From Salzburg to Graz

G´day, folks, we are back (yet again)!

How have you all been these past few weeks?  My human was busy working at the Oktoberfest while her brother had some fun driving me around. Until he went to a petrol station, that is... Anyways, we are on the road again and will be visiting parts of Austria, Slovenia and the most northern part of Croatia over the coming 5 weeks. To kick this quicky off, we started with a brief visit to Bad Reichenhall, just because it's on the way.

After a night spent next to an open air swimming pool, we moved on to Salzburg and the Eisriesenwelt, the world's largest ice cave.

Considering that she was under the impression of not having been to either of those places before, it all looked suspiciously familiar, and she started to remember a visit some years back. Oh well, we were here now and the tickets were all booked, so off she went to re-explore. From the view point Richterhöhe on the Mönchsberg you get a wonderful view of the mountains and little villages surrounding the city. And from the fortress Hohensalzburg you can look far into the other direction, with the center lying right at its feet.

View from the Richterhöhe to the fortress

That high peak to the right, thatˋs the Geiereck

View from the fortress into town

Fancy as tile stove

Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, and many more houses than is reasonable claim some connection or other to the famous musician. His birth house nowadays accommodates a supermarket. What to make of that?

The Getreidegasse, where the aforementioned house can be seen, is the main shopping alley and, besides the usual chain stores you find anywhere in the world, there are some really nice old-fashioned and traditional shops.

My human stared at this for quite some time. If she had 5000€ to spare and if I had a spare wall...

Salzburg Cathedral

Mozart lived here!

There he is!

Of course there is a Mozart Bridge, which brings you to the other side of the Salzach, the river responsible for the cities name.

The views from this side are really nice, and the river bank invites you to sit down and enjoy the scenery for a while. The Palace Mirabell is only down the road and Its gardens are perfect for a leisurely stroll, especially on a 25 degree October day.

The Gnome Garden at the Mirabel Palace. Yes, for real!

And since the weather was meant to hold the following day, my human picked out a mountain she had seen from the Richterhöhe and off she went the following day for a hike up Geiereck, which sits right on the border with Germany. Uncountable steps, rather steep paths and the warm weather made for a good workout. Just past the summit is a little hut which, because of the weather, was still open. How good a cold Weißbier can taste after 1400 height meters!

Meet the locals!

Smaller peak on the way up

Hardly anyone on the paths up to this point. Here you meet the funicular...

A new backpack for new adventures. Always on top of things - Carmelo!

But, it is autumn after all, and the weather very moody. The new day was cold and very foggy. But that didnˋt matter so much since my human spent part of it in the largest ice cave in the world.  Discovered in 1879 by Anton von Posselt-Czorich, he only managed to penetrate the first 200m of the cave. Today the system is thoroughly researched to its full extent of 42km.  The guided tour takes about an hour and includes 700 steps in 0 degrees Celsius.  Taking photos is not allowed, but "Today I donˋt really care too much", said the guide. Good man! Considering the challenging light conditions, though, there is only so much one can do with a mobile phone camera.

Back to sunshine! Another stunning day called for another hike, this time up the Lackenkogel in Flachau. This area is a hiking, biking and skiing Mecca for Austrians and Germans.  Right now we are in between seasons and the town is practically empty. It certainly is not a Mecca for campers. Every parking lot is day parking only, and you get warned off on every corner and threatened with hefty fines for overnighting.

The path of good wishes

View of the Hoher Dachstein

Lackenkogel

We had planned to hang out a couple more days here, but if they donˋt want us, weˋll take ourselves elsewhere.

Quite possibly the cutest (and cleanest) public toilet we have ever seen

To Admont, to be exact. To get here, you drive through the National Park "Gesäus" . The name derives from the river Enns, which frothingly crashes through this short valley surrounded by high mountains.

The claim to fame for this unspectacular little town, besides its stunning mountain scenery, of course, is Stift Admont, a monastery founded in 1074, which houses the largest monastic library in the world.  70.000 books are on display in a beautiful 70m long room in Rococo style with impressive frescoes in its 13m high cupolas and beautiful wooden sculptures. Another 130.000 books are held in the archives.

Hidden staircase to the upper floor

All these book spines were treated with chalk to reflect the natural light better

Leopoldsteiner See

After a whole day spent at a spa in Leoben, my human went on another hike on Austriaˋs national holiday. 

Celebrated since 1955, the 26th of October was the day the National Council determined Austriaˋs everlasting neutrality.  Hiking doesnˋt seem to be a thing on public holidays, since she didnˋt meet a single soul until she got to the summit. Might have been the weather, tough.

Leobner Mauer

Graz got off to a difficult start. If your shoes are saturated after around five minutes of walking around a produce market, it means you have the wrong shoes. But it also means that the mood is slightly dampened from the get go.

Having hidden in a library for an hour, the rain had mostly gone, and the mood had improved slightly. Nevertheless, the city did not really get a grip on my human.

The central square of Graz

The painted house, done in 1742, depicting Greek-Roman gods

Mur Insel

The Opera

She walked up the Schloßberg to get some views of the surroundings and, jumping over numerous puddles on the way up, there they were. Even the sun peaked out carefully.

You can choose between a lift, a cable car and stairs

The Kunsthaus Graz, dubbed as "Friendly Alien", is quite a sight. It surely is a unique piece of architecture, whether you like the look of it or not. 

And the gift shop surely is a tip for everyone who need a present for anyone! 

This could be a tricky one

The castle ruin Gösting, first built in the 11th Century, was meant to afford a good look towards the city. After half an hour on the bus and a 20 minute hike up the hill, my human found herself facing a sign declaring the current closure of the ruins. No views, no joy. 

The best view of the ruins there was to be had

View of the city from half way up the hill

So, through no fault of itˋs own, Graz wasnˋt the place to be for my human. This day, at least.