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  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 49

    Annecy. Fr to Geneva Airport Day 48

    June 12, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    Last day before leaving. Not much of interest to write about. Traveled with an array of transportation types from Annecy to my hotel at the Geneva Airport. First returned the car -walk-train-walk-tram-walk-bus-walk to hotel!!! 😂😂😂. Good thing I pack light and do not buy much!

    Nice airport hotel, good wifi, BBC news, a bar and a restaurant. Can’t ask for much more. Flight is at 6AM. 😫. Will be a short night.

    Thanks to all,of you who have followed this blog. Will sign off for this trip.

    Pics today are some of my favorites and highlights of the 7 weeks.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    1
    Day 47

    Bodensee, Germany Day 46

    June 10, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    Last day of real vacationing. Tomorrow starts the series of transportation to home. Went for a wonderful lengthy walk this morning and early afternoon. There are many interconnected walking and bike paths all around here. Walked first all along the water in the yacht harbor here. Lots of trees and wildflowers, shaded paths and LOT’S of bicycles. I think everyone not on a boat is on a bicycle. 😂. And check the bike picture, some of them take the bikes to the boat! And have not seen a locked bike yet!

    After checking out the scenery nearby, I saw a sign for a village only 2km away - Langenargen. Decided to walk that way. What a good decision. A lovely town with a huge park on the water. Flowers, cafes, playgrounds, and even a castle make for a wonderful Saturday walk. Stopped for a coke in a waterfront cafe and sat there for an hour just watching the water, the very pregnant swan, and the people. Did some geocaching on the way back. Only one successful. (See pic). Weather is perfect and life is good. Walked back to hotel and spent the afternoon organizing suitcase and backpacks for the journey home. Dinner at the lovely outdoor restaurant at the hotel. Food is good, fish from the lake and very generous wine pours. 😂👍. Think I am the only English speaking person I have heard here. (Except for check in people). A very German/Austrian holiday place.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 46

    Wolfgangsee to Bodensee, Germany Day 45

    June 9, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    A travel day. Left my lovely place by the Wolfgangsee, Austria and drove 4+ hours to another large lake, Bodensee in Germany very close to the Swiss border. Mostly freeway driving today so pretty boring. Drove in Northern Austria, by Salzburg and then into southern Germany through Munich and then here. It’s a weekend so places to stay at the last minute (that I liked 😂) were not plentiful. It’s a hotel at a large marina and hundreds of large expensive sailboats and yachts. There is a sailing school here as well as sailboats for rent. Took a short walk before cocktail hour and lots of people swimming in the lake as well the a short drive in the closest town - Kressbronn. Not much going on there, took the road closest to the water home. Lots of vineyards in the area.

    Dinner on the water at the hotel. Great salad with good fish from the lake. A great “pour” of local wine - the smallest you can order is 1/4 liter - 1/4th of a bottle. 😂. Only needed 1 tonight. Actually the local wine was quite good. Germany makes some good whites.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    11
    Day 45

    St. Wolfgang, Austria Day 44

    June 8, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Another great weather day in the Austrian Lake District. I had decided yesterday to take the cog railway train to the top of the mountain right behind where I am staying. It is the steepest train 🚂 in Austria and goes up almost 6,000 feet in less than 4 miles! That is VERY steep. The station is only a couple blocks away from my home and arrived there around 11A. Train left on time and it is a 34 to 40 minute ride to the top. A spectacular ride. I had a window seat. At the top there is a hotel and several cafes. I wanted to hike a bit, and did, but it was a challenge as it is steep down and I knew I had to get back up. 😂. If I had someone else with me I would have hiked down to the middle train station , there were lots of other hikers, but common sense prevailed and I enjoyed the bit I did and then went to check out the rest on the area and, of course, have lunch.

    There are 2 pics below (12 and 13) that show the clouds coming in on a narrow ridge line with a sheer rock face. If you blow them up you can see hikers on that narrow ridge! That was NOT me. Amazing! Great lunch with Apple Strudel for desert. No need for dinner tonight.

    Back home for a “lie down” and then out for a walk along the lake before cocktail hour. Love the long days at this time of year, boaters everywhere - all kinds of water craft and lots of wildflowers. So lovely. A “get organized “ evening, leaving here tomorrow for a couple nights on another lake in Germany 🇩🇪 (8th country on this trip) on my way back to Geneva.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 44

    St Wolfgang, Austria Day 43

    June 7, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

    A very good day. Wonderful weather - high of 72 and sunny- perfect for me. Came to this area to hike so off this AM for one of the hikes on the tourist information brochure. Drove to a mountain lake up in these “little” Alps and planned to walk around the lake - Schwarzensee - a bit less than 3 miles. A beautiful spot, not many people; peaceful and serene. Only walked about 30 minutes and there is a cafe! Just there for the hikers and bikers. Lots of people on bikes- the trails go everywhere- from very easy to very hard. The pics today are mostly of the scenery on the hike. About 2 miles around the was a path going the opposite direction and the sign said Moosalm - 20 minutes. Hiking signs here are in time not mileage. What a great detour. Meadows filled with wildflowers of every color. The Alpine wildflowers are small so they do not show up well on a picture as there is so much green around them. Then a bit through the woods and soon arrived at Moosalm - and another cafe. No road anywhere in site.

