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Salzburg & Vienna
  • Arven

Salzburg & Vienna

A short but fine adventure by Arven Read more
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  • Trip start
    February 13, 2012
    ArvenSalzburg & ViennaTraveler

    Salzburg

    February 13, 2012 in Austria ⋅ ❄️ -5 °C

    Monday flight at 5 o'clock. Very civilised. When we arrived there was snow everywhere, we were expecting it but it was still a bit of a shock to see so much snow. It wasn't cold, just snowy. There was no traffic either.
    Our hotel is quaint but grand but it has very peculiar door locks, Beep and twist !!
    We just headed out for eats, went to a nearby restaurant, tyrol style for the tourists. All wood and candles but the food was lovely. Warm olive bruschetta to start and then Arven had Wiener Sn and M had pork. We had Weiss bier to wash it all down. Walked back through the snow.
    VLL for today...it is very difficult to wheel cases in the snow!!!    Read more

  • ArvenSalzburg & ViennaTraveler

    Salzburg Tuesday 14th

    February 14, 2012 in Austria ⋅ ❄️ -4 °C

    Brownie points for Arven, there were chocs and a Valentine card for M. Breakfast was basic but they did have scrambled eggs so we won't starve.
    We were well wrapped up for the cold. Tights under jeans and thermals on, so we were nice and toasty.
    We did all the major sights and took loads of photos and movie footage.
    Cathedral, Schloss (€11) but that included the funicular. We visited the state rooms and the museum too to get value!!
    We did a walk through the recommended street with all the wrought iron street signs. They were cool but the street was just typical high streets with all the usual stores including McD.    Read more

  • ArvenSalzburg & ViennaTraveler

    Tuesday afternoon in the Brewery

    February 14, 2012 in Austria ⋅ ❄️ -1 °C

    We had planned to visit the Augustiner Braustuble for lunch but ...after a long walk to get there it didn't open until 3!!
    We decided to look up other beer halls in the area, took kindle a while to open cos it was reading -12deg. (Arven kept it inside his jacket for the rest of the trip.) We found Baren Wirt, it sold Augustiner beer and it was open for lunch.
    Huge portions of pork and dumpling, tasty and filling.
    We headed back to the beer hall, it was very cool.4 big halls with long tables and shelves of Steins, all different sizes. So you choose your stein, pay at the kiosk and then head over to the guy at the barrel with the taps and get your beer.
    There was a fountain where you could rinse the Stein first. Lots of stalls selling snacks but no food really so it was just as well we'd had our lunch first.
    There was an outside beer garden for the summer but no singing, dancing or music allowed. It was all in Austrian but when we were looking at it a guy came over to explain it to us. Everyone was very friendly.
    We walked back by the Mirabelle gardens, Unicorn Statues all covered in snow....it was just lovely.
    On our walk back we saw the famous Sacher Hotel and Cafe. At 6 o'clock the Glockenspiel played, it was beautiful, snow and music on Valentines day in Salzburg.
    We tried a restaurant with a fox sign for dinner, even though we had a mega lunch we were hungry. It has to be the cold weather...this place was a lbit more touristy than the one with the monkey on the sign. Goulash for Arven and shrimp salad for M. Strudel to finish, which was amazing.
    Anther great day, Salzburg is beautiful.    Read more

