An Austrain Gem

We arrived at Innsbruck on Saturday the 19th, and headed straight to Kranebitten Allee. A caravan in a campsite here was our accomodation for the next few nights. It's a lovely location for a campsite with beautiful views of the snow-capped mountains and lovely green valleys. We were quite excited at the presence of a gas stovetop in our little caravan, but come nightfall, the novelty of our little place wore off somewhat as we were plagued by flies. It was the old juxtaposition of being hot and stuffy if you didn't open the door and windows or being covered with flies if you opted for fresh air. I ended up having to go on a killing spree with a rolled up magazine every night before bed to save us from the horror of having flies crawling over our faces as we slept (we then had to step rather carefully in the morning to avoid treading on the bodies!). It was the smallest bed we had slept on in all our travels - a 'double' bed not much bigger than a single. Apart from Minnie's insistence one night at sprawling her legs over my portion of the bed (Minnie claims no recollection of this event), it was fairly comfortable sleeping though. The other inconvenience was no running water - we had to go all the way up the hill to the toilet blocks and fill whatever vessels we could lay our hands on. A minigolf course down the road had caught our eyes earlier, so we paid a visit after dinner. It was a rather random course, quite new but not a normal get-the-ball-round-the-obstacles-and-into-the-hole type course - it was more of an aim-carefully-and-you-get-more-points type. Some of it was rather fun, such as making your golf ball doing loop-the-loops, but other holes were either extremely difficult or unintelligible to anyone unable to read the German explanation of how to score points. I also had the misfortune of using a golfball which insisted on going far distances away from the course, off into the bushes. It was an interesting idea though.

A cooked breakfast started off our Sunday (we reckoned it was a good way to make the day special, and celebrate our having the facilities to cook!), of the bacon and fried bread variety - rather delicious, although it did smoke out the caravan somewhat. We headed off to an evangelical church we had found on the internet, once again arriving slightly late to a strange service which appeared to be a mass Anglican confirmation service. There were so many visitors and relatives we had to stand in the doorway. Needless to say, we understood little due to the language barrier, but they had a lovely German hymn they had sung at Graz which we really like. We then headed off up the hill to the Alpine Zoo, which really was very well done. They had all sorts of interesting creatures there including fish and birds, and had very good displays for each one, showing pictorially their habitat, predators, diet, distribution etc. We spent a good long time there, and ate our picnic lunch by the otter enclosure. It was a beautiful day so we decided to head up to the top of the mountain, taking first a bus, then two separate cable cars to a height of over 2000m. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time due to the lateness of the hour and our reluctance to face a very long walk down the mountain had we missed the last cable car down. It was very beautiful, with patches of snow everywhere, mountain goats roaming, and amazing views of the town below. We took great lungsfull of the mountain air, snapped a few photos and threw a few snowballs before rushing back to the cable car, wishing we had had the forethought to come here earlier.

On Monday, we spent time wandering round the old town, taking in the lovely half-timbered and painted houses and popping into a few shops here and there. The mian attractions of the day were the Museum of Tyrolean Folk Art and Life, and the Glockenspiel (Bell) Museum. Both were quite fascinitating, the former housing all sorts of things to convey what life was like for the farmers of the region back in the days (Tyrol includes the western part of Austria of which Innsbruck is part, and the top part of Italy) : models of different types of farmhouses, complete with explanations of the different regions where they dominated; displays of items from kitchens and living rooms, and relating to farming and other industries; rooms decked out as they would have been with beautifully carved wooden beams and walls and lovely wooden furniture; and traditional clothing worn by remarkably lifelike wooden models with very detailed and individual faces. Time limitations meant we had to rush through parts of it, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we saw. The Grassmayr Glockenspiel Museum was similarly fascinating as it showed just how a bell is cast. It is an industry I knew little of but was most interesting to learn about. The bells are made according to precise measurements to ensure they sound at the correct pitch, and a number of stages are needed to ensure this. The large bells are cast in the ground and a video showed us the amazing spectacle of the molten brass running along the channels into the pit. They had lots of different bells you could dong yourself to gain an appreciation for the different sounds produced - rather fun and noisy :-)

