Austria last day: Tue 24/5/11: Vienna

Last day in the beautiful Wien. On this day, I only need to visit Schonbrunn Palace so I took my time to eat my breakfast and pack my rucksack.


I totally underestimated the time needed to spend in this UNESCO world cultural heritage.  This massive ensemble of palace, park and a zoo was the summer residence for the Habsburg rulers. The admission fee is quite steep but despite that, it is a crowd magnet. There was quite a queue by the time I reached the ticketing counter. Photography not allowed inside the palace. I paid for the grand tour where one gets to see 40 rooms. Excellent audio guide gives a background history of the rooms, royal family and Habsburg rulers like Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) and Emperor Franz Stephan and Empress Maria Theresa. Really tired at the end of the tour. Next, is visiting the magnificent park. Looking back, I should have paid for Imperial Tour (lesser rooms) and skip the visit to interior of Gloriette, Crown Prince (Privy) garden and Maze. One can visit the area outside the Gloriette for free. It is located high up on the brow of a hill with great view of Wien and Schonbrunn palace. The Privy Garden is gorgeous but so are the many gardens at the main park (free admission) with glorious fountains like Neptune fountain, Obelisk fountain and Roman Ruins. In the Maze, there are some hedges designed as labyrinths. I tried one of it and ended up taking at least 10 minutes to exit...
After the park, I visited the Marionettes museum before boarding a tube to return to the hostel.


Back in the hostel, I collected my rucksack and used the wifi to gather information about Prague. Wien is a great city for opera and classical music. Just to have a taste of an operette, I bought a ticket for the night show. I bought a standing post because I assumed I may need to leave halfway. Surprisingly, the standing location has quite a good view of the stage and the operette has English subtitles. I actually enjoy the whole performance of Stehplatz Parterre. Lead soprano singers have great powerful vocals After the show, I took a tube to Praterstern train station.


Spent the night in the station because the train to Prague was at early morning...Thankfully there is nice waiting room with chairs at the platform which is protective against the cold.

Schonbrunn palace and Privy garden

Austria Day 5: Mon 23/5/11: Vienna

Vienna, alas! I had been waiting for ages to visit this captivating city... ever since I fell in love with the Blue Danube when I watched the Strauss Family miniseries during primary school. Vienna or Wien is an important cultural and musical hub even from the era of Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Haydn and Schubert. I did not buy the Wien Card because it only gives small discounts for admission fees...no free admissions like Salzburg Card! I was actually begin to feel tired of museums....hence only planned to visit very few places.


On this day, I started with the Museums Quartier. Here, there is a cluster of top museums. I bought a combo ticket of MUMOK (Museum Moderner Kunst) and Leopold Museum. I had really good time in the latter, gazing at the works of talented Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. Leopold Museum has the largest Schielle collection in the world.


After good few hours, I took a break from museum and explored the rest of the city on foot.  Just across the road are two more gigantic mirror image buildings of Natural History museum and Kunsthistorisches. They are of good reputations but I could not stomach another museum hence continued straight on across the Maria Theresa Platz to enter the Heldenplatz via Palace Gate. Here lies the impressive Neue Burg that houses the National Library. Nearby is the Spanish Riding School and Sisi Museum, both I skipped because I am not particularly interested in horses nor personal belongings of Empress Elizabeth. Instead, I walked along Kohlmarkt to reach Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral). This famous Austrian emblem with beautiful tiled roof and high north tower named Alter Steffl (Old Steve) was first built in 1147. Mozart's wedding and funeral was carried out in this majestic cathedral. To see the cathedral in details, visitors have to join the guided tour with euro 4.50 fee. There is barrier that does not permit entrance to the tomb of Emperor Frederick III, altar and pulpit without a ticket...At Stephansplatz, there is a ticketing office that sell tickets to opera, operette and musical performances. I bought a ticket for operette only for euro 3.50 but no seat of course (standing post).



