25th August 2006 – Salzburg

For this trip, I haven’t been quite so organised. There are two reasons. Firstly, my pen isn’t working and secondly because catching a 06.45 flight has made me so tired, I can barely hold my eyes open, let alone hold a pen.

The first day of Austria’s road trip started with the early flight to Salzburg. The weather was sunny, clear blue skies and we have no trouble picking up our Volkswagen Polo and starting the adventure.

Right from the first kilometer, we see stereotypical Austrian scenes: There are the flower-covered wooden homes, women dressed in traditional clothing and everything is so clean!

Despite this, Austrian road signs are awful! We get completely lost, end up in the middle of Salzburg and it takes us at least half an hour to get to our bed & breakfast.

The house is enormous. Its view across Salzburg is outstanding. Better still, we’re greeted by the smallest little Austrian old lady you could ever imagine! She doesn’t speak a word of English, so my awful German phrases are put to the test (curse the damn English education system!)

The room is just what we need, but despite the temptation to catch up on sleep, we drop off our stuff and take the short walk down to the train station.

A few minutes on the (very efficient and modern) train and we’re in the central station.

Heading south down Rainerstrasser, we aim for the Old Town. It’s a Unesco World Heritage Site and you can see why. The cobbled streets wind their way through some lovely buildings and despite the mass of tourists, I really like it.

We’re starving, so we find a restaurant that claims that Mozart used to dine there (I’m sure they all do ) and I have an incredibly strong garlic soup, followed by garlic, onion and pepper pizza! Emma’s pizza has lots of weird-looking vegetables on it.

We gobble it all up and go further south to the castle. Refusing to pay for the lift, we climb up to the top. The views are very good: You can see across the whole of Salzburg.

After the descent, we go to St. Peterskirche. The churchyard houses the entrance to the Katacomben, which was a little disappointing after our rather long search for it.

We explored the area a little more and found a square with a huge chess set. We watched as an old man comfortably beat a young chap at chess and then we went for a coffee.

We’re so tired, that Emma actually falls asleep at the table! It’s still early but we decide to head back towards the station. On the way, we got to the Schloss Mirabell. Greek statues and amazing flower displays all make a stunning setting, especially with the castle in the distance. I haven’t seen the Sound of Music (shame on me) but apparently this garden features heavily.

At this point we’re absolutely shattered, so we make our way back.

Despite it being on about 19.30, we need a bit of rest. I lie on the bed stating that I just need “a couple of hours to wake myself up…”

26th August 2006 – Salzburg, Salzkammergut, Zell am See

12 hours later, we wake up! I’m completely revitalized, but it’s unbelievable how shattered I was yesterday!

The plan was to leave Salzburg straight away this morning. However, we cut the day short yesterday so we still have a bit to see.

After a delicious breakfast, served by the delightfully friendly old woman, we drive back into town (trying not to run over any of the dozens of rabbits that they keen (in and around a hutch the size of our room).

We park centrally, I eat a chocolate croissant and we find ourselves walking up yet another steep hill! This time it’s on the north side of the river Salzach.

From the top of the hill, at the Kapuzinerkloster, the view is spectacular across the river and towards the castle. The local homeless people agree: Each viewpoint is clearly their bed for the night. It’s a shame really, as there are beer cans, sleeping bags and dirty rucksacks preventing you from standing in the ‘guard points’ of the city.

We get back to the car and quickly head eastbound. It doesn’t take long before we arrive the Salzkammergut lakes. They are beautiful and everything I have hoped for in this trip.

We meandered around the lakes stopping occasionally for photos and a couple of times for me to go paddling. Although it is a bit chilly, if I had a towel, I’d go for a swim. The water is just so incredibly clean and inviting it’s unreal.

At one point, I slam on the brakes as I see a perfect photo opportunity. I pull over and take what I hope is a great shot of an old man sitting on a bench in a field. When I return to the car, I turn the ignition and the most ear-piercing siren frightens the life out of us. I wait a second, looking around the car, but the noise gets louder. ‘Turn it off!’ screams Emma, probably thinking the same as me, that the engine is about to blow. I turn the key and the car is off, but the noise continues. Opening the door, we see from where the sound is coming. There appears to be a church-like building, emitting what sounds like an air raid warning!