The following morning we planned to dump our luggage at the train station and pay a visit to the Swarovski Crystal World. This was not quite as simple as it seemed. The station only had the narrowest lockers available for hire that really wouldn't fit any sort of luggage of a decent size, and some rather harrowing moments were spent trying to ascertain if any other storage was available while Minnie went to beg the unwilling shuttle bus driver to please wait for Robyn to sort things out - we had to resort to dumping some bags and taking the suitcases with us. Fortunately, the kind lady at the desk when we arrived was willing to store our suitcases in the staff room once we assured her they wouldn't fit in the miniscule lockers provided. The entrance, through the mouth of "the giant's" head which was formed from the hillside, was rather stunning. The 'body' of the giant consisted of about 10 rooms of different themes and displays, some more crystal-related than others, but all designed by famous people, and very shiny. The world's largest cut crystal took pride of place in the first room, and it was enormous. Some of our favourite displays were: the crystal-mirror dome with its cool ever-changing lighting effects, a giant crystal jellyfish complete with long pretty tentacles, and a room devoted to the history of the company and Swarovski family. The shop was huge, with every item imaginable decorated with or made from crystals - very blingy. We were most offended by a crystal globe which depicted New Zealand as a streak of no form. After the shuttle back to Interlaken, we had time for a leisurely lunch before departing Austria, hopefully to return again someday.

The Hills are Alive!

Salzburg! We had had a confusing time booking accommodation in Salzburg, and had ended up booking two beds in a gästhaus, knowing the phone number, but not where it was or anything about it. On arriving at the train station we made use of the excessively helpful staff in the information office (they were brilliant!) and while I booked a tour for the following day they found out where we were to go, and gave us all sorts of helpful advice. We turned out to be staying in Kasern, an outer suburb of Salzburg reached by train. It was lovely, as it had a rural aspect - we spent our walk up to our room peering at beautiful slugs on the pavement and pausing for Robyn to fish a €5 note out of a drain (a delicate operation involving removing a largish section of grating while keeping an eye out for oncoming traffic). We made it to our destination, where we were greeted by our hostess and shown to what in New Zealand would be advertised as a bed and breakfast, but at hostel prices! A lovely double room with a proper bathroom, and nice and quiet!

We dumped our stuff and popped back into town, where we wandered for a short while, looking for tea, before catching the funicular up to the fortress which overlooks the town. It's a beautiful fortress and, as it was raining a bit, was practically deserted. We had a lovely time peering at the cannons and peeping through doorways and taking lots of photographs. The earliest buildings dated to the 15th century and there were turrets and corrigedors abounding. Back down again by funicular we returned to our gästhaus and enjoyed sleeping in beds with big downy doonas and huge European pillows - so squishy and comfortable!

Friday was our extravagant day. I had booked myself on a Sound of Music bus tour (cheesy, I know, but I felt the need. Robyn felt that she really couldn't, so she abandoned me to my fate and did some sightseeing in the town). I was collected at my door in a wee shuttle and had a nice trip into town to the coach with Pieter, who turned out to be the tour guide. We were a bit early, so I had a look around the Mirabell Gardens for 10 minutes or so. Lovely gardens - the Do-Ré-Mi fountain is there, but I admired even more a wee fountain with a statue of Papagena in it. There turned out to be only twenty of us on the coach (nice not to be too crowded). We began just driving through Salzburg past various places of interest where we were not able to stop, but could gawp at from afar - for instance the von Trapp's home, the Benedictine Abbey, the train station, etc. Our first stop was the summer house (I am sixteen), no longer in its original location, and glassed in to prevent sprained ankles. Very sweet. We then went to the lake where the children fell in from the boat and the terrace where they drank pink lemonade. It is a very pretty lake, and there were swans and their baby cygnets swimming around. Driving out of Salzburg itself Pieter told us about the history of the city, the von Trapps, and the movie making. We sang a bit (don't laugh) and stopped for a break at a completely random place where there was a kind of luge thing down a hill. I couldn't go, as I was stony broke, but it was fun to watch the others whizz down and hear their squeals. Went on to Mondsee, home of the church whose interior was used in the movie where Maria and the Captain are married. Famed for its long aisle, it was a little disappointing to find it being renovated, and the aisle blocked off halfway with scaffolding. I found this a bit anticlimactic, so wandered off into the town to get some cash and sample an apfel strudel. Very nice it was, too. Back to Salzburg I was dropped off at the hauptbanhof (main train station), where I had arranged to meet Robyn.