Retraced my steps back to the Museum Quartier to visit the MUMOK, which regrettably not as good as I expect. I guess I just do not derive joy from indulging in extreme art form of actionism where the artists use nude body, blood splash, animal carcasses, self cut and other disturbing acts. All portrayed as series of photos left me feeling uneasy and traumatized. And I am not the only one who feels so because later at night when I chatted with a fellow dorm mate, a French guy, he felt the same too. The video work of Maks Cieslak especially In Cloud Nine adds a cheery air to the somber mood of the museum. I actually laughed watching the video as the script is really witty and original.


Next is exploring the Ringstrasse with clusters of public building with grandiose and neo classical designs. The Parliament is gorgeous and reminded me of Palazzo Venezia in Rome. One can join the guided tour of the Parliament with a fee but it is only at certain hours of the day. Further north is the Rathaus but repair work was ongoing. The Volksgarten nearby is a delightful place for evening walk. Lastly was a short visit to Burggarten with Mozart statue. As I walked along the long street of Mariahilfer Street towards my hostel, I found a Japanese-Chinese buffet at euro 8 and ate to my heart content. Happiness!!!

Neue Burg

Austria Day 4: Sun 22/5/11: Eisriesenwelt, Werfen and Melk, Danube Valley

I did a last minute change of mind. Initially I planned to join River Danube cruise and explore Danube valley villages like Melk and Krems an der Donau. But I had to see Eisriesenwelt (1641m), the largest ice cave in the world! So, after a wholesome breakfast buffet in Jufa hostel, I took a train to Werfen. I left my rucksack in the train station staff office and walked 8 minutes to a nearby bus stop to get a bus to Eisriesenwelt. Burg Hohenwerfen, a 16th century fortress can be seen on top of a hill. The bus journey to the cave is very scenic (return for euro 5.80). The fortress can be seen upclose with the background of Tennenbirge range. The admission fee (include guided tour ,euro 8.50) and cable car fees (return euro10.50) are at a higher side. One can choose to hike up the mountain but the ascent is a tough 4 hours climb...After buying tickets from the counter, there is  20minutes of steep walk before reaching the cable car station. The scenery along the way is awesome. I had to wait for nearly half hour because I just missed the cable car. Then, another 20minutes walk uphill to the cave after exiting the cable car. At the entrance to the cave, I donned on my winter clothing and wasted good minutes waiting for the guide to start the tour. The temperature of the cave was subzero ! And just when we entered the mouth of the cave, a chilling gust of wind hit us straight on....really freezing cold! No words can really describe the wonder that await us inside the cave. The cave spreads as deep as 42 km but visitors can only see the tip of the iceberg by going up and down series of staircases. Layers of ice formed thousands of years ago forming interestingly shaped natural sculptures like Odin, the elephant and Frigga, the polar bear and the Ice Palace (42m high) that looks like Santa Claus' hut :) There is Posselt Tower, a large staglamite and Great Ice Embankment that rises steeply at the height of 25m. The ice glitters like diamond under the lamp. The whole experience was out of this world! It is like visiting the White Witch's palace. Sadly, no photography allowed inside the cave. The tour lasted about 1 hour plus. At the bus stop near the ticketing office, chatted with a group of Indian guys while waiting for bus. They are engineers working in Germany. 

An unexpected mistake happened. I left my winter coat (with handphone in the pocket) at the Werfen station!!! It was hot outside the cave and I just hand carried it around and put it aside when I was purchasing train tickets. I did not realize it until the train conductor woke me up and asked whether I lost something. Thank God, guardian angels are watching over me even when I was asleep...By that time, I was already on my way to Salzburg. So, the very kind train conductor liaised with Werfen super efficient officer to have my coat passed to the next train to Salzburg. The kindness of the Austrians did not stop there. Just when I arrived at the platform in Salzburg station, the train conductor directed me to a small office and handed me to another equally marvelously helpful officer. And so I waited with him for the next train to arrive. He even helped me to plan my next journey to Melk in Donau (Danube) and offered to accompany me to the platform to retrieve my jacket. Right on time, the train arrived and my jacket plus phone arrived safely. I could not thank them enough. The whole escapade cost me an hour late.

