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Jul 23

Zürich

Magit words rang true – Switzerland is one very expensive country. In searching for accommodation, we quickly realised this was going to be a costly detour.

But, so be it; we had been reminded of late, that this a not ‘if only…’ tour; we don’t want to end up back in Australia saying “If only we’d gone there, seen that, done that…”

We stretch our budget to $150 a night. For Zürich, that’s still on the cheap side. However, Casa Heindrich, turns out to be a lovely place to stay. The young woman (wow, I feel old using age as an adjective), also sorts us out with a parking permit for the car. Our room comes with a little kitchenette. This will be very useful; we are going to be doing a lot of eating in!

Our daily luxury is purchasing coffee, the CPI spikes to AUS$5.40 each. It’s good coffee but small cups! Magit was right – just being here costs you money. We check-out the prices in McDonalds, always a good benchmak, AUS $12 for a Big Mac. I couldn’t actually tell you how much one is in Australia, I’m guessing around $5? Can one of you closet MacD addicts report back?

It’s about a 2km walk into the centre of town. Walking shoes on and umbrella in hand we set off to explore Zürich (the umbrella was acquired by Don in Istanbul, but that’s another story!). My pangs of guilt for the forgetful tourist are long gone, the umbrella has come in handy of late.

The old parts of Zürich display a majestic city dripping in wealth. Grand boulevards lined with every designer brand you can think off. The luxury retail market is dominated by watches; Rolex, Rado, Tag Heuer are well know names.  Then there are the even more prestigious; Patek Philip, Chopard or Blancpain (never heard of the later, but they’ve been making watches since 1735).

OK, we know the swiss are famous for watches, but how many watches can you sell in a day? Alongside the designer watch shops are designer chocolates. But, the best find of the day was Calanda beer, so of course Don had to sample it.

We decide we should educate ourselves in the Swiss cultural heritage and visit the Swiss National Museum. It was also pouring with rain and it was a good place to stay dry. We manage to fill in a few hours learning about Swiss history. I’d always thought the swiss had it easy, playing the neutrality card in every war; not so. Basically, they managed to alienate themselves from both sides!

As we are leaving Zürich we asked a local policeman; there are several conducting some sort of spot check in our street – “do we need a Vignette?” To which he replies “yes”. It was a slightly longer conversation in pigeon english/french, but I won’t bore you with the details.

We had been mislead in Austria, as we had asked about the Vignette just before the border. When driving is Switzerland you need a Vignette to drive on the national roads, it’s almost impossible to avoid driving on the national roads. A Vignette is simply a road tax. You buy a sticker and place it on your windshield. The cost a Vignette is SF$40 (AUS$50), they are valid for a year, but are non transferable (impossible to peel off).

Great, we need one for 5-6 days, We might be back, but we will be in a different car. The risk of not buying one and getting a fine is SF$100. We buy a Vignette before we leave Zürich.

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Jul 21

Odl lay hee hoo

We have been promising to visit St Anton and go skiing with friends Vicky and Tony for sometime. They spend the entire season here each year.

Unfortunately, it’s summer here and Vicky and Tony are back in Australia enjoying the remarkable season down there. But, here we are in St Anton!

We are excited to be catching up with Andrea (also mutual friend of V&T). Andrea’s Mum comes over from the States to hike each year with her friend Diane.

Andrea has just been in Europe cycling and holidaying in Greece with Vicky, who has been celebrating a birthday (won’t say which). Our travel plans didn’t end up coinciding with Vicky’s, so we didn’t get to celebrate with her.

St Anton is a picture perfect alpine village. Designed for skiing, it’s also a popular hiking and cycling destination in summer. The night we arrive, the local summer fair is on and we have dinner in town enjoying more Austrian music. Not as good as the Fritzens, but entertaining all the same.

I could say we went on a hike, but perhaps ‘leisurely walk’ would be a better definition. The easier trail was opted for in favour of the lesser experienced Aussie tourists. Otherwise, our three hosts would have been scaling mountains!

The weather also proved a bit of a hinderance and threatening rain shortened our walk to 3 hours.  Just as the rain was coming in, we made it back for lunch in one of the huts up the mountain for some traditional Austrian fare.

We have a fun two nights, spending most of it chatting and laughing. We play Skip-Bo; a crazy card game Andrea and Magit have recently been introduced to. It was wonderful to catch-up on Andrea’s world (as we have not seen her in 18 months), meet Magit again (the last time was at least 5 years or so ago in Australia) and meet Diane for the first time.

We very much enjoyed the simple pleasure in just hanging and relaxing with friends, old and new. So a big thank you Andrea, Magit and Diane for welcoming us, sharing your wine and food, entertaining and educating us. It was a memorable few days.