    Back to the car with a plan to drive around the lake. Stopped for lunch at one of the other small towns on the lake. A couple with their dog joined me and they spoke some English - a lot more than my German. So I had lunch companions. He was an MD in Germany and she worked for BBC. Then found out on my “drive around the lake” - the road goes not go around the lake. 😂. There is this giant sheer-face rock/mountain coming out of the lake that gets in the way. Retraced my route and back home for some planning time. Still need a couple places to stay after I leave here Friday.

    Out for dinner in the main plaza in town - had great fish tacos! The fish come out of the lake, the menu calls it salmon trout, assuming like our steelhead. A light chili dance and guacamole. Really good. After dinner frozen yogurt, of course. (My 2nd of the day). 😩. There is going to be a rude awakening when I hit the scales at home. 🥹

    And the mail event for the day; local band concert at 8:30P. Sat on a bench with a couple who turned out to be from England. Had a great conversation with them before, during and after the concert. The band was fun, they marched down the Main Street in town - lots of brass and percussion- some flutes, clarinets, and French horns thrown in for balance. The music was traditional, lots of marches, some modern and all in the Austrian. A very fun evening. Walk the mile home with my new best friends from England as they were staying at the hotel next to mine.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 43

    Bratislava-St Wolfgang, Austria Day 42

    June 6, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    Another travel day. I am wending my way back to Geneva. It’s about 12 hours driving from Bratislava and am planning on breaking the trip up into three 4-5 hour driving days. Today from Bratislava to St. Wolfgang See (Lake), Austria. Arrived here around 2PM and my room was ready. Will use hotels from now on. Great place here - first floor room with a deck looking out on the lake. Back in the Alps again so wonderful mountains all around. Had only planned to stay here 2 nights but have asked them if they have the room for another night. I have been in this area before but not at this lake. It’s the Austrian Lake District about 25 miles from Salzburg. Think “Sound of Music scenery. (It was filmed in this area).

    After I got settled, I walked downtown, found the grocery store to pick up breakfast stuff as there is a small kitchen in my room. Also stopped at the tourist office for some hiking information. Came back to do some planning for tomorrow, I want to hike ib these beautiful hills. Tomorrow is only day that showers are not expected.

    Went for another walk by the lake before dinner. Lots of boats, paddle boards, and kayaks. The village has lots of shops and cafes. Cute town. Went to dinner at the hotel next door and it was very good. First time I have been out for dinner in awhile - had an excellent steak, and then a walk down the street for ice cream! 😂    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 42

    Bratislava, Slovakia Day 41

    June 5, 2023 in Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F

    A lazy day for tourism. Day dawned gray, rainy and a cool wind. Had planned to do another walking tour at 10 but decided against it as it was still kind of ugly at 9:30. Weather started to improve some around 10:30 so,out to see the one last thing I wanted to see in Bratislava - the Blue Church. And it is really very blue. 😀. It is a Catholic with no special significance that I could fine except it’s color and architecture. (Hungarian Art Nouveau). The guide yesterday said it is used a lot for weddings. Did another walk around some different parts of old Town and headed home. Picked up a salad for lunch in a grocery store next to my apartment building. Salads are hard to come by in this meat-eating part of the world. I was craving “green stuff”! 😂.

    Tired today. Rested for awhile catching up on email and this blog. Then out for a last walk along the river. Not as many people out today, the weather still very overcast and the weekend is over. Walked a bit farther and got to the spot where all the Cruise ships that are in Bratislava for the day dock. Back home, watched a movie on Netflix this evening - A Beautiful Life, (OK good not great, a love story) so nice to have Netflix in English. Threatening rain again around dinner time so got sushi from grocery store. A quiet day. Leaving Bratislava tomorrow to begin wending my way back to Geneva for flight home in a week.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 41

    Bratislovia, Slovakia Day 40

    June 4, 2023 in Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    An abrupt change in the weather, much cooler and gray today with showers forecasted. No bight sunny day pictures today. I had scheduled a walking tour of historic Bratislava today while in Vienna. Met all at the starting point about a mile from where I am staying. The tour was well done, Dominica was intelligent and did not hesitate to answer difficult questions. I knew almost nothing about the history of Slovakia, now I know a bit more.