Robyn had bought us some lunch, and we hurried to catch a train to our next attraction - Werfen, a town some 40 minutes south of Salzburg. Werfen is home to the longest/largest ice caves in the world - 1km of a 42km long cave network inside the mountains. We reached the entrance by shuttle bus, walking, cable-car, more walking and some more . . . walking! Very steep. At the entrance we were greeted by our guide, who divided us into English speakers and German speakers (we were at the front). We were provided with cunning little kerosene lanterns (open flame) and set off. Our trail consisted of some 700 steps uphill inside the mountain. It wasn't too chilly to start with, but carrying the lantern soon caused ones fingers to turn numb. We took turns, thawing out alternately. The caves were stunning. There were ice lakes and falls and stalactites and stalagmites, and other beautiful formations. At certain points our wee guide lit a fuse and left it behind sculptures, so's to light them up from behind. It was terribly pretty. Back down our 700 steps, we scurried to catch the shuttle again and then the train back to Salzburg. We had tea at a very cool place - Indigo - where we indulged in curry and couscous.

We were to leave Salzburg the next morning, but as we hadn't seen much of the town we left our cases at the station for a few hours while we looked at some shops and then sat and read for a while in the Mirabell Gardens (whilst watching about a dozen wedding parties trot past - it's quite the place to have your photos taken, it seems). Our next stop was Innsbruck. . .

A Night at the Opera

Our hostel in Vienna had lovely views - we were staying on the sixth floor (thankfully there was a lift). It was hot, hot, hot when we arrived, and after dumping our stuff we made our way into town. We wandered vaugely (quite of our own accord) for a couple of hours, finding ourselves eventually at an information centre, where we asked about what was on at the opera/concert halls/etc. The chappie said that there were a couple of options, but as it was already almost 6pm we would be lucky to find tickets anywhere. However, he suggested we set off for the Volksoper just to see, as they were performing Mozart's 'Die Zauberflöte' - the Magic Flute. Owing to some iffy transport options, we didn't make it to the opera house until 20 to 7, and had no hopes, really, of nabbing seats. Still, one may as well try, and we were pleased to find that we could still have two student seats at €8 each. Nice, we thought. Not bad. We scoffed some snacks that we had (still dinner-less) and trotted in to find our seats. We were directed upstairs, and were shown into an Opera Box. A genuine, red velvet, really-o, truly-o, swank Opera Box. We were stunned. We settled ourselves in, wedged our elbows firmly in the velvet ledge, and quite enjoyed the opera. Our programme had a wee outline in English, so we could follow what was happening, and one could mostly tell, anyhow. It was very enjoyable.

Our next morning began at the Schmetterling Haus (Butterfly House) in the grounds of one of the Viennese palaces. We took hundreds of photos, and particularly admired a huge orange and brown moth - it was as big as two hands together. We liked it too, as it was sitting still and was easy to photograph! We went from there intending to visit an art museum nearby which holds sketches by Albrecht Dürer, but it turned out to only show these occasionally and not as a permanent exhibition, due to preservation measures. It was a bit pricey to visit otherwise, so we strolled downtown, finding a really cool shop which had postcard sized prints of just about any artwork by any artist you could possibly think of - great to flip through. We continued through town, but the weather had turned chilly, so we went back to our hostel for a nana nap and to make use of the free internet (yay!). On returning to town we found the box office of the Konzerthaus (one of Vienna's beautifully ornate concert halls) and investigated attending a performance that evening - we decided to try a concert of some more modern composers (Debussy, and three others we had not heard of). Killing some time meanwhile, we went up to the Dom where we were keen to do a tour of the catacombs. We joined a small group and headed underground with our guide, an Austrian with an intriguing grasp of English - he seemed to have grasped the greatest peculiarites of various accents and used them to great effect, in mysterious and sepulchral tones. We looked first through the modern rooms, where the clergy of the cathedral are still buried, and then moved on to the older tunnels and rooms where the bones of victims of the plagues are stacked. Our guide kept striding on in front very fast, and turning corners abruptly - I think he was quite enjoying himself, and hoping to scare us. It was very interesting, anyhow, and we were glad to have seen one. We headed back to the Konzerthaus (this time taking care to have some tea first!) and enjoyed our experience of listening to the music and admiring the hall. We were in good seats again - 9th row back from the front, on the centre aisle. It was a slightly different style of music to that which we are accustomed to listen to, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. A good experience.