Magit grew up in Austria and her knowledge of Europe is extensive. She gives us some great tips on where to go and also, where not to go – avoid Switzerland “it’s soooo expensive, it costs you money just being there”, these are her lingering words as we bid farewell.

The scenic Arlbergstraße takes us north through the Alps, the weather is however bleak and miserable, any plans to stop and see more of the Austrian mountainside quickly fade. What we did see through the drizzle and fog looked magnificent. Hopefully we will come back through this area and we certainly have itchy feet to come skiing in St Anton.

We stop for coffee and to strategize on where we are staying tonight. With the weather looking dodgy we decide that a larger town/city will have more on offer than staying in the alps. Against the advice of Magit, we head into Switzerland deciding to make Zurich our home for two nights.

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Jul 19

Swarovski Kristallwelten

Swarovski is synonymous with Austria, the crystal manufacturer dates back to 1895. The factory (yes, with a shop) is not far from the Fritznerhof, the lure of a shopping opportunity is too strong.

Actually, it’s not all shopping. Kristallwelten (Crystal World), which is no doubt a marketing ploy to ensure you do end up in the gift shop, is a stunning exhibition of crystal art. It starts at the entrance; a Giants head with sparkling crystal eyes. There are 13 dazzling chambers, each designed by world famous artists and designers. The list includes Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí and fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

Of course, the experience culminates in a shopping extravaganza of Swarovski crystal products. Yes, purchases were made and we may drop in again when we have my Sister join us.

Swarovski Exhibition
Swarovski Exhibition
Swarovski Exhibition
Swarovski Exhibition
Swarovski Exhibition

Jul 18

Schnitzel & Strudel

Once again, we notice an undescribable change as soon we cross the border into Austria. In each country, there are subtle differences at first, but as you drive further they become more obvious.

In Austria, it’s the colourful flowers adorning every Window box and I mean every Window box. The architecture shifts, as does the quality of building materials between Slovenia to Austria. It’s probably taking it too far to say the grass seems more green and lush and the cows a bit fatter!

One again, we’ve not organised any accommodation, happy to keep winging it.  We stop in Klagenfurt around 5pm, only to quickly discover this could be an expensive town.  Our budget does not seem sufficient; welcome to Western Europe! We’ve noticed the prices slowly increasing the further west we travel.

We are keen to stay on budget and with a few hours of light still remaining, we decide to continue and look for a Zimmer/Gasthof along the way.

The rolling hillside is patchworked with crops and grazing cattle and surrounded by snow capped mountains; it makes you want to start singing: “the hills are alive…”  As we drive, we watch the colours of the landscape change; shadows stretch across highlights of hues of gold, from the sun dipping behind the mountain peaks.

We are well out in the countryside, with not much around in the way of towns. We come across a few Gasthof’s, only to discover they don’t all do accommodation, some are just restaurants. We found one that looked hopeful, but they didn’t answer – must have been busy at the time (photo should explain).

Finally we find Gasthof Groblacher. It’s in a beautiful spot and whilst our stay is short, we do get up for an early morning stroll. And chat with a few locals on the way.

Too busy to answer the door!
Chatting with the locals

The next stop is Heiligenblut, a village near the southern gateway to the Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse (Austria loves a tongue twister); it’s the most famous mountain road in Austria. It runs north/south through some spectacular mountains up to the Grossglockner; at just under 3,800 meters its the highest peak in Austria.

I discovered a new website; tiscover.com, a booking engine for Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland; from hotels to farm stays. We decided to give it a go and book what looks like your typical Austrian alps chalet.

tiscover.com pays off; we find ourselves half way up the mountainside overlooking Heiligenblut in a lovely Chalet. The owners are only expecting one other booking so whilst it was a shared bathroom, we each had our own floor, so no sharing.

We are a reasonable way up the mountain and the road is somewhat treacherous, not something we want to tackle in the dark. Lucky for us, just a 100m stroll away is a little gasthof serving dinner. Don is looking forward to schnitzel and strudel.

Communicating is somewhat of a challenge.  Don did German at school, but clearly should have paid more attention.  I get a glass of apple juice rather than a cider in our first attempt at ordering drinks. Schnitzel? Not so hard to get across. Not long after we order, we can hear some heavy pounding from the kitchen. It should be a tender piece of veal.

Luckily we had decided to share, as it was certainly enough to feed two. More importantly, it left room for that apple strudel. The restaurant is renowned in the area for its wild game (sorry to all those vegetarians), so we took home some smoked elk sausage/salami to try.

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The next day we take our time to drive the 48km Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse. We detour up to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe visitors centre. Taking a hike for about an hour up the Gamsgrubenweg, a trail leading onto the Pasterze glacier. The first part is a series of old mining tunnels with historical highlights along the way.

