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Central Europe Part 2, 2024
  • Laurie Bowden
  • Laurie Bowden

Central Europe Part 2, 2024

My second solo holiday, travelling through Central Europe to visit cities in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Hungary. Read more
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  • Trip start
    April 27, 2024
    Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Arrival in Zurich

    April 27, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After a mild panic last night over just how frugal I'd been with my baggage allowance when I booked this trip, this afternoon I touched down in Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland. 🇨🇭 The tram ride from the airport to the city was easy to navigate and treated me to several views of idyllic Swiss countryside before arriving in the city centre.

    The weather has been so pleasant all day and the Swiss are clearly taking advantage of it; the river-side bars are packed with people sitting outside enjoying the sun. ☀️

    After dropping off my bags in my hostel near the Grossmünster in the old town (Altstadt), I meandered over to the Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum), as today will be my only opportunity to visit while I'm here. I took a busy but scenic route along the Limmat river that runs through the old town from Lake Zurich.

    The Landesmuseum gave me my first dose of history on the trip 🤓 with its informative exhibition on the history of Switzerland running from the 9th Century through to the 21st. Starting out as a loose confederation of cantons in the Holy Roman Empire ✝️ that formed military alliances with one another during a power vacuum, the exhibition outlined the story of the Swiss people through civil wars, the Reformation, revolutions and federations, relations with France 🇫🇷 and Austria 🇦🇹, the impact of their famed neutrality during two world wars and their near-participation in the Nuclear Arms Race ☢️ Taken together, these events resulted in the unique political culture that Switzerland enjoys today.

    Historical geekery aside, this evening I'm off in search of fondue and looking forward to my day trip to Liechtenstein tomorrow 🇱🇮    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Train to Sargans

    April 28, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    After being inconsiderately woken up at 5am this morning, I made my way over to the Hauptbahnhof with *plenty* of time to spare! After what I can only describe as the most Swiss breakfast I've ever had, namely a ham and cheese pretzel 🥨 and a bar of Swiss chocolate 🍫 (in my defence, it's a Sunday so there are very limited breakfast options available), I boarded a train to Sargans.

    Sargans itself isn't particularly notable, however it is the closest train station to the tiny micro-country Liechtenstein, tucked away on the border between Switzerland and Austria on the Eastern bank of the Rhine - my destination for today.

    The scenery on the way over was stunning - Switzerland is truly a country of crystal clear lakes and spectacular snow-capped mountains.

    On the train I reflected on the very continental custom of closing almost every shop and non-religious notable building on a Sunday come hell or high water. ✝️ As a tourist it's infuriating - I'm only here for a limited number of days so it's frustrating to have to work around these closures to stand a chance at seeing everything I want to see. However, as I gazed out the window at families hiking up mountains together 🥾 and friends windsurfing on the rippling waters of Lake Walensee, I started to understand the mentality of that tradition a little more deeply.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Vaduz, Liechtenstein

    April 28, 2024 in Liechtenstein ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 is a goldmine of trivia for keen quizzers, so naturally I was very excited to come here! 🤓 It is one of 5 European microstates, one of two double-landlocked countries and one of four countries in EFTA; it's effectively the last relic of the Holy Roman Empire, has the highest GDP per capita in the world and is ruled by the only remaining german-speaking royal family. It has a political system that fuses a powerful monarch 👑 with referendum-based direct democracy 🙌 Basically it's a one of a kind country, so I was keen to see it for myself.

    After taking a train to Sargans, I caught a bus to Vaduz, the capital "city" (by any other standard it would be a town). From there, it was a short hike up one of Liechtenstein's several mountains to Schloss (Castle) Vaduz 🏰 where the Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II lives. I'd read his book on political theory so was hoping to bump into him but, alas, he clearly had more important matters to attend to. The hike up there treated me to a number of views of the spectacular surrounding landscapes - what Liechtenstein lacks in coastlines it makes up for in mountains!

    After surveying the tiny country from above, I headed to the Landesmuseum to get up to speed on the country's history. The exhibition took me through the country's past, beginning with the bringing together of Vaduz and Schellenberg under one Count during the medieval period through to the establishment of the Principality. For most of its history the country was composed primarily of cattle-rearing peasants. However in the 20th Century, as its ruling family fled German-occupied Vienna and so started actually living in the country they ruled, the country was quickly transformed into a fully fledged export-based modern economy with a heavy focus on R&D.

