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  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 38

    Vienna, Austria Day 37

    June 1, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Back to Schonbrunn Palace again. An early start to the day, our timed tickets for 8:45. Good time to go, not many people here when we started. The palace was the summer home of the Hapsburg’s for many years. Many generations lived there. The buildings are immense! The tour takes you through about 40 rooms used for various purposes and elegantly decorated. The preservation of the furniture, materials, and art is amazing. There is audio for each room with some detail. After the palace, we took a break for coffee and water. Weather is getting warmer - will be 80 today. 😝. Then we tackled the grounds. They go on forever, you can walk for miles! Beautiful shade trees, fountains, large sculptures, and an uphill walk about a mile from the palace where you reach the Panorama with a view all over Vienna. Roses in bloom and a rose garden with flowers of every color. We walked almost 5 miles until we got home! 😂

    Back home, we snacked on some leftovers for lunch. Robert found a pool on line and went for a swim. ML and I went to a nearby tea shop and the grocery store to replenish provisions. Then we tackled the washing machine, “Dry” run first time, water was not turned on. 😂.

    Dinner at the Japanese place next door and out for an evening of Classical music, one of the things I love about Vienna. There are classical music venues all over the city. And most perform almost every night. Yes, it’s very “touristy’ but the music is very good. Not big orchestras, but small groups. Our concert was in a home where Mozart once lived which is now a monastery. The musicians consisted of a cellist, pianist and a violinist. All 3 played together at the beginning and end and soloists or dues in between. The music is mostly the popular 18th C composers ; Mozart, Hayden, Beethoven, Strauss, List, Bach, etc - a really lovely evening. Walked back to our home amidst the lively cafes buzzing with conversations.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 37

    Vienna, Austria Day 36

    May 31, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Off for our first day of Vienna tourism. Decided to do Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. The usual problems in a new city, finding tube stops, figuring out which way to go, etc but we finally arrived there around 11 A. It is huge complex with several large building and enormous courtyard. We took pics and found the ticket building only to find out that we would have to wait 2.5 hours to get in. 😫. We did not want to do that so we went on line and made reservations for tomorrow morning, Hard to believe that on May 31 there is this kind of issue. Cannot imagine it will be in July and August! A recommendation to summer travelers: if there is something you really want to see, make reservations early!

    Back to town center with a stop for a sandwich and beer. The area around St Stephen’s cathedral is a long, wide pedestrian space with shops and cafes in all directions. The cathedral is the head of the Catholic Church in Vienna and home of the archbishop. The landmark symbol of the church is the multicolored tile roof. There has been a church on this site since at least 1000AD, probably earlier. Next stop, the Kuntshistorichesmuseum. (Art history museum). A new area of the city to explore - lots os museums in this area. We spent a couple hours enjoying the art and a coffee stop at the lovely Viennese coffee bar in the museum. While the art was wonderful, the building itself is magnificent! All the baroque detail and painted ceilings - beauty everywhere you looked.

    Home for a bit of “feet up” time and wine before dinner out tonight. Robert found a Viennese restaurant only one tube stop away. Fun dinner outside and all of us tried different types of Viennese cuisine: veal schnitzel, veal goulash, and boiled beef - a specialty of the restaurant. I had the goulash with spaetzel, it was very good. However, we all decided we have had enough meat for awhile. A good and very busy day..    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 36

    Vienna, Austria Day 35

    May 30, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    Carol up and out by 5AM for her 7AM flight. I happily said good-by and, as soon as she was out the door, went back to bed! 😂. Had a leisurely morning, a little BBC news, long shower and breakfast at the hotel. I have been trying off and on to get my nails done for 2 weeks. Today is the day. Found a nail salon at the train station where I was picking up MaryLou and Robert (ML & R) this afternoon. Arrived at the train station around 11 AM, found the studio, had to wait awhile and I feel so much better with nails that are not 5 weeks old! The main train station in Vienna is huge - pretty much like a shopping mall. I needed some more hand lotions and toothpaste, found that, found a bank for more money, had lunch at a Subway - a very productive morning.