Reached Melk past 5pm hence was not able to enter the famous Benedictine Monastery ( Stift Melk) which was used to be the palace of King Leopold I. This massive monastery can be seen on top of the hill the moment I exited the train station. I just wandered around the village and River Danube before taking a train to Wien. Arrived Wien after nightfall...tired.

Austria Day 3: Sat 21/5/11: Salzburg

It was another crazy day of squeezing all the city sightseeing in a day. To maximize time, I visited Mirabell Garten first since I do not have to wait till 9 for admission. This popular garden was already swarmed with Japanese and Chinese tourists by the time I arrived. Tourists were drawn to the spot where The Sound of Music was filmed. The Pegasus fountain with a background of Salzburg fortress (Festung) gives an impressive view. Schloss Mirabell was first built in 1606 as a gift of love from Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau for Salome Alt. The palace's Marble Hall is reputed to be one of the most beautiful wedding hall in the world. The Baroque or Angel staircase in the palace is a MUST see! Coincidentally, there was a wedding going on and I nosily followed the guests to see their traditional Austrian costumes.

Nearby is Mozart Wohnhaus (Mozart Residence) where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived for 7 years here(1773-1780). Inside is collection of his musical instruments including pianoforte, music manuscripts and letters. No photography is allowed. After that, I crossed the River Salzach via Staatsbrucke to the Rathaus and Mozart Gebursthaus (Mozart Birthplace) where he lived in the first 17 years of his life. He spent 3 years of his life travelling around Europe in a carriage. Here, there is more information about his family history, his career, his happy marriage and children and his death at the young age of 35. Mozart's lock of hair and his mini violin are also being displayed. 

Since it was a Saturday, there was huge crowd everywhere and the streets were congested. I walked along the busy Getreidegasse to reach Monchsberglift that will go all the way up to Museum der Moderne Monschberg ( Museum Modern Art). It is not a large museum but I particularly like the sculptures by Tony Cragg and Alberto Giacometti. Outside the museum is a viewing terrace with superb view of Salzburg. Walking towards Festung, I stumbled across the busy Green Market just in front of Collegiate Church. I did not stop due to lack of time :( 

Reached Domplatz. Dom zu Salzburg or Salzburg Cathedral is dedicated to St Rupert and St Virgil and it was first built in 774. At the entrance to the cathedral is inscription of year 774, 1628 (consecration of new building that was built to replace the old minster that was demolished after a fire) and 1959 (reopening of cathedral after rebuilding during post war period).

After the cathedral is the highlight of the day, Salzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg). It was first built in 1077 as a wooden bailey under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. Over the years, it expanded under the reign of different rulers. Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach is one of the influential ruler that contributed to major changes of this fortress. He added State Rooms with the Golden chamber. To save time, I took Festungbahn to top of Festungsberg (free with Salzburg Card). There is free guided tour to the Gallery, Torture Chamber, Observation Tower (360 degree view of Salzburg), Battlement and Salzburg Bull (huge aerophon of more than 200 pipes, now used to signal the start and end of carillon during October). There are few museums inside Festung namely Rainer museum, fortress museum, Marionette Museum (the most interesting). One of the oldest building is a Romanesque Fortress Chapel that is mainly ruins now. The State rooms are in the same building as the museums.


Next is Salzburg Museum with many religious relics and Residenz Palace which was the royal residence of the Archbishops. I did not have the chance to visit the palace as it was closed so I visited the art gallery instead. The Residenzplatz with its magnificent fountain is a great place to relax and watch the carriage horses. Just before 5pm, I visited the Panorama Museum where I get to see a restored panorama painting of Salzburg by Johann Michael Sattler in 1829.


Since the Salzach River cruise is free with Salzburg card, I  boarded the last boat of the day. It was very crowded and I did not get a good seat (need to add small fees for deck seats). I was so tired that I dozed off for good part of the journey :( Anyway, cruise really is not my thing...