We’re relieved but confused and when the noise stops after a minute, we drive on, jotting down the name of the building in the hope of finding out what on earth it was for. (update: we think it was the local fire station)

Before we know it, it’s lunchtime so we turn down a few places before finally settling for a lakeside restaurant. We adore the set menu, but he number of wasps is ridiculous, They’re everywhere, but most interestingly, one which flew into the sugar and munched away for about 20 minutes before flying off, no doubt at twice the speed!

Just before we set off, we use some public toilets (they are absolutely everywhere! Free toilets seem to be a top priority for the Austrian tourist board!)

We keep following the road around the lakes and god through some lovely villages. Most houses have their own ’section’ on the lake, but occasionally there are areas left for the public, which means we stop quite often. Although we’re doing quite a lot of driving, it doesn’t actually feel that way.

In one town, we notice that there are a rather large number of small cards. They look like mini racing cards are all dressed up in unique ways. The brightly coloured vehicles are parked, on behind the other, blocking a side of road for a good 200m. I run down the road to see what is happening and at the front I find an announcer; the anticipation from the gathering crowd is high and it seems as if the start gun is about to be fired, signaling their race into the Alps!

We soon find ourselves in Bad Ischl. We were going to spend the night here on our first itinerary and we’re glad that plans were changed, It feels much more commercial and completely unlike the previous 100km.

We head west as we need to get to Werfen. There are some ice caves there and we’re running out of time. However, before we find the caves, a stunning, almost fairytale-like castle appears in the distance. We park at the bottom and get the cable car all the way to the top. It’s lucky we did too, as the castle itself has some very well organised tours, which involve a ridiculous amount of walking from the depths of the castle where the prisoners were thrown into well-like holes, to the peak of the watch tower – with great views of the castle and the surrounding area. We also see the birds kept at the castle, including some enormous eagles.

The tour takes around two hours and they are starting to close it down for the day, so we take the cable car back to our car and set off further west to our final destination of the day: Zell am See.

It takes quite a while to get there, which is a pain because we know we have to do the same road back again to see the ice caves.

We were warned by ‘Eugene’ that the drive up to the bed & breakfast was a little too steep and hard to navigate for a two wheel drive vehicle. Of course, I take this as a challenge! When we arrive, I consider heeding his warning… it’s ridiculously steep and made of dirt and gravel, but that doesn’t stop me! I rev the engine and fly up it, thinking that I’ve only got a couple of turns to make. Emma is really panicking and I must admit, when the wheels start spinning and I have to stop, even I’m a little concerned! The rear wheels are incredibly near a large drop, but fortunately I get some grip and start moving again. It ended up being about eight tight corners, so when we see the gorgeous house, looking over Zell am See and the lake, it’s a great relief.

It’s worth the effort though, as Eugene, from Dublin, greets us with a fantastic welcome. He shows us around his home; our room is unbelievable and the living area is great. There’s a bar (appropriately named ‘The Honest Bar’) so we grab a couple of Guinnesses and have a chat with Eugene. He’s been there four years and it’s all for the skiing! They are open in summer and winter (the whole town becomes a ghost town in spring and autumn) and you can see why it’s popular. There are mountains every side of us; it’s an adventurer’s heaven! It’s already quite late and we have our longest day tomorrow, so we go to bed.

27th August 2006 – Zell am See, Werfer, Großglockner, Klagenfurt

Eugene’s breakfast is great, but we set off early as we’ve got the get back to Werfen for the ice caves. We couldn’t have picked a better day for it too, as it’s pouring with rain, so a bit of shelter is just what we need!

The driveway isn’t quite as bad going downhill and before we know it, we’re arriving in Werfen, only to find the ice caves are up a mountain. We get to the car pack which is around 950m high. Then there’s a 20 minute hike, a frighteningly steep and wobbly cable car ride, followed by another 20 minute struggle to get to 1775m! And that’s just the entrance!