    My friends from Sebastopol, ML & R, arrived around 3 from Prague. They have been traveling for a couple weeks in Europe already. I will stay with them here in Vienna until Saturday then they are leaving for Budapest and I will keep moving east to Bratislava, Slovakia.

    Loaded the car with their gear and found our “home” for the next 4 days, right in the middle of the Ring circle. Amazingly traffic was not too bad and found a place to park to unload. Apartment is on the 5th floor but there is an elevator! I stayed with the car as it was parked in a no parking zone. 😂. Then Robert and I took the car to a Park and Ride outside of City Center where it will stay for the duration of this part of the trip. (parking in the City was $45/day! Just like San Francisco). Took the subway back and found our way home. Found a grocery store a couple blocks away and stocked up for the 4 days.

    Wine and cheese and out for dinner nearby for Light Japanese, ceviche. Went for a walk after dinner looking at all the huge buildings and heated an announcer and crowd cheering in a nearby park. Come to find out the European FIBA World Championship basketball games were being held in a set up outdoor stadium. Turns out that this basketball is 3x3 - 3 players on each team and half court size - different rules. Big screen set up outside, tents with beer and food. Quite the happening. Admission was free so we went in and watched one game - games are 10 minutes long. Brazil beat France 19 to 16. This is both men’s and women’s tournament. Fun thing to stumble on to.

    Meandered back home, perfect weather but getting warmer. Out after 9PM tonight!!! 😂.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 35

    Lake Bled to Vienna, Austria Day 34

    May 29, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    A travel,day and not much to write. Left Bled around 10, filled up,with gas and on the way to Vienna. BTW: Gas has been around $6 a gallon. Sometime a little more, sometimes a little less. Actually with all we have read about the “no oil from Russia” for the Europeans, I thought it was going to be more. I have paid more than that most of the other times I have driven in Europe perviously. The drive to Vienna was about 4.5 hours, pretty much due East from Bled. ]We took our time, while still doing 80 to go with the flow of traffic on the autobahns. 😂. A portion of the route took us through very pretty agricultural Austrian countryside. The rest was freeway. Today is a holiday -again- Whit Sunday (celebrated on Monday - go figure). That is the good news and bad news; the good news, no trucks on the road; the bad news, nothing is open - lunch from a gas station. 😂. Carol,found a park along the way and we relaxed there for about an hour eating lunch and checking out the surroundings.

    Arrived at airport hotel around 3:30P. Settled in and walked across the street to the airport to do a “trial run” for Carol as she has to be at the airport by 5AM. Very convenient hotel for her. Back for cocktail hour in the lounge and dinner in the hotel restaurant. Started planning for tomorrow and the days following in Vienna. Early to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 34

    Lake Bled, Slovenia Day 33

    May 28, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Last day of real tourism with Carol. There is a gorge near Bled that we set off for this morning. Another beautiful weather day, temp around 70 and sunshine with white clouds. The gorge is only a 15 minute drive on the other side of Bled from where we are staying. Arrived around 10A and started the gorge walk. Amazing views in all directions. The river running through the gorge is the Radova. Clear rushing water, high canyon sides, and wildflowers and green feens and plants all seemingly growing out of the rock. A beautiful walk on a boardwalk, many other people there but not too crowded. We took pictures (way too many). And slowly enjoyed the walk, about a mile, along the rock side and the numerous bridges.

    Then the real hike began, I visited this gorge about 6-7 years ago and when we finished we just turned around and went back. You cannot do that anymore. Instead you walk/hike back on one of two trails. We chose the longer “prettier “one and it was beautiful. First a long, gradual uphill along a lovely forested path. When we reached the top, there was a church, cafe and benches to sit and look at the beautiful view across a wide valley. The trail took off through pastures, on a gentle downhill for another couple miles. A really fun hike that we did not plan. Had a great lunch back at the entrance to the gorge - smoked trout with horseradish sauce salad! Carol tried the Aperol Spritzer which it seems everyone drinks here. They look so pretty - and orangish-red color, with Prosecco and Aperol - a kind of herbal mixture.