    For those of you who are interested, a very simplistic overview. For those not - skip,to the pictures. 😂. Recent Slovakia history: after 1000 years of Hungarian rule, they merged with the Czechs to become the Czecho-Slovak Republic. (Czechoslovakia) During WW II Czechoslovakia was under Nazi rule and “saved” by Soviet troops at the end of the war, leading to Czechoslovakia then under Communist rule following the war. In 1989, the Velvet Revolution brought about essential political changes and paved the way for democracy. Slovakia became an independent country in 1993 and joined the EU in 2004.
    The tour started at 10A in the Old Town. We spent over an hour in the 2 main plazas and adjoining areas. It is a pleasant area, many large shade trees, cafes and many tour groups, different companies. Many shops and restaurants open, unusual for Europe on a Sunday.

    The 2nd half of the tour was the story of the Jewish quarter during WW II and then Communism. A sad story an the impressive sculpture and area around it pay respect to the tragedy. Next we climbed the hill and stairs to the castle. The castle was built purely for defensive purposes and it’s not as “attractive” as many European castles. Renovations began in 2013 and took almost 10,years to bring the fortress to its current state. Extensive gardens were also added. Slovakia is working very hard to add itself to the list of major tourist destinations in Europe. Bratislava is very popular with German and Austrian tourists. A very interesting several hours.

    Took the rest of the day off from tourism. 😂. Grabbed a bad sandwich and a coke for lunch but had some “to die for” Belgian chocolate gelato for dessert that more than made up for the sandwich. Spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with some sleep, communications and planning for the final phase of this trip. Had no reservations after I leave here. Decided to first revisit a place in Austria neat Salzburg as the first stop wending my way west to Geneva for my flight home on the 13th.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 40

    Vienna to Bratislava, Slovakia Day 39

    June 3, 2023 in Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    Another travel day. Retrieved my car from the car park ($18 for 4 days!) and then back to get ML & R and take them to the train station for their next stop - Budapest. I am on my way to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, only an hour east of Vienna. Had a few things to do before leaving Vienna, get gas, go back,to,the hotel I stayed at the first night here and pick up my electric toothbrush that I left there, and one more tourist stop in Vienna - the Hundertwasser House. (Really an apartment building). I had visited this delightfully amusing site on my last trip to Vienna many years ago. The building was built by Hundertwasser, an artist/architect in the 1980’s and incorporates his thinking on how architecture and nature can coexist. The building has almost no straight lines and 250 trees and bushes incorporated in the terraces, It currently houses 53 apartments and 4 offices. It’s hard to get a good picture, the video is better.

    I had some time to kill before I could check in to my apartment. Had looked at a map, saw a large lake only about 20 miles out of the way and headed there - Neusiedler am See. It was the perfect tranquil, peaceful lake setting, a few cafes, small hotel and comfortable seating around for all. I picked up some lunch and just and relaxed and decompressed after 2 and a half weeks of traveling with others and a very busy travel schedule.

    On to my new home for the next 3 nights, a beautiful apartment on the 27th floor of a modern high rise building in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia - a new country for me! Spent some time to settle in and the out for a walk. The Danube river runs through Bratislava as well as Vienna on its way to its end in the Black Sea running thru 10 countries and 1,770 miles. And it’s a 5 minute walk from my back door. A fun walk along the river with all of the families enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon. A 6 mile path with lots of open space, trees and grass, playgrounds for kids and cafes lining the route. Home for dinner tonight, pasta, as usual, and Netflix in English! 😂    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 39

    Vienna, Austria Day 38

    June 2, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    We decided to go out for breakfast this AM. Found a cafe, one of the dozens nearby, and had a good breakfast that we did not make ourselves. I think that is only the second time on this trip that I had breakfast out. No dishes to do! 😂.

    Next to find the Hop On Hop Off bus stop. The task proved to be a bit of a challenge but we “won” in the end. 😂. Spent the next 2-3 hours riding around Vienna, seeing the sites, and listening to a commentary on the history/fun facts about the city. Highlights for me: the Danube river with the river cruise boats, the old wooden Ferris wheel built in 1897, the number and size of parks on the outskirts of the city, and the seemingly endless street cafes with people enjoying coffee and conversation. A short stop at a cafe for some liquids and planning.

    Off to the Leopoldo museum which was close by. An art museum dedicated to the art of Austrians with a focus on the the Secession movement in the 1890’s, the emergence of Vienna as a major cultural city in Europe. A very good permanent collection with emphasis on Gustav Klimt and other prominent Austrian artists. Their special exhibition was also excellent. Two floors dedicated to 200 pieces of the Wurth collection - a wealthy art collector from Austria.

    A walk back home for “feet up” time before going out to dinner! Beer garden is in fine format tonight - really bad music but, if you drink enough, you probably don’t care! Out to dinner at an Italian place not far away. Good, not great, A slow walk back home enjoying the beautiful weather (around 72) and all the people having such a good time on a Friday night. Another good day!    Read more

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