The caves are 42km deep, but we’re allowed to explore just the first, which involves 700 steps up and then another 700 back down. Inside, a full history is given; this includes how the first explorers found it and how the incredible ice formations are created. Including the walks, the whole tour takes over three hours, so we haven’t got time to see the waterfalls, west of Zell am See, that Eugene recommended to us.

Instead, we head to the road I’ve been looking forward to for the whole holiday: Großglockner strasse. It takes you through the Alps, past the Großglockner peak at just under 4,000m.

We have lunch before the climb and then are charged €26 to enter the Großglockner region. You can see why it’s famous. Apparently it’s one of the world’s finest road journeys; however, the weather hasn’t improved much since this morning, so all the best views are blocked by thick clouds. Nonetheless, it’s fun to drive through the clouds, never knowing what is around the next corner!

We stop frequently, even though I don’t take too many photos. Really it’s a chance for a breather and a chat to the bulls and cows.

We also stop to have a play in the snow. We’re driving at around 2,500m so it’s pretty cold! The sun tries to creep through, which makes for some stunning rainbows; unfortunately they each only last a few seconds before fading away.

After a couple of hours, we reach the edge of Großglockner. It is surrounded by a river glacier, which is incredible to say the least. Crawling around the shrubs of grass are also some marmites. They’re cute, but just look like squashed rabbits.

We start the descent, which is surprisingly quick. There’s a little town that represents the end of the Großglockner strasse, so we stop to refuel on food and drink. It looks like the car needs a rest too, as smoke bellows out of the bonnet! My initial thought was that I’ve just over-used the brakes on the way down and just as I’m popping the bonnet, a friendly German comes over to investigate. He tells me that he sees it all the time; it’s definitely the brakes!

The remaining descent from the Alps is very pretty. The weather has improved and the typical Austrian village pop up every ten minutes. However, we’ve still got a long way to go, so we jump on the tedious motorway and make our way to Klagenfurt.

It’s a bit of a struggle finding our accommodation and it’s a bit of a disappointment when we do. We know we booked a youth hostel, but rather than a double room, they’ve given us a dorm all to ourselves!

We dump our stuff, have a pizza at the local restaurant (we really need to lay off the pizzas from now on) and hit the sack.

28th August 2006 – Worthersee, Graz

We wake early and immediately make our way to Worthersee. It’s west of Klagenfurt and our plan is to drive around the whole lake. Like the second day, the weather is holding up, but not quite warm enough to go into the lake, as inviting as it seems.

We stop to watch an old man feed the little birds (never have I seen such tame birds) ducks and fish!

Travelling clockwise around the lake, we stop at Maria Worth, which is a nightmare parking zone. Whilst looking around its cute church, we notice there’s a viewing point a few kilometers south. It’s worth the detour, as the 465m high tower sticks out of the hills’ treetops, allowing a beautiful view north over the lake and south into Slovenia! We suddenly realise how close we are to Lake Bled, where we were 10 months ago!

After watching a goat teach its kid how to fight with its horns, we continue our journey. The further we travel, the more touristy the area becomes, especially on the west side of the lake; it’s full of shops, hotels and tourists, so we don’t stop and decide to head east to Graz.

It’s a shame to travel on a motorway, but we’re glad we do, as we arrive in Graz quite quickly and despite arriving early at the hotel (which is our worst accommodation yet) we’re glad because it’s easy to get into the centre and the centre of Graz is lovely.

Most of the things we want to see are on the east side of the river, including the castle which is high above the city, with beautiful views all around. Climbing the 260 steps, I wonder when Arnold Schwarzenegger last took this route (or maybe he cheated and took the 60 cent lift!)

Walking around the hilltop takes its toll, it’s full of steps and there are hidden routes everywhere. What strikes me is not only that it seems to be the ‘meeting point’ for the local teenagers (who all act completely the opposite to UK teenagers, with their picnic and quiet music!), but the number of older people who also get to the top, just for a read or a relaxing nap! One woman in particular, taking one small step every couple of seconds, was working her way to the top, for no apparent reason.

