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Europe by Eurail

July - August 2022
A 47-day adventure by S Read more
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  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 18

    Bratislava, Slovakia

    July 30, 2022 in Slovakia ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Day trip to Slovakia today, just an hour from Vienna. However, the weather was absolutely not with us! We walked in the rain from the train station through the sights of Bratislava - past the Presidential Palace, the Blue Church (sadly closed) and Cumil before stopping for a warming coffee and cake. We continued on through the Old Town, down the Danube and up to the Castle.

    At the castle, there we a growing array of people in period costume, so we hung around. Turns out it was a three-day annual celebration of historical coronations at the castle. The huge procession walked from the castle to the town for a day of events (and past the National Council of the Slovak Republic). The rain eased off as we waited, which was welcome, and once they were formed up we followed the procession into town.

    We peeled off before the end to head up to the Slavin, a monument to, and cemetery of, the over-6,000 Soviet soldiers who died liberating the city from the Nazis. This huge monument on a hilltop was both immense and solemn.

    Beer Index Bratislava - N/A (No, honestly, we didn't have a beer!)    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 19

    Buda Castle Hill

    July 31, 2022 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We discovered (only 3 weeks in...d'oh) that our first class ticket also means we can access first class lounges. So we breakfasted at Vienna Hauptbahnhof in the first class lounge, with free pastries and coffee! A 2.5 hour hop to Budapest today - the only train so far we booked a reservation for, although turns out it wasn't really necessary. First class was, for our first time, a series of 6-person enclosed cabins, which was pretty cool though (although the door was broken on ours so we had to move next door!)

    Having dropped our kit at the hotel (just outside the main city), we went to explore the Castle Hill District. Beautiful churches and old world charm, with a castle that overlooks the Danube and the other half of Budapest (looking from Buda towards Pest as it was). This entailed walking up yet another bloody hill. The Fisherman's Bastion looks like a giant sand castle guarding the nearby church, and house a fabulous bar with views across the city including the beautiful Hungarian Parliament. Despite the gusty wind and threatening skies, it was a great place to have a beer, or four.

    Walking down and along the Danube, we foudn a WWI 'Air Defence Early Warning Listening Ears' which was interesting to use. We walked over the river and into the other half of the city towards the train station Keleti. Despite some old buildings over here, the bits we saw of this side was less impressive than the old town. Back at the hotel, and now able to check-in, we threw our kit in the room and found the England-Germany match on the TV 😁

    Way too many beautiful photos to try and fit in today!    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 20

    On the Danube

    August 1, 2022 in Hungary ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Looooooooong (but brilliant) day today. After a cracking breakfast in the hotel, we headed into the city without much of a plan. We began as we did yesterday, climbing the 246 steps to the Castle District. We wandered further than yesterday though, taking in the Castle itself and the surrounding streets before deciding to trek down and then up another hill to the Liberty Statue and the citadelle. We passed lots of cool statues on the way, and although the citadelle was closed for renovation we got a great view of the statue and over the city nonetheless. Ambling back down the hill, we came up behind the Gellert Hill Waterfall for a great view of the Elizabeth Bridge.

    On the other side of the Danube, we just missed the 1pm boat trip, so we bought tickets for 3pm and decamped to a craft beer bar to sample the wares and decide on a plan of action for tomorrow - we've decided to skip Zagreb and Ljubljana, and go to Mallnitz instead. The beer was great - including a stout sour (which B assures me was not great, but I thought was fab). Picking up the boat, we travelled up the river to Margaret Island, then looped south before returning to Elizabeth Bridge, affording beautiful views of both the Buda and Pest sides of the Danube.

    Walking up the Danube, we took in a closer view of Parliament and the surrounding beautiful buildings. Near by on the river shore was a very moving commemoration to Jews who were shot here during WWII, their bodies falling into the river below. Opposite Parliament is the Trianon Memorial, a 100m trench listing all the villages and towns in Hungary as it was pre-1910 (in the census). The memorial is somewhat controversial as the WWI Treaty of Trianon divided Hungary up, so the monument lists places now in other sovereign nations (www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52903721).

    We continued walking, over the Margaret Bridge and to the fountains on the island in the middle before continuing over to Bookta, a cracking little craft beer bar for some food and beer. The last leg back to the station took us through a more apartment/shopping district of Budapest which was lovely. The chatty traing guard on the way back was fab, telling us all the places he's visited in the UK and recommending different drinks to try here. By the time we got back to the hotel, we'd racked up 35,000 steps!