    After filling my brain with history for a couple of hours I had worked up an appetite so headed to a restaurant in the centre of town and ordered Liechtenstein's national dish, Käsknöpfle - cheesy pasta with apple sauce. It was delicious, particularly washed down with a pinot noir 🍷 from - you guessed it - Liechtenstein!    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Sargans

    April 28, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    My train 🚆 back to Zurich was cancelled so I went exploring in Sargans, a Swiss town on its Eastern border. It has a castle located prominently high above the town which was unfortunately closed by the time I made my way to it, but it did have a number of spectacular views of the mountains and valleys of the Swiss Alps and the towns nestled within them.Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler
    2

    Uetliberg - the top of Zurich

    April 29, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    I kicked off this morning with a short trip up to the top of Uetliberg, the mountain overlooking Zurich 🏔️. Fortunately there is a train that takes you to within a 10 minute walk from the peak!

    At the summit (called Uto Kulm) there is a hotel and an observation tower, which gives you 360º views of the city, the lake, the Alps in the distance and the surrounding countryside 🏞️. My first thought as I reached the top of it was just how much Dad would have absolutely hated how high it was!

    Since it was relatively early in the morning, I had the whole place to myself - I felt on top of the world!    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Kilchberg & Lindt Home of Chocolate

    April 29, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    After descending Uetliberg I headed over to Kilchberg for a quick breakfast of Schinkengipfeli - a croissant stuffed with pork 🥐 which felt like a very sophisticated Swiss sausage roll. Following that, I headed over to today's main event - a tour of the Lindt Home of Chocolate experience.

    The tour took us through the history of chocolate, how Switzerland became the chocolate capital of the world and the manufacturing process to create it, before finishing up with several opportunities to gorge on Lindt Lindors! I left feeling very satisfied, if slightly sick! 🍫

    After finishing up in Kilchberg I decided to make the most of my Zurich transport card and headed back into the city by boat, crossing a pristinely pale blue Lake Zurich.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Reflections on Zurich

    April 30, 2024 in Switzerland ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Zurich is a very pretty city on two fronts. The city centre is filled with cobbled streets, attractive buildings and plentiful pedestrianised outdoor spaces. It is dotted with fountains ⛲ that dispense fresh mountain water for the public. The multiple rivers that flow through the city team with waterfowl 🦆 and the view of the Altstadt from the view spot at Lindenhof is very pleasant to enjoy in the tranquility of the morning sun over a quick breakfast fresh from a bakery 🥯.

    The second front contributing to the city's attractiveness is its setting. The tall mountains, dense forests and clear blue lakes framed by the distant snow-capped Alps provide a rich backdrop to the city 🏞️

    The people here have largely conformed to my mental image of the Swiss - friendly but reserved and proud of their country. The streets of Zurich are filled with the sounds of German, French and Italian, unsurprisingly given that these are all native languages here, but it is also very common to overhear English, Spanish and Mandarin. Unlike in more Mediterranean countries, when I have spoken my (admittedly very limited) German, shopkeepers and waiters have tended to react by smiling and quickly switching to English rather than encouraging me to keep trying to speak their language.

    While I've enjoyed my time here, I do also see why many native Swiss do not like Zurich. Similarly to many major European cities, the city centre feels very busy and filled with tourists, diluting the "Swiss-ness" of the place. I think it is also expensive here even by Swiss standards - even a quick snack has tended to cost me a franc or two more in Zurich's Aldstadt than in Sargans or Kilchberg.

    All in all, I leave Zurich continuing to have a bit of a crush on Switzerland. It's a stereotypically quaint country filled with natural wonders with a very distinctive, particular culture. While I feel that I have now seen most of Zurich's main sights, I would definitely be keen to experience more of Switzerland, perhaps in somewhere like Interlaken, Lucerne or back in Geneva.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Arrival in Munich

    April 30, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Munich is MANIC! 🇩🇪 It is absolutely heaving here. I believe the Bayern Munich football team is playing Real Madrid this evening and so the fans are filling the streets. ⚽

    The overall impact of this is that the Altstadt was filled to the brim with people and so it is very difficult to see the main sights, particularly around Marienplatz. Consequently I went to see a number of places dotted around some of the slightly less touristy areas.

    The iconic Frauenkirche is absolutely enormous, while the Asamkirche is extraordinarily ornate inside - everywhere your eyes rest there are more and more details to be found! ⛪

    I wandered past the Hofbrauhaus, where I'm hoping to have lunch tomorrow, outside of which there was a crowd of Spaniards chanting "Pedro Sánchez! Hijo de puta!" presumably in response to Spain's latest political debacle. I then headed down Maximilianstraße and to the English Gardens to enjoy the sun.

