Austria – Valerie's Voice

Hallstatt, Austria

As my excitement builds for our upcoming trip to a cabin on Lake Superior another stay on a beautiful lake in Hallstatt, Austria comes to mind.

Hallstatt is a small town but big on character! It is one of those beautiful, picturesque, mountain villages on an inland lake, and we stayed at a B&B overlooking the water.

Bräu Gasthof is the name of the B&B where we stayed in Hallstatt. It is a quaint, 15^th century building (that’s 700 years old!) that used to be a brewery back in the day.

The flowers boxes hang off the balcony rail of our B&B on the top floor where our room was located.

The arched door, low ceilings, spiral staircase (no elevator) and squeaky floors all added to the uniqueness of this B&B. Our rooms were next door to our friends and we had adjoining balconies overlooking the lake (complete with swans). The views were fantastic.

The inviting front door of our B&B in Hallstatt.

Our first day we took a boat ride and toured the beautiful mountain lake.

The next day we took a funicular up the mountain, continued up a glass elevator to the skywalk that led to an old building perched about 1,200 feet above the town. Many years ago this building was a defensive tower built in the 13th century to protect the salt mine which is behind it, in the mountain.

Overall view of the skywalk, glass elevator, restaurant and viewing platform.

The old defensive tower (now restaurant) and viewing platform.

Today the old defense tower serves as a restaurant and is adjacent to a cantilevered viewing platform, which juts out 40 feet to provide spectacular views of Hallstatt, the lake, and the surrounding mountains. This area is a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) world heritage site.

The cantilevered viewing platform overlooking Lake Hallstatt.

Another view of the cantilevered viewing platform from the skywalk.

Hallstatt claims it has the oldest known salt mine in the world. Objects found in the mine have been dated to 5,000 BC and a wooden staircase was discovered in 2003 which has been dated to 1,400 BC. To this day it is still an active mine producing over one million tons of salt per year, mostly used for road and industrial applications.

Looking down on the town of Hallstatt from the viewing platform.

Our wonderful B&B, Bräu Gasthof, also operated a restaurant right on the water outside its doors and we enjoyed a long, leisurely dinner there one evening.

A fun row of boathouses on Lake Hallstatt.

Our table was along the water’s edge and next to an old boathouse used for storage. As we were visiting, an older woman walked out of the boathouse and started talking to us, asking us about our trip and where we were from, where we were going next.

Our leisurely dinner with a lovely visitor (not pictured).

Her name was Verena and she was the previous manager of the B&B…it was her grandfather who started the B&B. She managed it for years and now her daughter (also named Verena) manages it. She talked about the town of Hallstatt and the days when she was in charge of the B&B. It sounded like she enjoyed her work and did some musical entertaining too. We noticed old pictures in the menu of what looked like to be her younger self. She told us she lives on the 3^rd floor in the B&B. She walks up the spiral staircase several times a day. She said she chose 3rd floor for her apartment because there are a few more minutes of sunlight each day at the higher level.

As she talked I wondered what it would be like to live in this small, remote, tourist town for a whole lifetime. Verena seemed content. I also kept thinking, as we conversed with this local woman, talking to locals when traveling always adds richness to the experience. It was a delightful visit.

Another fun tidbit about the Bräu Gasthof was their check-in system.

The check-in chalk board with names of guests and keys hanging under room number on top.

A young woman was there to help us check-in the day we arrived, but if no one is available there is a sign telling guests to find their key, find their room and breakfast is at 8! The guest names, room numbers and keys were hanging on a chalkboard near the desk.

Some people visit the town for a couple hours or one day…we felt luxurious staying two days and two nights enjoying the spectacular scenery and ideal weather in this wonderful place called Hallstatt.

The view from our balcony of an early morning sunrise over the mountain.

Vienna Opera House and Urness Hall

One evening in Vienna, Austria we bought tickets to the famous Vienna State Opera…a Wiener Staatsoper (Wien is Vienna in Austria). We didn’t see an opera but went to an orchestra concert, Vienna Mozart Orchestra. It was delightful. We had wonderful center seats facing the stage and members of the Vienna orchestra entertained us with Mozart and Haydn for a couple of hours.

The Vienna Opera House, officially called the Vienna State Opera.

Inside the opera house was elegant. We were excited as we walked into the elaborate setting with the gold gilt trim, paintings on the ceiling, and statues on the grand staircases. It was fun to dress up a little and participate in something we don’t do very often.

My friend and I were entertained by looking all around.

Looking towards the ceiling in the opera house.

Many statues and paintings adorn the interior of the Vienna State Opera.

The curved wall of seats overlooking the stage.