At Edelweissspitze, the highest point on the road, we stop for a hot chocolate. It seems a bit strange to be sipping hot chocolate in the middle of summer and be surrounded by snow capped mountains.  It’s also a chilly 9º Celsius.

The road has 36 switch-backs and an altitude ascent of 2,504 meters (yes, I looked that up). It’s a motorbike paradise (though not for you Graham Hemingway) and a perverse obsession for cyclists (looking in pain), both of which we see plenty. It is a spectacular drive, through some of the most beautiful majestic landscape we have ever seen.

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Relying once again on tiscover, I’ve booked us into Gasthof Fritznerhof, just outside of Innsbruck.  Again, we do well.  Arriving late in the afternoon at a charming Inn; window boxes are of course adorned in colour and our friendly host shows us a large comfortable room. There is an added bonus; by coincidence, tonight the gasthof is hosting the annual Musikkapelle Fritzens Sommer Konzert! In english, that simply means the Fritzens summer music concert.

We join the locals at long tables set-up in the garden and enjoy an evening of Austrian folk music and dancing. Even though we could communicate very little with our neighbours, we could still participate in the traditional Schnapps drinking with them! The atmosphere was fun and friendly, it was lovely to see so many young people participating.

 

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Jul 16

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Ljubljana

It’s Sunday and early afternoon when we arrive in Ljubljana. We haven’t organised anywhere to stay in advance our of arrival, but first priority is lunch.  Lunch with WiFi; as this will also allow us to search accommodation options online.

Lunch, by the way, was excellent.   I had a spelt pasta with trout and Don had gnocchi with rabbit.

After lunch we check out a youth hostel nearby – a room was €45 with shared bathroom.  I am not all that keen to share a bathroom, but at least we have a fall back option if nothing better turns up.  After several other options come in well beyond our budget, we check out a new apartment renovation, even with the offer of ‘a good deal’, it’s still €75 per night plus €15 per day for parking.  A couple of blocks further out is Penzion Pod Lippo.  And from the moment Damien greets us, I know this is the place.  He shows us a clean spacious room and can offer us free parking as well; for €58 per night.

The location is in the heart of the University precinct, so there are plenty of cafés, bars and reasonable restaurants.  It’s only a 10 minute walk into the centre of the old town.  The Pod Lippo staff could not have been more helpful with providing information on what to do and see, and organising a laundry service. They provide desktop computers in your room, plus in a small kitchenette area.  After working off a tablet, a keyboard and mouse is a welcome change.

We do the usual tourist thing and check out the old town. More out of guilt for our recent lack of visiting castles, monasteries or churches, we thought we had better check-out Ljubljana’s castle. Well, what a surprise it is.

Perched above the city, we take the inclinator up and arrive amongst the foundations of the castle. The restoration of old with the integration of new has been done seamlessly.   Materials including timbers, stainless steel and wire blend with ancient stone foundations. Amongst the well preserved history, modern function spaces and art exhibitions inhabit century old dining rooms, entertaining halls and underground bunkers.

Ljubljana dates back to prehistoric times and during the 1st Century AD the Romans built the city of Emona, the foundations of which still exist today. ‘iEmona’ is an interactive display showcasing the historic city. It’s located in an underground walkway and is another example of how well this city presents it’s history using modern technology. The fact that it’s free is also impressive!

Ljubljana is a beautiful city; still somewhat of a hidden gem, but tourists are now flocking there, as its one of the better preserved old towns in Europe.

The highlight of our stay was dinner with Helen and Rod, friends from Melbourne. We had been traveling in the vicinity of each other for weeks, never managing to coordinate the same destination at the same time, until Ljubljana. When you are on the road for this long, it’s a treat to see a familiar face and have a conversation with people you know.

It was a wonderful catch-up and we enjoyed a superb meal at Julija; where much wine and food was consumed – until they closed and politely threw us out. Probably a good thing, as we may have ordered another bottle of wine!

 

 

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Lake Bled. & Lake Bohinj
On our way to Austria we detour via Lake Bled and Bohinj. They are both about 50km north west of Ljubljana.

At Lake Bohinj I open the car door to be met with a blast of cool air, so fresh you can taste and smell it. The humidity was building below, on the lake and it looks like a summer storm is brewing, but here we are surrounded by Slovenia’s alps and the temperature is refreshing. We take a 30min trek up to Savica Waterfall, supposedly one of the most spectacular in Slovenia, mmm… guess they don’t have many!

Lake Bled, is busy with holiday makers; canoeing, swimming, baking on the shore. Renowned for its picturesque island and yep, they built a church on it! And of course, looking over the lake is a Castle. We did go up to the castle, decided the view from afar was better than the view atop. After Ljubliana’s castle experience we didn’t think anything could out-do it, so we skipped the tour.

Coincidentally, we run into Helen and Rod and again bid farewell, both confessing to slow starts and sore heads that morning!

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