    After that, I headed to a small Bavarian beer hall for dinner, where I had Geschmorte Ochsenbackerl in Rotweinsoße mit Wurzelgemüse und Semmelknödel (braised ox cheeks in a red wine sauce), which was delicious!    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler
    1

    München Altstadt

    May 1, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    I woke up this morning eager to see as much of Munich in the morning as I could. Today is 1st May, Labour day in Germany, a national holiday. The sun is shining brightly ☀️ so I'm assuming today will be another busy day in the city centre.

    The streets were far quieter this morning and so I was able to see a lot of the major sights I wanted to check out while I was here - Marienplatz with it's two town halls, Odeonsplatz and the Munich Residenz, the Hofgarten and State Chancellery, and the Viktualienmarkt. Munich is a city filled with grand, impressive buildings marking its long and proud history and distinct regional identity.

    After climbing up the tower in Peterskirche for a panoramic view, I went on a walking tour of the Altstadt led by a very enthusiastic Nebraskan called Brett. He was very knowledgeable about three essential elements of Munich's history - beer, Bavarians and Nazis. The tour was very informative and particularly highlighted how Munich had rebuilt itself after the end of the second world war. Unlike cities such as Berlin, which opted to rebuild themselves in a very modern, forward-looking aesthetic, Munich rebuilt itself as close to its original specifications as possible. This even went so far as to rebuild St Peter's Church with a cannonball lodged into it which had previously become stuck there during the Napoleonic wars!

    After the tour I had to check out the Hofbraühaus, Munich's quintessential beer hall. It has a fun vibe, if a bit overpriced 💶 This afternoon I think I'll be heading to a few different beer gardens to take in the Labour Day atmosphere in different parts of the city and take a tour of the Neuerathaus or the Residenz.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Reflections on Munich

    May 2, 2024 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I've visited Munich at a bit of a strange time - the combination of the football game against Real Madrid followed by the May Day holiday has meant that the city has been absolutely inundated with people for the duration of my stay here. Combined with what seems like neverending building works and road maintenance going on all over the city, including a huge construction site by the Hauptbahnhof, the city has felt overwhelmingly busy and very noisy - much more so than Zurich.

    That isn't to say that I haven't enjoyed my time here - I really enjoyed the walking tour yesterday and the many Bavarian beer gardens dotted around the city have been well worth experiencing - but I think my favourite moments have been early in the morning, before Munich has had a chance to wake up. These have included exploring the Altstadt yesterday, climbing up Peterskirche's tower, and strolling through the enormous Englischer Garten today.

    These moments have left me with a great appreciation for Munich's grandiosity, both in terms of its proud architecture harkening back to the days of the Electorate and then Kingdom of Bavaria, and in terms of the enormous swathe of land comprised of open meadows, huge lakes, clean rivers and gentle woodland preserved for public enjoyment and relaxation.

    Within Germany, postwar construction has been approached in many different ways. The philosophy of Berlin's reconstruction was to eradicate the past and rebuild from a clean slate. Munich's approach has been more nuanced, seeking to preserve what it can be proud of, erasing the physical manifestations of what it is ashamed of but trying to provide an honest education of both to its population and visitors alike. While I've yet to visit Berlin and other German cities that have taken the former approach, I feel the latter is more my style.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Festung Hohensalzburg & Petersfriedhof

    May 2, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    I was feeling in a hurry when I arrived in Salzburg this afternoon, my first stop in Austria 🇦🇹 I'm only here for 26 hours in total and tomorrow the weather forecast is looking horrendous so I felt I needed to see as many outdoor sights as humanly possible this afternoon while the weather was good! ☀️

    However, within an hour or so of setting off, my mood changed completely. Gone was the stress of finding the most strategic route to tick off everything I wanted to see. In its place a sense of tranquility emerged as I found myself in an absolutely beautiful city with awe-inspiring architecture, carefully curated gardens, the sounds of symphonies seeping into the streets, and simply stunning surroundings.

    It also helped that I had bought a Salzburg Card before coming here which let me skip every queue of tourists, filling me with an incredibly gratifying sense of smugness! I used the pass to head up to the fortress overlooking the city, which provided a succinct history of the city that gave an overview of the city from its time as an Archbishopric in the Holy Roman Empire through to the end of the First World War. It also provided some incredible views of the city and surrounding countryside from the top of the Prison Tower. Admiring the surroundings, I couldn't help but think back to The Sound of Music, which I watched before going on holiday.