  • ArvenSalzburg & ViennaTraveler

    A walk in the snow

    February 15, 2012 in Austria ⋅ ❄️ 1 °C

    There was a mix up in communication at breakfast so Arven got fried egg and spicy sausage instead of his scrambled egg order. The coffee is good.
    It was very very cold and snowy. We walked up LinzerGasse with the snow blowing into our faces. Crossed over by Mozart's house and went for a coffee (Arven) and a Grand Cru hot Choc (M) to warm up.
    Coffee is expensive in Salzburg, €2.70 to €3.20 for an americano type.
    We strolled back towards the main square and headed to the restaurant with the monkey sign for lunch. Closed until 5 so on to the fox sign bar. Arven had sausage and potatoes and M had Liver, rice and balsamic dressing...it was interesting and different !!
    There was blizzardy snow when we were heading back to collect the bags. There was a guy outside hotel with a very small snow plow clearing the street.
    We wrapped up well, only eyes visible, and walked to the station in the snow. It was an adventure.
    The station was being renovated, our train to Vienna was delayed but once we got settled it was a smooth journey. The passenger beside Arven was drinking and having a long conversation with himself.
    We got the underground to Stephensplatz. Everywhere was floodlit in purple and orange.
    Hotel room was toasty and clean. We went to eat in Linderkeller. Goulash and chicken skewers with beer.
    When Arven was paying the waiter goes, A tip Sir? Arven pointed out that there was already a cover charge added. Your man says, "that is for Austria. The tip is for me" We didn't leave one!!! Walked through the blizzard back to hotel. It was a long day but brilliant.    Read more

  • ArvenSalzburg & ViennaTraveler

    Oh Vienna !

    February 16, 2012 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C

    Breakfast was very good. Arven had green tea for the anti oxidants ( to counteract the beer)
    We headed off to visit St Stephen's Cathedral. It is lovely. Then we walked up the Graben to the Hof. It was very very very cold, too cold to snow even.
    We went to Cafe Central, very posh with arched ceiling and a mega cool cake counter. the coffee was nice too.
    Then off to Maria Hilper Strasse to shop. We were not impressed, very downmarket. We decided to cut our losses and headed to the Albertina to see the Impressionists exhibition. It was impressive.
    They had all the biggies and 3 rooms of Magritte, it was only on for 10 weeks so we were lucky to see it.
    We were starving after all that art, so we called into Frauenhaler Cafe on our way back to the hotel. Its a bit like the Cirio in Brussels. Food was good, sausage and beer and spinach with rosti.
    We strolled through the posh shopping streest and headed back to hotel to rest and pack. Dinner was at Beim Czaak, near the hotel. It was quaint, no tourists, locals but food was good. We called into Starbucks to get water and met a girl who had been to college in Galway !!! Psychology. We discussed the rain in Galway.

    Last day tomorrow....    Read more

  • ArvenSalzburg & ViennaTraveler

    Vienna and Schonbrunn Palace

    February 17, 2012 in Austria ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    The breakfast is good but poor coffee. Unusual for Vienna not to have good coffee. We took the tour to the Schonbrunn Palace and did the tour. Arven was very taken with the ceramic stoves. they were filled with wood or coal from a secret passage at the back so that servants were not seen. Main guy was Franz Joseph and his wife Elizabeth, ( Zizi,) ....
    It was a good tour, lots of ceramics.
    We got metro back and walked around main streets and went back to Beim Czaak for lunch.
    Even though it was cold and windy we walked all round the ring, Opera, Albertina, Rathaus plus the park with the statues of Mozart and Franz Joseph. We had a look at the Palm house and the butterfly house.
    When we were here in 2007 M and Orls had visited. We had gone for coffee in Shotteng cafe and in 1983 we visited the Mozart cafe. We checked and they still have Gnokerl on the menu !!!
    Looked into Demel's but it was packed and the little pub opposite the hotel ( from 2007 ) has closed. We decided to head to the airport.
    The station was being renovated ( another one ) and the signage was very poor. It was a good walk to get to our platform to find CAT for the airport.
    The airport itself was very busy with very few seats. The security was at each individual gate. Long queues. There was a flight for Tehran at our gate just before the Dublin flight. We couldn't access the gate until that had totally cleared. We flew Aer L so came into T1. The flight was late and we had to walk to T2 to exit for some reason, then back around to T1 to get the bus to the car park.
    It was a long saga at the airport but a good break.    Read more

    Trip end
    February 17, 2012
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