    On to our next stop about 45 minutes away, a Russian Chapel in the foothills of the Julian Alps. Before we got there we mistakenly visited Kranska-Gora, a pretty ski village at the base of the mountains. There is a Russian Church there that I thought was the Russian Chapel we were looking for. 😫. However a cute town and very good frozen yogurt and ice cream! 😂. Fortunately the chapel was not far from there up the very windy mountain road. This is a beautiful wooden chapel built in the woods in a tranquil, lovely setting. (See cover photo). During WW I this area was. POW camp for Russian prisoners. They built the road that winds though these mountains. While building there was an avalanche that killed many of the prisoners. This chapel was built by the remaining in their memory. The pyramidal stone I the picture is a grave for many of the soldiers. Just such a peaceful place.

    Back home for cocktail hour, dinner (pasta again) - all,outside on our deck as it is a lovely evening. Another episode of Anatomy of a Scandal, a little pre-packing as we leave here for Vienna tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    1
    Day 33

    Lake Bled, Slovenia Day 32

    May 27, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    A beautiful warm, sunny day and we are off to walk around the lake. (~3-4 miles). There is a wide gravel path all the way around. Lots of people walking and biking as it’s a Saturday. The dominant feature of the lake is a small island with a church taking up most of the island. We took a Plenta (type of “man-propelled” boat) over to the island, walked up,the long set of stairs to go into the church. The draw to this church is the long, heavy rope in the middle in front of the altar. You can pull on it and make the church bells ring. See pic of the little girls. We both got the bells to ring as well. 😌. Then back on the boat and to shore to continue our walk.

    As we discovered yesterday, this weekend is the European Olympic 2023 Rowing Competition on the lake. Lots of TV trucks and grandstand set up at the finish line. We spent some time on out walk watch/ing parts of various races. We stopped for lunch at a cafe near all the set for the finish of the races. Lots of booths selling gear and loud speakers calling the races. As we went around the backside and up a hill we could see the platform for the winners, just like the Olympics. Quite the scene. Later we found the area where all the boats were being kept - hundreds of expensive long boats.

    Our plan was to hike up to the castle when we got to that side of the lake. Hike descriptions said - moderate to strenuous - I was dubious but when we saw the sign, up we went. Quite a few others (all younger). A very long story short - we climbed all the way till we were even with the castle and the stairs to get across a narrow gorge between us and the castle were closed for maintenance! Could not get there from where we were. No sign for that at the bottom. 🤬. Lots of others did the same thing. Back down, VERY carefully we went and gave up on the castle idea for today as we already at 7 miles on our GPS. Finished out short walk around the lake, stopped for a beer and a charcuterie board and home for the evening.

    Finished The Tailor (a Turkish series, would not watch the next season) and started Anatomy of a Scandal.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    1
    Day 32

    Austria to Lake Bled, Slovenia Day 31

    May 26, 2023 in Slovenia ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    A travel day. Left our lovely quiet home in Stubai Valley for Lake Bled, Slovenia. A scenic trip through Austria, Italy, Austria again and Slovenia - all in less than 5 hours, excluding the lunch stop. The Alps always around us but we left the taller, snow covered ones for smaller heavily forested ones. A really lovely drive through the Austrian and Italian countryside.

    Arrived here around 4P, found our new home for the next 3 nights. Weather finally warmer. Broke out the short pants and sandals for the first time on the trip. Got settled in, talked with our new “neighbors” from Austria as we have adjoining patios. It is a long weekend for them as Monday is a holiday here too. They are traveling with another couple and between them, I think we counted 4 kids. 😂. Did some planning for the next 2 days, found a grocery store, and to the Lake for dinner. We are about a mile from the Lake and quieter here.

    Bled is a tourist town know for its idyllic setting, a small lake with an island in the middle with a church, and a castle overlooking all. I have been here before but Carol has not, We found a place to park and a restaurant overlooking the lake. Great setting, food was just OK. Walked a bit along the lake and home for an episode of The Tailor and to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    1
    Day 31

    Stubai Valley, Austria Day 30

    May 25, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    And the day dawned beautiful! Rain and grey clouds are gone replaced with blue skies and sunshine on the fantastic mountains! A great setting for our last day here in this quiet town with spectacular scenery.