    I've only been here a few hours now but already Salzburg is quickly emerging as one of my favourite cities! (Or should I say, one of "my favourite things"! 🎵)    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler
    1

    View of Festung Hohensalzburg

    May 2, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After devouring a schnitzel for lunch, I headed over to a viewpoint from which to see Hohensalzburg Fortress from afar. I hadn't realised quite how much of a hike it would be to get there, climbing up flight after flight of stone steps to essentially exit the city vertically, followed by an uphill trek through the forest! However, I think the view was worth it.Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Viennese Vineyards

    May 4, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    After arriving in Vienna on Friday evening I met up with Haji, who I'm staying with while I'm here. It was great to see him and he was very happy to have a friend from home come to visit!

    On Saturday he and his girlfriend Amanda took me to the vineyards in the hills on the outskirts of the city. Visiting these vineyards is a common weekend activity for the Viennese - hundreds of tables are laid out for visitors to sit at and enjoy the views, the sun and of course the wine!

    In possibly the most civilised twist on a pub crawl ever conceived, the three of us made our way through each of the vineyards starting from the top of the hill and making our way down. It was all very pleasant up until Haji wandered off to go to the toilet and promptly fell asleep, leaving Amanda and me with no idea where he'd gone! Eventually we found him and picked up where we left off with another bottle of wine.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Schönbrunn Palace

    May 5, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Following the previous day's wine-fueled escapades, Haji and I were in a fairly delicate state on Sunday morning. Given our raging hangovers, we reasoned the best course of action would be to catch the metro to the other side of Vienna, stagger over to an 18th century palace, and immerse ourselves in some Habsburg history!

    The Schönbrunn Palace was built as the Habsburgs' summer residence ☀️, as opposed to the Hofburg which they lived in during the winter months ❄️. I visited the Hofburg last time I was in Vienna in the winter of 2023, so it seemed very fitting to visit the summer palace on a sunny Sunday in May.

    The scale of Schönbrunn is simply enormous! Putting aside the mammoth building itself, the over 1 km² of grounds are filled with huge, incredibly ornate structures including a fountain of Neptune, an obelisk depicting key moments in Habsburg history, and an immense gloriette on top of the hill overlooking the estate.

    The whole grounds were very impressive, and demonstrated vividly the might of the Habsburgs at the pinnacle of their power.

    We also visited inside the palace, learning particularly about how the palace was used by Empress Maria Theresa and by Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi.

    On top of being an interesting and impressive place to visit, the trip to Schönbrunn also completely alleviated our hangovers!    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Kapuzinergruft (Capuchin's Crypt)

    May 5, 2024 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After lunch, Haji and I visited Capuchin's Crypt, where the bodies (but not hearts or entrails - these are buried elsewhere) of the Habsburg emperors and their families are interred. ⚰️

    Four centuries of Habsburgs are interred in the sarcophagi in this building, notably Maria Theresa in her enormous double sarcophagus decorated ornately with notable events from her lifetime, Emperor Maximilian who was assassinated in Mexico, and Franz Joseph & Empress Sisi, Austria-Hungary's beloved equivalent of Princess Diana.Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Arrival in Budapest

    May 6, 2024 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    After saying goodbye to Haji, I caught a late morning train from Vienna to Budapest 🇭🇺, the last stop on my trip. I have to say, it feels a little strange going back to travelling solo and staying in hostels after staying with Haji for the past few days!

    While the cities I've visited so far this trip have felt firmly Western European in culture, I definitely feel like I've entered Eastern Europe in Budapest. However, compared to Bratislava and Targu Mures, the other main Eastern European cities I've visited, the soviet ⚒️ legacy here feels a lot less prevalent.

    In the afternoon I went on a walking tour led by a Hungarian guy, who took us round the major sights in Pest including St Stephen's Basilica, the Hungarian Parliament Building and the controversial Nazi and Soviet war memorials. He re-affirmed a lot of what I had learned from the book on Budapest I'd read before coming to visit, particularly around Hungary's unique history and culture in the region, as well as Hungarian identity partly being driven by fighting (and most of the time losing) innumerable battles for independence.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler
    1

    WW2 Monuments in Budapest

    May 7, 2024 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    There are several major monuments around the Hungarian Parliament building which aim to remember certain aspects of the Second World War. However, two of them are very controversial in Budapest society.