    Beer Index (Budapest) - €4.40/0.5l    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 21

    Salzberg

    August 2, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    The whistliest of whistle-stop tours, we found ourselves in Salzberg today. Our train was supposed to be 08.55 departing Budapest to 15.55 in Mallnitz in three trains. The train #1 left a little late and we weren't sure we would make the nine-minute changeover at Vienna, but with six minutes on the clock when we pulled in, we sprinted to the next platform and made train #2. This also left a little late but that wasn't so bad as the change at Salzberg was 20 minutes. However, two stations in we stopped for no apparent reason...as we pulled into Salzberg, so our connection pulled out. With the next train not for two hours, we stored our kit and did a high-speed tour of Salzberg.

    It was rather like a Austrian version of Venice. Less waterways, but the historic, winding side streets, beautiful architecture and infuriatingly unmovable tourists. We wandered through the Mirabellgarten and past Mozart's residence from 1773-1787, before crossing the views (with beautiful mountain views). On to the hulking and spartan Dom (cathedral) and up to a view point beneath the Palace and across the city in 33° heat l made for a rather uncomfortable visit! Looping back around, we walked past the house where Mozart was born.

    Back at the station, we grabbed a quick drink and pastry in the first class lounge and picked up train #3 to Mallnitz.

    Beer Index (Salzberg) - N/A    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 21

    Into Mallnitz

    August 2, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    A *VERY* hot train ride later, we arrived in the mountainsnof Mallnitz. Seriously, it was 33° in Salzberg...who, not only had the aircon off, but actively has the heaters ON in the train carriage?! The views, however, were absolutely spectacular as we rode through the floor of the valley the entire way from Salzberg.

    Mallnitz is nothing like Zermatt. It is a sleepy town of Austrian chalets hotels, each with their own bar/restaurant, nestled between the hills surrounding it. It was glorious. Badgastein and Badhofgastein, both the other side of the mountains via a lengthy tunnel, we positively metropolitan by comparison. Instead, we arrived in our town of single-digit bars and settled in to the spectacular views of the Hohe Tauren National Park.

    Pizza and a beer at our hotel underneath these pine covered slopes was just joyous, albeit colder than we'd been in a while...the jumpers made their first outing!    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    1
    Day 22

    Hiking in Gastein

    August 3, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    From Mallnitz, a tunnel through the mountain takes you to Badgastein and Bad Hofgastein, apparently popular skiing resorts in winter. Each Wednesday in August however they sell Hiking Circuit tickets - the chance to take a gondola up one peak, across to another and back down between the two towns. And it was spectacular.

    We trained though a little after 8am, and from Bad Hofgastein station walked to the town along a river on the valley floor, surrounded by mountains. We grabbed breakfast in a cafe in town before heading up Schlossalm. The view from the top was absolutely superb - the size and scale isn't done justice by the photos! We climbed a nearby peak and back and wandered around a small lake before cutting across to the cable car down, and back up the other peak. We took in a few of the view points and the 140m suspension bridge (and dealt with increasingly infuriating flies!) before walking down to the cable car mid-station, finishing the day up on a final gondola ride.

    In all, we hiked for getting on for five hours under glorious sunshine in the Gastein which is part of the Hohe Tauern National Park...brilliant! A swift pint (for me!) and 10 minute train journey saw us back in Mallnitz. We think B suffered a bit from the heat, but a bit of a siesta saw him right. After, we went out for an evening stroll from our hotel up one of the valleys, following the river upstream. The sun fell behind the mountains but the peaks were still lit up as we walked alongside densely pined mountain sides - an absolute stunning part of the world.

    Beer Index (Badgastein) - €4.70/0.5l    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 23

    Stappizer See Hike

    August 4, 2022 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Train-free day today. After breakfast at the hotel, we trundled past the nearest supermarket to pick up some lunch as we began our hike up a nearby valley to Stappizer Lake and beyond. The first hour we were more or less on our own surrounded by unbelievable views. Part of our walk was also part of the Alpe Adria trail, a trail from the highest point of the Austrian Alps all the way to the Adriatic Sea.

    We picked up some fellow hikers as we reached Ankogelbahn gondola and the beginning of Hohe Tauern National Park, but still not many. We walked through the the floor of the valley (ignoring the gondola, having done something similar yesterday), following a crystal clear river and spying multiple waterfalls in the surrounding mountain sides. We were able to scramble up to the base of one of the falls which was spectacular, save for a very dead goat decomposing in the pool. The route up was absolutely buzzing with critters - so many grasshoppers especially, some of which were huge. We had to deet up though, with flying critters galore.

    We hiked passed Stappizer Lake and on to a pub/lodge at 1330m (just 100m higher than where we started) where we stopped for a restorative beverage (radler...because it was bloody hot, but we'd still earnt a drink!!). Hiking back, we cut slightly south on the valley floor and hiked through shady trees, reminiscent of Yosemite NP or Glacier NP. As we hiked we were treated to an amazing view of the mountains, trees and waterfalls that towered over a stampede of horses. We also came across as Eisloch - a spot where the glacial water seeping through from above created a drop in the temperature at the eisloch to just 4-6°. Unfortunately the shady path was closed towards the end so we had to ford the river, resulting in my rather wet feet.