Recently, back in Minnesota, my husband and I attended a different kind of concert with four fabulous musicians playing gypsy jazz. Gypsy jazz is a style that began in France in the 30’s. A guitarist name “Django” Reinhardt made it popular. It is also called gypsy swing, a kind of classy jazz. This quartet had one guitar, a standing bass (they called it that), one violin and one drummer. No brass instruments; no saxophones, no trumpets.

Their venue was Urness Hall on the St. Olaf College campus. It may not be on the grandeur scale of the famous Vienna State Opera but it is acoustically sound and a wonderful space to attend musical events.

As I sat there I looked around at the simple yet seasoned space with a wall of windows to the outside. The sky was getting darker as the concert continued on, and the lights of the hall were reflecting in the windows which looked stunning. It’s an intimate space that I have come to really enjoy. (Unfortunately I left my phone at home to be electronic free, forgetting that I am then, camera free!)

The concerts were as different as the venues, but both were easy listening and in special spaces, and wonderful experiences. I’m grateful for talented musicians using their gifts to make beautiful music all over the world.

Memorable Hikes – Söll, Austria 2018

When we checked into our wonderful B&B in the farming community near Söll, Austria we were visiting with the friendly woman at the front desk and asking her about hikes in the area. She suggested hiking to Alpengasthaus Stallhäusl which would take about an hour. That sounded good to us…

She gave us directions and told us the signs to follow so, after lunch, off we went. Fortunately we wore our hats and we brought some water because it was sunny and hot.

The hike started on the lane behind the B&B. We walked passed a riding stable and a barn where Haflinger horses are bred. We walked past cows with bells clanging around their necks grazing in the fields, and past chickens cackling near their cute coop with flowers blooming in it’s own little flower box. Then we started our ascent…we kept climbing and climbing and climbing, for a hour and 30 minutes, climbing up the mountain.

Even this chicken coop had flower boxes!

We did not expect this – the woman forgot to tell us this part – but the vistas were amazing, and we were hiking in the alps! We knew we were on the right trail by the signs.

The signs didn’t use distance for a gauge but used the number of minutes to the each destination…35 minutes to here, 5 minutes to there…it’s an interesting way of letting one know where you are.

Finally we made it to the top after stopping several times along the way to look out at the amazing views (and to catch our breath). We passed beautiful chapel tucked into the hillside (who goes there???)

We were hot and tired and thirsty when we arrived at our destination, the Alpengasthaus Stallhäusl. We sat outside on their sun terrace and ordered something cool to drink and said “Prost” (Cheers!) to toast our accomplishment, and cool down before hiking back to our B&B.

We decided to walk back on the road, complete with hairpin turns (that we wanted to roll down to make our journey shorter). Going down is not always so easy…but walking on pavement makes a big difference. It took less time to walk back to the B&B.

It was probably good we didn’t know ahead of time what kind of hike we were embarking on or we may not have chosen to do it…but we’re really glad we did!

Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria

Belvedere Palace, the Upper Palace from the back. There are two buildings to form this complex. The Upper Palace and the Lower Palace. There is artwork in both places.

The Belvedere Art Museum was the fabulous palace of a great Austrian military hero who had no heirs, therefore the state received his property and the Belvedere Palace became a wonderful art gallery.

Belvedere Palace, Upper Palace, from the front.

Not only was the Belvedere Palace filled with amazing artwork to admire, it was an enchanting palace to wander about and observe its lavish great rooms and staircases.

A room in Belvedere Palace, Lower Palace.

There were paintings from different artists including Van Gogh (1853-1890) and Monet (1840-1926) but the Belvedere features many Austrian artists including Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). There were several original paintings of Klimt’s on display, including his famous The Kiss.

Farmhouse in Buchberg, 1911
Gustav Klimt

Farm Garden with Sunflowers, 1907
Gustav Klimt

I learned Klimt has another famous painting called Portrait d’Adele Bloch-Bauer I, also known as The Woman In Gold, but that painting is hanging in a New York City art gallery. A movie was made about this painting titled Woman in Gold. During WWII thousands of pieces of artwork were confiscated by the Nazi’s and many pieces never were returned. The movie Woman In Gold tells the true story of this particular portrait and its story of reclamation to the original family.

This is a photo of a postcard featuring the painting
Portrait d’Adele Bloch-Bauer I (Woman in Gold), 1907
Gustav Klimt

It was fun to watch the movie soon after we had returned home from our trip and recognize many places in the movie where we had just visited. I highly recommend the movie.

And then… as I turned in to another room I stopped in my tracks when I saw this painting, A Girl Reading. The artist’s name is Franz Eybl (1806-1880) and the painting is titled Lesendes Mädchen (A Girl Reading – 1850). It was as though I was looking at this girl through a window frame. The detail is amazing and the lighting – incredible. I was captivated by the highlights in the young girl’s hair, the fine details of the book, the placement of her hand on her chest and her facial expression…and that she is reading spoke to me too because I love to read. I stood in awe for a long time as I absorbed the details of this stunning painting.