    The first, and most poignant, are the shoes on the banks of the Danube. During WW2, Hungary was allied to Germany and so its significant Jewish population - one of the largest in Europe - was persecuted in a similar way to other Axis countries. While initially Hungary tended to deport Jews, where they were then sent to concentration camps, later in the war members of the fascist Arrow Cross Party preferred to take matters into their own hands and skip the middle-man. One common method of execution, which aimed to preserve ammunition towards the end of the war, was to tie three Jews together, strip them of their clothes and stand them over the Danube. The Arrow Cross members would then shoot the one in the middle in the head. The impact of this would cause the trio to fall into the freezing Danube, where the two Jews attached to the corpse would then be dragged down into the river by the dead weight attached to them and drown. This horrifying method of execution is commemorated by the array of shoes on the Eastern side of the Danube.

    The second memorial against fascism is much more controversial as it is seen by Hungary's opposition as an attempt to Whitewash Hungary's role in WW2. The monument depicts a German eagle swooping down and stealing the orb of Hungary (depicted as an angel). The monument is inscribed with the words "to the victims of the occupation", totally omitting the enthusiasm with which many Hungarians themselves partook in fascist persecutions, instead laying the blame entirely at the feet of the 1944-5 German occupation.

    The final monument is arguably even more controversial and only still stands because it is diplomatically protected by Russia. The memorial depicts the Soviet Red Army seizing Budapest from German forces in 1945, inscribed with a message first in Russian and then Hungarian: "Glory to the liberating Soviet Heroes". Putting aside the inhumane behaviour of the Red Army themselves towards Budapest's population, the communist period of Hungary's history was many things, but a "liberation" it was most certainly not.    Read more

  • Laurie BowdenCentral Europe Part 2, 2024Traveler

    Tour of Buda and Holiday Reflections

    May 7, 2024 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    To round out the morning, I headed to the House of Terror, which gave a very in-depth, fascinating overview of the twin tyrannies of Fascism and Communism which governed Hungary between 1944 and 1989. To add to the immersion, this museum is actually located in the former headquarters of both the fascist and communist secret police and included a tour of their torture dungeons.

    Following that insightful experience, I headed over the river to the Buda side of the city for another walking tour.

    I really enjoyed this walking tour - it was led by Mate, a Hungarian History student. He and I quickly got on very well and geeked out on some of the weirder aspects of Hungarian history, such as during the period when Hungary was a Kingdom without a King led by an Admiral without a Navy!

    Buda is much nicer than Pest in my view, though I imagine living on the Western side of the Danube in reality would be much more boring as a resident. Buda is far greener and much quieter than Pest and feels a lot more walkable. The views from hilly Buda are also much more impressive than the relatively flat Pest.

    Mate explained that part of the reason Buda is so quiet is due to a relic of Budapest's Soviet occupation - the centre of Buda used to be by far the most expensive part of the city and so during Communism all of its original residents were deemed to be enemies of the revolution and sent to the gulag. In their place, numerous working class families were granted their homes 🏘️. Due to laws passed during the transition to capitalism, aimed at preventing the commercialisation of the old Buda city centre, these families are now unable to sell or to rent out their houses. So today, these incredibly desirable homes are inhabited by the descendents of those original beneficiaries who can't really afford them and have no ability to generate any money from their properties.

    It was a fascinating tour which covered aspects of history from as far back as 896, when the Magyars first inhabited this corner of Europe. As the only fortifiable site in all of Hungary, the area has unfortunately been subject to multiple sieges, resulting in a persistent sense of architectural renewal throughout the town centre.

    ---

    It certainly felt like an enjoyable way to end my trip, but as I write this I realise that I allocated far too little time to Budapest - there is so much I haven't done and so much remains here to be explored. In all honesty, the same can be said for Munich and Vienna too - these cities and their surrounding areas have so much to offer visitors and it is so difficult to fit everything into one trip.

    Having said this, if I were to spend this time again I don't think I would have done anything different. Each day has been a learning experience, whether in terms of history, language, geography or culture. Visiting such a mixture of cities, from the tiny Vaduz to the expansive Munich, from the attractive, cultured Salzburg to the eclectic, proud Budapest, has been so rewarding and worth every Franc, Euro and Forint spent.

    As I was leaving Vienna, Haji asked me where my next travels would lead me. It's a great question and in all honesty there are so many possibilities it's so hard to narrow it down to one area. One thing is beyond doubt though - travelling the world, experiencing different cultures, immersing myself in a country's history and getting to know the feel of a place is so satisfying and so rewarding that I hope to continue to do it for years to come.    Read more

    Trip end
    May 8, 2024
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