, sorta

    September 26, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    There is another active monastery in Salzburg. This one is Augustinian, and they still brew their own beer. In fact, I'm told they have the largest beer hall in Austria. Officially, Oktoberfest was cancelled, but here I am sitting in the beer garden with a liter of beer in a stoneware mug. There are no songs, no raised mugs, no frauleins carrying 3 full mugs. I guess this is about as close as I'll get to it his year.
    The 1st picture makes this official. The 2nd picture is in the beer hall. It not only looks empty; it is empty because everyone is outside in the beer garden in the 3rd picture. No surprise; it's about 75°F and sunny just now.
    I admit, no wurst. Ribs tonight. Hey, this is Austria.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 11

    Waldbachstrub

    September 27, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    As I walked up towards the waterfall, I realized that this is my 1st experience of an alpine river. So instead of a picture of a Wasserfall near Hallstatt, here are a series of pictures along the river, beginning with the waterfall in the 1st 2 pictures. The 1st looks upstream and the 2nd looks down stream. The 3rd and 4th pictures are taken at a couple places that had signs noting that locally famous artists had painted and written about this stretch of river. The 5th picture looks toward where the Waldbachstrub empties into the Hallstattensee.
    The last is identified as a rock that fell into this narrow valley about 12,000 years ago. It is called Runenstein or rune stone. This picture tries to pick up what seem to be runes.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 11

    Hallstatt

    September 27, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    What a beautiful place. Hallstatt rightly is a UNESCO site. It is located on an Alpine lake at the foot of a mountain below a salt mine. Yes, this is still in the Salzburg principality with salt as the primary business and source of wealth. So it was under the rule of the Salzburg prince-archbishops (see the several Salzburg posts).
    The 1st picture is of Salzburg taken from the lake. The train station is on the other side with a ferry connection to the town. The 2nd and 3rd pictures look along the lake. Number 2 was in the morning, and 3 was taken in the afternoon. Weather changes in the Alps and dramatically affects the scenery.
    The 4th and 5th pictures look at how the town built up the mountainside. There is only a narrow strip along the lake. So going uphill was the only choice. The 4th picture picks up a small waterfall, right in the center.
    The last picture is a look at some of the waterfront buildings.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 13

    Mariazell Basílica

    September 29, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Also known as the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, this is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe. The site dates back to the 13th century, but the current building dates to the 17th century.
    The 1st picture is of the front facade. The yellow in front of the door is a lift vehicle for some maintenance work in progress.
    The 2nd picture is in the nave looking at the very ornate Gnadenkapelle or grace chapel. This chapel is said to be located on the site of the 1st monastic cell here and serves as the chancel of the nave. If you look in the center of all the decorative work, you can make out a small white gown . This gown dresses a statue of Mary said to have been brought to the site by the first monks in the 12th century.
    If you look above the altar and altarpiece of the grace chapel, you can see that there is a large domed space behind the altar. This area houses the high altar shown in the 3rd picture and the stature of Mary of a pedestal.
    The last picture looks up at the main organ that dates to the 17th century, with numerous renovations and enhancements over the he centuries.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 13

    Mariazell

    September 29, 2021 in Austria ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Mariazell is a hub of winter sports in the Austrian Alps and is said to be a favorite ski destination in this part of the world. The town is also well known for its Basilica (see another post).
    The 1st 2 pictures are in the Hauptplatz or main square. It is a lovely alpine town.
    The other 2 pictures are taken from the top of the tower on top of Bürgeralte, the mountain behind Mariazell. While the weather wasn't all that great, these pictures give you a feel for why Mariazell is popular as a ski destination and as an area of spectacular scenery. There may be no snow in evidence, but I can say that while standing atop that tower, it certainly felt like snow was close.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 14

    Schloss Eggenberg, Graz

    September 30, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    This schloss that dates back to the 15th century with modifications until at least the 17th century when it was essentially in its current form. While I didn't have time to visit inside, there are many sites on line with photos. I encourage you to take a look. The design of the schloss and the grounds are base on astronomy, astrology, alchemy and more: way too complex to relate here.
    The 1st picture looks at the palace. Schloss seems to be translated as castle or palace. It seems to me that the latter is most appropriate here.
    All the rest of the pictures are around the grounds. The 5th picture is of an apple and pear orchard. This is a new replacement of the orchard that had been a part of the site all along.
    The last picture is the ceiling inside the garden pavilion to give a sense of the baroque and rococo design influences.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 15

    Schloßberg, Graz

    October 1, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    In case you aren't familiar with ß in German, it is the equivalent of a double S in English. So, the Schlossberg of Graz is literally a mountain castle in a location that has evidently been fortified for more than 1,000 years. While the fortress was not conquered, it was demolished after the treaty with Napoleon required it. Today, the grounds are a park with a stage, restaurants and more.
    The 1st picture is is of one of the bastions as it exits today. It is restored and adapted, but this does give a sense of how formidable the site was.
    Pictures 2 and 3, the bell tower and clock tower, do date back to the old Schloss. I'm told that the people of Graz paid a ransom to save these from destruction. I can att st that both are still working. I was standing by the bell tower on the hour.
    The 4th picture is a look at a bit of the garden now in the castle grounds. The 5th picture is an old gate, and the 6th picture is a lion statue commemorating the defense of the nearby bastion against the much larger force under Napoleon.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 15

    Old Town Graz

    October 1, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    There is evidence of occupation around modern day Graz dating to prehistory, but records of settlement date to medieval times. Much of what we see today dates to the 16th century and after.
    The 1st picture looks over the old town from the Schlossberg. Likewise, the 2nd picture is of the Rathaus or town hall also taken from the Schlossberg. The Rathaus is on one side of the Hauptplatz or main square of old town Graz. The 3rd picture is of the Hauplatz today. It is filled with vendors in a local market, most of whom are street food vendors.
    Graz is known for many, many inner courtyards. This is probably the best known of them all: the Landhaus courtyard. The Landhaus dates to the 16th century and was used as a governmental building. It was designed and built by the Italian architect who rebuilt the Schlossberg.
    The 5th picture is in the Burggarten, now part of a city park. The building peeking through the trees is an orangerie built by the dukes who lived in the castle on the property. Today it is the seat of the governor of Styria, the local province
    The last picture is the opera house that dates to the end of the 19th century because I just have to include it.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelAustria
    Day 15

    Stiegenkirche, Old Town Graz

    October 1, 2021 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The oldest church in Graz, dating to the 14th century. I hadn't expected to give this place its own post, but it is so unusual I need to. The name means staircase church, and the 1st picture is of the entrance staircase that begins between businesses. The 2nd picture is of several bas reliefs in the stairway.
    The other 3 pictures are inside the sanctuary. The 3rd picture looks to the main altar in the nave while the 4th picture looks back from the chancel through the nave. The last picture is of a side chapel. After all the baroque and rococo churches, this seems almost iconoclastic.    Read more

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