Our time at Belvedere Palace was inspirational…

and I assume that is what art museums hope to achieve.

I was inspired.

Mauthausen Memorial, Austria

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day with blue skies, a great morning for our three-hour boat cruise down the Danube River. It took us awhile to coordinate boat and bus schedules but we did it and it was nice to be relaxing on the boat, enjoying the Danube River. We arrived down river, in Durnstein, about 1 p.m. We had parked our car in Durnstein so we were able to get on the road right away. We ate cheese and fruit in the car while driving towards the Mauthausen Memorial, a couple hours away. However, we came to detour within miles of the memorial that took us another forty-five minutes to navigate…but we made it to the camp in time to walk around before closing. By now clouds were forming and it felt they were setting the mood.

Mauthausen Memorial is the site of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, which began as a work camp in 1938 and stayed in operation until the end of the war in 1945.

The barracks are on the right. I quickly snapped this photo. It didn’t feel right taking photos in the camp.

The choice of location for Mauthausen (and many satellite camps near by) was primarily the proximity of granite quarries.

From the brochure: “Mauthausen and Gusen (a satellite camp) were for some time the only category III camps with the harshest conditions of confinement within the concentration camp system and one of the highest death rates in all concentration camps in the German Reich.”

“The majority of inmates succumbed through mistreatment by being ruthlessly worked to death, while at the same time receiving scant food rations, clothing and medical treatment.”

“The “Stairs of Death”, which were rebuilt in 1942, were the scene of many deaths, particularly of the inmates from the punishment detail. Inmate commandos were forced to carry heavy granite blocks up the stairs from the quarry to the camp.” Many couldn’t make it and were shot.

It was very sobering to walk around this place that holds such sadness…such violence…such hatred.

“Not to be forgotten” is the hope of opening these camp memorials to the public. This memorial was free of charge to take away any hindrances of visiting.

In one walled area of the camp, where people are buried, we stood at the gate to take a look. Interestingly, there was a large rabbit inside at the opposite end of the gate. The rabbit couldn’t find his way out. He kept hopping back and forth along the back wall and every once in a while he tried to jump over the tall (8’?) stonewall. It was sad and I thought in some way it was a representation of what had gone on in this camp years ago…people trapped in this horrible space, desperate to get out.

Looking out over the old granite quarry…”Stairs of death” on the right.

I’m grateful for the chance to see this camp and to remember and honor all the innocent people who were killed there.

The Hills Are Alive and So Are The Flowers

We had so many adventures during our time in Austria it’s hard to know where to begin…”Let’s start at the very beginning, A very good place to start”…well maybe not…my postings of our trip will not be in chronological order.

I’ll begin with the beauty of Austria…the mountains and hillsides, the streams and waterfalls, the wonderful alpine chalet-style homes with flower boxes dotting the green landscape.

It was a treat to be in a vehicle driving across country. Our friends had a small, white Renault with plenty of room for four people with just enough space for our luggage in the back… it was a puzzle each time we had to repack our luggage but it worked. In the cities we would leave the vehicle parked for days and walk.

Outside the cities, it was wonderful to have the freedom of a vehicle, and having drivers who were used to driving in Europe. We relied heavily on the GPS system. It took us through rotaries (round-abouts) and often took us off the main road unto narrow back roads for a short-cut – sometimes we wondered why – but it added to the scenery and always brought us back to the main road…well, almost always.

The Grossglockner moutain peak is 3,798 meters (12,461 ft), and is the highest mountain in Austria.

One of our planned routes was the Grossglockner Alpine Drive in the Austrian Alps. At one viewing point you could see ten mountain peaks over 3,300 meters, (10,000 feet). We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day. There were lots of cars, some buses, motorcycles and bicycles climbing switchbacks up to the end of the road, to see the glacier. There were many places without guardrails and the roads were narrow and we wondered how the bicyclists could dare pedal up the mountain, especially in all the traffic. Whew…

Austrian Alps: The plaza where you could stop and look at 10 peaks over 10,000 feet.

Austrian Alps with glimpses of the Alpine Drive road.

The flower boxes on homes and business added even more to the beauty of the Austria countryside…they are abundant, overflowing, colorful, often multi-tiered, and just spectacular. Even though I was unable to get many photos of them, much to my dismay, the professional photos we see of these chalets with flower boxes are real. The flowers are that stunning. Here are a few photos but my photos do not do them justice.

Small restaurant along the Danube River.

Even this chicken coop had flower boxes! I love it.

Another Wonderful Trip, Another Interruption of Service

One of many homes with incredible flower boxes.

When we traveled to Portugal over a year ago we experienced an interruption of service. We were on a packed, standing-room-only, bus when it stopped part way to our destination and the driver told everyone to get off the bus…he said it was an “interruption in service.” We got off the bus and the driver drove off leaving all the passengers stranded. We managed to hail a taxi to get back to our apartment.