Shopped in a surprisingly cheap grocery shop opposite the jetty and found the yummiest potato crisps I have ever eaten: wasabi flavoured crisps!!! I still think of it from time to time :p Had dinner in one of the restaurant at Getreidegasse before returning to hostel.

Residenz Fountain

Austria Day 2: Fri 20/5/11: Salzburg: Untersberg, Hellbrunn, Volkskundemuseum, Salburger Tiergarten Hellbrunn

Salzburg has definitely captured my heart. This grand city is not just all about  Mozart or the Sound of Music.There is so much to see within the city and around Salburg that one need at least 4 days. I only have 2 days hence missing out on the gems of Salzkammergut area :( To make things easier, I bought the Salzburg card ( euro 34 for 48 hr due to peak season) that include free admissions to many museums and free public transport.

I explored the area outside the city first. Weather forecast predicted rain in the evening so I decided to go to the mountain early in the morning. Hopped into a bus to Untersberg, a mountain that is part of Berchtesgaden Alps that lies at the border between Germany and Austria. Its highest peak is Berchtesgadener Hochthron (1972 m). There are few myths about the mountain. One myth is about Emperor Frederick Barbarossa asleep with his beards growing around a round table and the world would come to an end if his beards circle three times. In reality, it is a mountain that has to be taken seriously. There are reminders that hiking are only for the experienced and well equipped. I did not do enough reading beforehand and totally underestimated the level of difficulty of climbing this mountain. In fact, just few days prior to this day, someone fell to his death and there was a helicopter circling the mountain for surveillance. 

With Salzburg card, the cable car to the Geiereck peak is free. The view from the top is spectacular. There are many choices of hiking trails. I saw a poster of the Schellenberger Eishohle (largest ice cave in Germany) at the cable car station and was smitten. Totally oblivious of the danger that lies ahead, I started off on a gruelling hiking adventure that lasted 5 hours. Initially, the trail was easy. There were lovely Alpine blooms like bell flowers, crowfoot, gentian,lousewort and hawkweed scattered along the path and the wonderful view was encouraging. However, soon the rocky path became treacherous, steep and slippery. Without the hiking poles, map and compass, it can be very tough. Worse, I was wearing a normal running shoes instead of sturdy hiking boots with good ankle support. Frequently, I lost my footing because the rocks just slipped underneath. I was lucky because there were many hikers and I just tail behind them and reached the famous big cross at Salzburger Hochtron. Then, I followed a nice couple till a junction where I had to continue on my own. It was scary for someone so inexperienced like me. There are no more hikers nor sign boards. There are painted arrows on the rocks (if you can find them!). I even clambered on four at some part.  Reached the Toni Lenz hut and I continued to hike up the rocky slope in hope of finding the cave but after half an hour I realized I missed the entrance to Schellen berger Eishohle...Usually visitors follow tour to the ice cave, maybe I should have...Feeling tired, sad and discouraged I did not know how to proceed. One option is to go back the same way I came from but being directional challenged I have no confidence that I can find the same path again OR continue downwards towards a nearby restaurant which appeared to be closed. I prayed to God for a sign. Almost immediately I heard the sound of people talking nearby. I looked up and saw few mountaineers climbing the steep cliffs and when I looked down I saw few people at the restaurant. I rushed to the restaurant to ask for direction. There, I met a kind Austrian couple who invited me to join them in their descent. I dreaded the path that I came from and happily agreed. However the fast steep descent of 2 hours killed my knees. The steep rocky path caused a lot of impact on the knees and by the time I reached the parking lot, I could hardly walk straight :( 