    Off before !0 for the hike we had planned. Cable car up the mountain to the starting point. The goal was to hike to a monastery hidden in the Alps. Fun time, not a difficult hike, gravel path all the way. It is a popular trail for day hikers. Lots to see and do around the beginning as well. A slide for “kids” - that would be us. See video. Mountains all around -360. See 2nd video. Took our time, taking pictures and playing with our new app that identifies all the beautiful small Alpine flowers. Arrived at the monastery a bit after noon. Checked out the chapel, souvenir shop and lunch outside looking at the mountains. Took a different way back to the cable car and Carol found the first geocache for the trip! Very exciting. Then we had to do the slide as well. A great day in the mountains.

    Back home to relax a bit before going out to dinner. Many restaurants closed right now as they are in between seasons. Tried the Italian one on the plaza good , not great. Home to watch one more episode of The Tailor and pack.

    Off for Slovenia and Lake Bled tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 30

    Stubai Valley, Austria Day 29

    May 24, 2023 in Austria ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    And the rains came! An all day rain expected today and so to Plan B. My “go to” traveling rainy day is always a museum. Carol agreed. So back to Innsbruck today via train. Fun to take the train and leave the car behind. We could catch the local valley train to Innsbruck about 5 miles from here. About 10 miles and took the better part of n hour. Beautiful countryside but very wet today.

    Raining in Innsbruck as well but we quickly found the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum. And with the same ticket also came entry to the Hofkirche, a church built in the 1500’s by Maximillian I as the church for his burial tomb. And it’s all there. An immense tomb in the middle of the church. In addition there were 28 of the original 40 life size statues of people ion Maximillian’s life and other figures important to him. E.g. King Arthur. Good audio on their app.

    On to the Folk Art Museum. Several floors with an extensive display of objects from early Tyrolean arts, culture and daily living. An enjoyable couple hours, taking in both sites. Beck in old town Innsbruck and raining significantly so we dashed into the closest restaurant we could find. Good lunch of typical Austrian food. Cheese dumplings with salad for me and ??? For Carol.

    A long walk to find the right train station and the right train. Had a wait so took in another church across the street, a Basilica. Another good example of Renaissance art and architecture. Home, with a stop,at the grocery store and dinner in tonight. Still raining. Should be better for our last day here tomorrow. 🤞    Read more

  • TravelerEurope 2023
    Day 29

    Stubai Valley, Austria Day 28

    May 23, 2023 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

    Plan for today was to do a hike in the valley by the river that runs through it, waterfalls, etc. however Mother Nature decided we should not do that this morning for as we got to the starting area, (about 6 miles away) it started to rain and had no signs of stopping. So back to town, to walk the small center town of Neustift, much is closed as they are between seasons and businesses are taking a vacation or are closed on Tuesdays.

    However we did check out the church which was amazing! The church is the centerpiece of the town but it was the cemetery that caught out eye. There are probably around 150-200 graves - ALL had fresh flowers, growing plants and in designed floral beds All the plots were the same size and the “headstones” were decorative metal sculptures. I have never seen anything like it. The inside of the church was just as pleasing and lovely. Spectacular ceiling, all white walls, airy and light pastel,colors. So very modern looking. Even the organ was modern. The pews were all light roughly hewn wood and the stone floor was complimentary to all. A beautiful place. The first chapel on that site was in the early 1500’s, built by Maximillian I, they have had many renovations and clearly a recent one. A great find.

    Weather starting to clear, so we had lunch the one restaurant in town that was open and decided to do,the hike we had planned for the morning. The hike was great. Not too difficult, in the valley so not too much elevation. 5 miles round trip with waterfalls everywhere and the snow covered mountains always rising above all. It is truly beautiful here. The chairs that we are sitting on is the cover photo today are on a platform the spans the river right at the big waterfall. You can lie there and enjoy the wonderful view of the waterfall with the Alps above.

    Weather started to turn while at the platform and shortly after we started back the rain returned. Needless to say we got back much faster than we did going! 😂. Cocktail hour (good German white wine) and dinner at home tonight, pasta again.    Read more

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