    As we again approached the gondola, the valley floor opened up, and the mid-afternoon sun was oppressively hot with very little shade. Once back in Mallnitz, we had a well-needed break in the room - we think B was still suffering a bit from the heat, which was unrelenting on the return journey. Once better, we popped out to a dinner of pizza. Mercifully we were sat discussing where we should go next whilst waiting, as it took an age for the food to arrive! Now, I'm sat in the window of our mountain view room, drinking a beer and admiring the view. Nearly 31,000 steps and 21.5km today according to Fitbit. On to Nuremberg tomorrow...we think!

    Beer Index (Mallnitz) - €4.40/0.5l    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    1
    Day 24

    Nuremberg

    August 5, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Our last night in Mallnitz treated us to a glorious starry sky, before up and away to Nuremberg. The train there was delayed (again) but we found a seat in a cabin that was hotter than a sauna! We sweated through the nearly 4hr journey to Munich, where we changed for a high speed train for an hour.

    All this saw us into Nuremberg in the late afternoon, so we checked in and went in search of food. Nuremberg is well known for its beer and sausages. The 'bratwurst' are similar in size to chipolatas and apparently are patented to only be made in Nuremberg under EU law. There are over 20 breweries but apparently the local speciality is rotbier. So, it would be rude not to try both.

    We ambled through the beautiful city walls and through the cobbled streets lined with half-timbered houses, enjoying the view of the many beautiful churches that the city has. En route towards the Imperial Castle, we grabbed some sausages and beer before wandering the castle gardens. The Schoner Brunnen was a beautiful find too - a 14th century fountain shaped like a spire, that survived WWII encased in concrete. Then we pub-hopped all the way back to our hotel. The beer was *very* nice!

    Beer Index (Nuremberg) - €4.75/0.5l (incl. a flight)    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 25

    Nuremberg and WWII

    August 6, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    We had a guest for breakfast today. A little cafe along the castle walls served a lovely coffee and croissant, but we were joined by a very cheeky and unafraid little bird who was taking the crumbs and feeding their young.

    From breakfast we walked to the Palace of Justice. Still a working courtroom, we went to see the place where the Nuremberg Trials took place in 1945/6. It was eerie to stand in Court Room 600 on the 2nd floor, where Nazis including Rudolf Heß, Hermann Göring and Albert Speer stood trial for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The superb exhibition on the 3rd floor showed how the Court was created, how the trial progressed and its outcome, as well as the other Nuremberg Trials and the subsequent impact on the world to the modern day. We spent nearly 3 hours there listening to the audioguide including excepts from Nazi documents presented as evidence and footage from the trial itself.

    From there, we caught a train to the Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds. This huge site held Nazi Party rallies including some of the most famous footage in the 'Triumph of the Will'. The temporary exhibition in the Congress Hall here was equally excellent, showing the impact of propaganda in the Nazi regime. This hall was built to hold 50,000 people as a congress hall for the Nazi Party - it was never finished, but what was built is huge and leaves you in no doubt about the intention.

    We walked from here around the lake to Zeppelin Field. Here, some of the most famous footage from Nazi Party rallies was taken. The large grandstand remains today, although the swastika was blown off the top of it after the war. Standing on the grandstand and looking out over the vast space where ranks of soldiers stood under the eyes of Hitler and other senior Nazis, the emotions it creates are pretty heady and unpleasant. It is so important to remember these events, but so horrifying to do so as well.

    Finishing off around the lake, we headed back to Nuremberg centre, and after a wander through the streets, retired to the hotel after a long, fascinating and painful day.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope by Eurail
    Day 26

    Wurzberg

    August 7, 2022 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    After breakfast in Nuremberg, we grabbed and luggage and caught a train to Wurzberg - apparently, this is wine country. Storing our luggage at the station, we wandered through the new and old town. Wurzberg suffered extensive bombing in WWII so the buildings outside the old town are not hugely picturesque, but the restored old town and Residence Palace are beautiful. On the pedestrianised Alte Mainbrücke, we had stunning view of the vineyards on the slopes under the Marienberg, the Main river and the old town. So we grabbed a glass of local wine and enjoyed the view (and got told off both for sitting on the bridge and putting our glass down on the bridge - one must always hold their wine!). We both has Weingut Juliusspital, but one dry, one half-dry...both, very good.

    On the others idea of town, the 500 year old UNESCO Residence (restored after WWII), the manicured gardens of rose bushes, flower beds and very pointy trees. The nearby Burgerspital allowed us a chance to try some more wine, before returning to the station for a train to Bamberg - beer country!

    Beer Index (Wurzberg) - N/A - wine country!    Read more

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