The nice Austrian couple offered to drop me off at Hellbrunn. Though my legs were stiff like wooden stilts, I still had to continue. Thankfully, it is just the right place to bring cheer and made me forget about my sore legs...well, at least temporarily. Archbishop Markus Sittikus, the founder of Hellbrunn got the idea for the palace and grounds from Italy. The palace and its gardens with wasselspiele (trick fountains) provided entertainment for guests as early as 17th century. There is guided tour (included in ticket, free admission with Salzburg card) in English and it was really fun. The first thing I heard was people screaming...I was shocked because I only expect screaming in amusement park. Soon...I discovered the reason for the scream :) The tour guide will lead the tourists through the fountains and grotto. Once in a while, he would turn on the trick fountain to spray water on unsuspecting visitors. The Royal Table at the Roman theatre is one of the most wicked trick! Admirable fountains are the Altemps fountain (Perseus and the Four Season statues), Neptune grotto, Venus grotto and Capricorn grotto. In the Neptune grotto, there is the mocking Germaul that will stick out its tongue periodically. Listen to the 10 birdcalls in Birdsong grotto, generated by the water driven mechanism. Another impressive feature is the  mechanical theater (year 1750) with 200 hand carved wooden figures and an organ driven by hydraulic power. After the tour finished, I visited the palace. The Archbishop was a collector of rare plants, fishes and birds hence the zoo nearby. Inside the palace are many paintings of rare species of birds and fishes that used to be kept in Hellbrunn. The Festival Hall and Octagon are the most beautiful rooms in the palace. With time to spare, I strolled around the garden and climbed a steep path to visit the Volkskundesmuseum (Folklore museum) which is housed in Schloss Waldems on top of Hellbrunner berg. Though small, it is a delightful museum that gave an insight of traditional Austrian culture including board games, furniture, wedding dowry/ gifts,traditional costumes, religious paintings, Kampus mask (St Nicholas festival in December) and the various Perchten head gears used in Perchten procession. Nearby is the Steintheater (Stone theatre) which was built on old quarry. As I came down from the museum, I passed by the Tiergarten Hellbrunn (Salzburg Zoo) and decided to pay a short visit since it closes at 6pm. I thought I have seen enough zoo but this visit proved me wrong. I saw animals like alpaka, pygmy marmoset and bolivian squirrel monkey and collared peccary for the first time in my life...

By 6pm, my internal battery was totally flat and I took a bus back to hostel instead of going to city centre. Ate dinner buffet in Jufa hostel at a reasonable price. Before putting on my night cap, I watched The Sound of Music played in the common room of the hostel...I watched this movies for countless time but at different age...yet some scenes still managed to wet my eyes. The songs like Favourite Things and Sixteen going on Seventeen really brought back sweet memories of high school :)

Untersberg

Alpaka, love the cool hairstyle!

Austria Day 1: Thu 19/5/11: Innsbruck

Woke up near 5 am by some drunk youths who were shouting and fooling around. Surprisingly, I had good few hours sleep and was feeling quite fresh. Left my rucksack in the station with a euro2 locker.

By 6am, I set out to explore Innsbruck. It is very easy to fall in love with Innsbruck. This Tyrol capital was once a ducal seat for the Tyrolean Habsburg rulers. It is framed by Austrian Alps and so photogenic that at almost every corner you can see the glorious mountain range as a backdrop. From the hauptbahnhof, I walked along Museum street to reach the Hofburg and Hofgarten. I did not visit the palace but strolled in the garden instead. Hofgarten is a small quiet garden...so peaceful that I fell asleep sitting on the bench there :p The Dom St Jakob is just around the corner of Hofburg. Then I walked along Pfarrgasse to see the famous glittering Goldenes Dachl with 2657 gilded copper tiles on the roof. Emperor Maximillian used the 2nd floor balcony of this building to watch the street performers. Opposite Goldenes Dachl is Herzog- Friedrich street that is lined with beautiful baroque buildings with the Heblinghaus at the corner, being the most attractive of all. River Inn is the main river than runs across the city. I went to tourist office to gather information about Danube cruises and was looking at the sparkling Swarovski crystals at display while waiting for the office to open. Swarovski crystals are produced in Watten, a town 20 minutes from Innsbruck. One needs to pay euro 8 to enter the Swarovski factory hence I gave up on the idea of going there. Left the tourist office without any valuable information and walked southwards along Marie-Theresien street, passing by Annasaule and Triumphpforte.