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We just returned from a delightful trip to Austria and the Czech Republic and experienced another “interruption of service”.

On Saturday we parted ways from our travel companions and Gary and I took the train to Munich, Germany for an overnight to catch an early morning flight the next day from the Munich airport. We were weary travelers going home after two weeks of touring with our friends. It was not a restful night and we woke up at 5 am to catch the shuttle to the airport. Once there, we checked our luggage all the way to Minneapolis and got on the plane and flew to Amsterdam for our connecting flight.

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Once off the plane, we grabbed a cup of coffee before heading to the next gate since we had four hours in-between flights. When we went to check the gate number it said our flight was cancelled!

An “interruption of service” I’d say.

We set into high gear wondering what ‘s going to happen. After a series of events (and this is just our story – there were hundreds of passengers on that cancelled flight) we ended up on a flight to Chicago, and a much later flight to Minneapolis.

A young woman in the line next to me who had been scheduled on the same cancelled flight did not have any options for her destination so she was told she had to stay overnight in Amsterdam and catch a flight the next day. She was crying. She told me she had worked on a project for eight months and was to present it to a Board o Regents on Monday. She had to be there, but she wasn’t going to make it.

I thought of giving her my seat but we were immediately whisked away to catch the flight to Chicago…We ran through the Amsterdam airport and a flight attendant came to meet us and escort us to the 747 with only two seats remaining. They reopened the doors for us and we took our seats with a sigh of relief…next thoughts, where in the world is our luggage?

Once in Chicago we were surprised to find our luggage on the carousal. We retrieved it in hopes of getting an earlier flight to Minneapolis. We had to go through customs and that is not a fun thing to do in Chicago. Plus, we needed to go through security again and that is even more not fun in Chicago.

We were put on stand-by for an earlier flight. I said to myself as the plane was loading…it would be a miracle if we get on this flight – so many people are trying to get to Minneapolis… and then I said to myself, but I believe in miracles. Then… our name was called. I was grateful.

Our luggage never did make that flight…the airline delivered it to our house the next day, but we were home safe with many wonderful memories.

We will never know why our flight was canceled but it wreaks havoc for so many people. I do know flexibly and gratitude are helpful attitudes to have while traveling.

Reentry

Over the years, we’ve learned that when we come home from traveling, especially traveling abroad, there is always a reentry period, time needed to step back into life, readjust back to “normal” routines. It’s not a negative thing, its just life.

So as I reenter my life back in Northfield from our amazing trip to Austria and the Czech Republic reality sets in and there is jet lag, travel weariness, and house chores…laundry, groceries, weeding, going through mail and email, cleaning the house. It gets done, slowly.

Part of reentry is wanting to catch up with family and friends… to see what’s been happening in their lives. And then I wonder…did anyone miss me? And then I wonder… what did I miss? And soon realize life back home usually doesn’t change much in sixteen days. I think it’s the other way… we change from our travel experiences. And I’m still trying to articulate in what ways. I know I have been blessed: my eyes have been opened to new sights and I have been reacquainted and exposed to other cultures.

We walked multiple miles daily and I am grateful for my health. I often thought of people who would not be able to see what we saw simple because it was tough getting there…mostly steep climbs, uneven roads, cobblestone streets, rugged paths, and lots and lots of steps…most sites are hundreds of years old in Czech Republic and Austria. There are not many handicap accessible accommodations at these sites.

It’s also fun to take some time to recollect, to reread journal entries, and look at photos to remember and relive all the wonderful adventures we had with our friends during our short time away: the special places we went, the magnificent scenery we saw, the delicious food we ate, and the fun people we met along the way.

Looking towards the Kapuziner Church in the monastery behind a wall, in Salzburg.

I delight in thinking about the morning my friend and I went on an early morning hike up Kapuzinerberg (a mountain behind our hotel in Salzburg, on the bank of the River Salzach) to Kapuzinerkloster, a walled monastery. Once inside the wall we followed it and saw wonderful vistas overlooking beautiful Salzburg. We came upon the Kapuziner Kirche (Kapuziner Church) and quietly stepped inside and heard the monks praying in a different room. From their cadence I think they were praying the Lord’s Prayer. In the sanctuary, where we stood, were two stations near the entrance…one for lighting a candle and the other held a basket for prayer requests on a table beneath a photo of Mary and Jesus. I wrote out a prayer request and since then, I have thought many times about the monks praying over my request….praying for a stranger they don’t know, from another country. It warms my heart.

So these are some musings on our first days back…I am grateful…for the many rich experiences…I look forward to writing some of them down. And most of all, I thank God for safety, protection and the health we enjoyed during our travels, and for bringing us safely home.