The sun is starting to shine quite strongly, so we sit at the lovely bar near the famous Schlossberg clock (with its backwards hands) and have a couple of drinks. There is an Italian couple next to us and the guy sounds so much like Vito Corleone it’s unbelievable! The waitress brings the wine to his table and I hope for her sake it isn’t corked!

The sun sets, although there are still enough clouds to prevent a nice view, so we make our way down to the river.

There are a couple of ‘touristy’ attractions by the river. One is a modern art gallery; its building shaped like a huge bladder and it glows a lovely green colour! The other is in the river itself. They have constructed an artificial island, used for small shows, but it is also a modern bar. We have a quick drink (by this time, I’m starting to feel it) and decide to head back.

After a couple of trams in the wrong direction, we figure out which is the replacement bus service and settle down for the night.

29th August 2006 – Graz, Linz

The rain last night was immense! It sounded like a year’s worth of rain fell and it has done the job too, since the sky is a beautiful blue – perfect for photos!

I think all the walking has started to take its toll though, as we can’t even think about returning to the top of the hill in Graz! Instead, we find the Stadtpfarrkirche church, which has an infamous stain glass window, with Mussolini and Hitler watching Jesus being tortured (update: I have since found out that I was looking at the wrong window. Hitler & Mussolini are actually about 3 metres down from the two characters I was looking at – argh!)

We head toward the bladder shaped museum, but unfortunately it is still closed, so we take comfort with a coffee and a slice of Austrian cake! We’re surrounded by mini birds, as tame as the ones in Wurthersee, only too happy to polish off the nuts that I leave behind. They even managed to catch them mid-flight as I threw them up in the air!

We next head east in order to find the theatre. At its ’stage III’ door, there’s a double sided spiral staircase. It’s a great design and I’m surprised that I’ve never seen anything like it – it looks great (mental note if I ever design my own home!)

We decide to walk around another park, before heading back to the car and saying goodbye to Graz. I absolutely loved Graz and if I’m ever in the area again, I’ll make sure to stop over!

Before we left Graz, we drove to the suburbs in the Northeast; whilst lost yesterday, we passed a very nice looking church in Maria Trost. We quickly find it and we’re glad to do so. Its interior is stunning, matching some of the architecture that we saw in the Vatican City. As we left, an Austrian woman started shouting at me; I assume my driving had annoyed her, but I’m not really sure, so I shrug, smile at her and drive away as her voice fades into the background!

The journey north to Linz isn’t really part of the trip. The only reason we’re going there next is because flights back from Graz were so ridiculously priced. The trip north is dull (all motorways) and the town itself isn’t much better!

Fortunately, we stay in a modern hostel, so we catch up on sleep before heading out. Emma also nearly breaks her ankle, tripping over nearly every object in the room before landing on the floor!

It absolutely chucked it down whilst we slept, but the sky was much clearer when we left. We caught the electric bus into town (just in time too, as Linz’s football stadium next to our hostel was gearing up for an evening home game!)

We get our hands on a great city map and follow the recommended route. Some buildings are great, but after Salzburg, Graz and the stunning mountain scenery, Linz just doesn’t compare.

After 90 minutes of walking, we take the guidebook’s recommendation for dinner. It’s a lovely little restaurant, tucked away despite its central location. The service is good and she speaks only German, but does so slowly in an effort to help. This is something I’ve noticed about Austria, when you try their language, they really help you try to learn, rather than immediately speaking English like most places.

The food and beer is great and it knocks us for six so we head back home to bed (although the lack of electronic night buses ensured that we walked off our surplus calories!)

30th August 2006 – Linz

It’s another early start (and another foul coffee – what’s with this country and coffees?) and we quickly find the drop-off point for the car (after 1,112km of Austrian roads). Next we catch a bus to the Ars Electronica Museum.

For some reason it’s free entry day today and we’re glad it is as although there are some clever and funky inventions, we’re only too happy to find the coffee bar on the fifth floor (especially as it’s the best coffee of the holiday!)

There’s a main shopping street and we’ve still got two hours to kill, so we head south across the Danube and gently stroll past the shops. We then see an Italian restaurant plastered with World Cup memory pictures so I can’t resist (!); we go in and have our last meal of the holiday before catching the airport bus and returning home.