Further down south is Grassmayr Glockenmuseum.  The museum is named after Grassmayr family who has 400 yeas of bell making tradition. I was curious hence paid euro6 to visit this museum. I must say euro 6 is tad too expensive for such a small museum...euro 3.50 would be an appropriate fee. Well, at least I was educated about the early history of origin of bells, its function and the process of making a bell beside playing with bells of different tones. The bells were first used by the Chinese in 3000 B.C. Initially the Christians disapproved the usage of bells due to close association with pagan cultures but by 2nd century, bells were used as symbol of preaching and call to assemble. It is interesting to note how the bell making evolved throughout the centuries especially the design and ornamentation. The biggest bell is in Moscow weighing 214 tonnes! Bells went through series of bad times during wars. Bells usage was forbidden during French Revolution. In World War I and II, many bells were melted to build war materials. As a strategy against the church during German Reich, bells became victims as well. 

Near the museum is Berginsel, a modern state-of-the-art building that is used to watch athletes training on the field. I did not go there though and walked back to the hauptbahnhof to catch a tram to Schloss Ambras (entrance fee euro10). I would not recommend taking a tram because it is another 20-30 minutes of uphill hike to the castle which is located at the top of the hill. Taking a bus would be a wiser choice because it stops right outside the main entrance. However, as I hiked the countryside to reach hill road, I had a great view of Austrian Alps...

Archduke  Ferdinand II (1529-1595) converted the medieval Schloss Ambras to present Renaissance castle for his untitled wife Phillipine Welser (1527-1580) of lower social rank, and his two sons. Here, his massive collections armours, weapons and portraits are displayed. I am not really interested in the armoury or royal portraits but I did enjoy the vast collection of weird, bizarre and unique treasures in the Chamber of arts and curiosities. The beautiful Spanish Hall and the frescoes paintings on the Inner Courtyard of the Upper Castle made the visit worthwhile. Outside the castle is a lovely well look after garden and Bacchus grotto. In the past, guests were chained in this grotto and in order to gain freedom, they had to drink from a vessel filled with wine. By 3pm, I took a bus to train station to catch a train to Salzburg. Had late lunch of snitzelschammel :)

Reached Salzburg by 7pm but it started raining heavily. Took a bus to my hostel, Jufa Salzburg.

Goldenes Dachl

Austrian Alps

Swiss travel Day 5: Wed 18/5/11: Bernina route: Poschiavo and St Moritz & Schaffhausen:Rheinfall

It was my last day in Heidiland. Got into an early train to experience the Bernina Express route. It is much shorter than Glacier Express but this UNESCO world heritage has nonetheless 55 tunnels and 196 bridges with stunning view of Alp Grum, Mount Palu, Bernina peak and Morteratsch Glacier. I actually prefer this route than Glacier Express. The scenery around Alp Grum is particularly gorgeous.


I stopped at Poschiavo, a small Italian speaking town with lovely piazza and colourful buildings. I did not intend to stop initially but since I am not willing to pay extra to secure a seat in the Bernina Express, I had to wait nearly an hour for the normal train to arrive. It is really a small town with River Poschiavino running through it. There are Old Town Hall and few churches and museums.


Left Poschiavo via normal train to St Moritz, a well known resort for the rich. Lake St Moritz is quite impressive in size. I wandered around the posh street of St Moritz that is dotted with designer label shops. I did not have much time for sightseeing as I could not afford to miss the train to Zurich. Once reached Zurich, I changed train to go to Schaffhausen where I got into bus 1 to Rheinfall,  the largest waterfall in Europe. There is boat ride to the center of Rheinfall but I arrived too late and missed the last boat. On top of the waterfall is Schloss Laufen. I walked around the waterfall then along Rhine River to get to Neuhausen station. My train to Innsbruck from Zurich was near 10pm and I reached Innsbruck past midnight. Slept at Innsbruck train station that night and I managed to get some sleep on the chair before woken up by some drunk youths.

Rheinfall