Austria

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AUSTRIA

A rendezvous not just with Vienna but also the Wachau Valley, Salzburg and the Sound of Music Lake District.

September 1991 trip to Austria

Frothy Monument to Johann Strauss in Vienna’s delightful Stadtpark

Our Austrian sojourn started as our flight landed at Vienna’s Schwechat airport and a cab took us to our hotel situated in the very heart of the inner city only a block from fabled St. Stephen Cathedral. The following day we embarked on the first of many walking tours of the city that found us strolling along lively Karntner Strasse, having lunch at the famous Cafe Sacher, visiting the Karlskirche, Gustav Klimt’s Secession Building as well as the gorgeous Belvedere Palace and the delightful Stadtpark. Other days were crammed with visits to the inner city’s first skyscraper known as the Hochhaus, (fondly remembered from my U.S. Army days). Freud’s apartment at Berggasse 19. Lunch on indigestible hot-dogs on famed Ring Strasse and checking out the Hofburg, home of the Habsburg rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the fancy Parlament edifice, the Rathaus, the Lipizzaner horses of the Spanische Reitschule and Mozart’s Figarohaus A whole day was devoted to a train trip to Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, the Habsburg’s huge summer residence. A special evening was spent attending a Walzer & Operettten Konzert with after concert dinner at Cafe Schwarzenberg, soaking up Vienna’s famed Gemutlichkeit. Finally a wild bus tour of wine tasting Heurigers in the very Bohemian Grinzing district. .

The Karlskirche in Vienna

Schloss Schönbrunn

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The Wachau Valley

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For a change of pace it was time to rent a car and

“Happy hour” at Schloss Grafenegg

drive into the Wachau (Danube) valley with our first stop being the fairyland castle of Kreuzenstein after which we relaxed a little further on at charming Schloss Grafenegg where in it’s graveled courtyard we lunched in solitary splendor on Kase und Schinken sandwiches washed down with a bottle of delightful white wine of the region. Then onto the renaissance town of Krems before visiting Durnstein with its Baroque church and castle ruin on the steep hill overlooking the town. If one coul make it up to the tower where Richard “the Lionhearted” was imprisoned in 1192-93 the reward was a breathtaking view up and down the Danube valley. On then to Melk with a walk through its Baroque masterpiece Abbey.

Durnstein on the Danube River

King Richard the Lionhearted’s prison

Durnstein’s Stiftskirche

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Salzburg Salzburg was our final overnight destination,where we

stayed at the Gasthof Zum König Ludwig on the outskirts of town and explored the old city by foot as it is zoned for pedestrians only. Everywhere one is reminded of what the city is famous for, namely: its music festivals in general and its native son, Amadeus Mozart in particular A visit by way of funicular railway up the mountain to the grim Fortress Hohensalzburg became a must, as did a stop at the beautiful Mirabell Palace, with its formal gardens and fanciful statuary. Time out for lunch high up at the gracious Cafe Winkler with its spectacular view of the Salzach River, splitting the city in two.

Salzburg’s Mirabell Gardens and Hohensalzburg Fortress

On the terrace of the Cafe Winkler

Mirabell Garden’s mother of all Unicorns

At the Gasthof Zum König Ludwig

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The Lake District Everywhere, “Sound of Music Tours” were

Entrance to St. Wolfgang on St. Wolfgangsee

offered to the Lake District. Opting to go it alone (as usual) we headed straight for Bad Ischl with its mineral springs, classic yellow Kurhaus for the Royals and villa of composer Franz Lehar where summer operetta festivals are held to this day. Leaving the car at Strobl, we took the Lake Steamer on the Wolfgangsee to St. Wolfgang, which was the right way to approach this picture book town. On then to exquisite little lake town of Hallstatt where a cable car hauled us up the mountain to tour the world’s oldest salt mines. Back to Salzburg and return to Vienna to drop off the car rental and spend our last night at the charming Altstadt Hotel and a last happy evening attending a Volkober’s performance of Wienerblut. And so regretfully we said: “auf Wiedersehen Osterreich”.

Village of St. Wolfgang

Lake town of Hallstatt

Cable car to the Hallstatt salt mines