Our last day in Vienna was begun with a visit to Schloß Schönbrunn, the imperial palace of the last great ruler of Austria. Robyn's Nana had lived in the palace shortly after the war, so it was especially interesting as it had a personal connection for her. We chose to do the Grand Tour, and spent some time walking through the state and family rooms with audio guides. The rooms are beautiful - ornately decorated in baroque, rococco and Chinese styles, and not at all gaudy. The history of the Franz Josef and Sisi, the last ruling couple, and their predecessors was fascinating. Once finished inside we went to see a demonstration in the Palace bakery of an apfel strudel making session (with free tasting!). It was very impressive watching them prepare the dough - it is stretched so thin you can read a newspaper through it. And the end result is equally impressive. . . After this we made our way behind the building to the grounds, where we started in a hedge maze, racing each other to the centre, where there was a raised platform. Robyn got there fully five minutes before I, and had a lovely time watching me rush to and fro below her. After this there was a couple of labyrinths. One had all sorts of activities to do at points around the course: a see-saw that activated a fountain - the harder you rocked, the farther up the water spouted; a dance-board-glockenspiel; wobbly stepping stones; and a set of stepping stones across water which, when one stepped on certain stones, squirted water at ones ankles. Robyn enjoyed watching me find this out. It was all very well laid out and maintained. 'Twould be a great place to take kids. That evening we sampled our first Austrian schnitzel at a little eatery. We shared one - they are huge!

Our last morning we spent an hour on the Viennese train and underground system, going in circles. We were attempting to find the correct station from which to travel to Salzburg, and were crossed between hearty amusement and despair when, finally on the train, we passed the station from which we had begun. . .

To Austria, and Graz!

We enjoyed our train journey from Venice to Graz, in Austria. We shared a compartment with a lovely trio of Austrians who told us all about the scenery we were passing and what to see and do whilst in the country. In turn, they wanted to know all about New Zealand. They were really interesting to talk to, and we were surprised at some of their liberal views of various things - they were very pro everybody learning English, for example. We realised on the trip how little green we had been seeing - the grass is green in Austria, and there are mountains and lakes and cows and things. We hadn't realised we'd missed them until then.

Our hostel in Graz was lovely and modern and clean, and we enjoyed having a four bed dorm to ourselves. Another bonus on arrival was spotting a Baptist church directly across the road! In the morning we were even more excited, as we found a huge all-you-could-possibly-want breakfast buffet. After a cup of coffee and a stale roll at so many places in Italy, this was positive luxury - I'm sure we squealed with excitement.

The city of Graz is lovely - beautiful baroque buildings and a glockenspiel tower and the Schlossberg (ruined fortress on a hill). We enjoyed wandering about the town, and found a children's fashion show in a courtyard, watched the glockenspiel do its thing on the hour, sampled wares from many bakeries, and took the funicular up the hill. This was remarkably speedy and fun - the first of many trips on funiculars and cable cars. We do enjoy them.

Attending the church on Sunday was great. It was Mother's Day back in New Zealand, and turned out to be in Austria as well! We were slightly late to the service (I was trying to skype home), so we missed the one English hymn that they sang, but we could follow the general intention of the service, and it was hilarious to watch the Sunday School children sing 'Vater Abraham hatte viele Kinder' (Father Abraham had many sons). At the end of the service we had a nice time chatting to some of the congregation, and discovered another couple of Kiwis there who were staying at our hostel - a mother and daughter. It was really lovely to spend some time with some other Christians - they were such lovely people!

After three nights in the city we headed off to Vienna. . .