Tag: german

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Vienna, Austria – An Amaranthine Albertina

Viennese Museums

Anyone visiting Vienna has to have museums on the top of their list of things-to-do. This city is home to many extraordinary examples of very good museums, some even housed in former palaces. The Albertina is just such an example and a must see when visiting Vienna, their collection of fine art is, shall we say, first rate.

Vienna – The Natural History Museum – Naturhistorisches Museum Wien

Some Museums of Vienna

In fact, there are so many museums in Vienna, it is perhaps difficult to list them all. Below are a few that we visited and thoroughly enjoyed, along with a few photographs, just to remember the important works of art that are there.

The Hofburg

A complex of museums and a library, which we found out only allows users who are doing research or have special permission. Though we did not see any museums here, it does include a World Museum and a Papyrus Museum.

Maria-Theresien-Platz

Sitting across from one another, on the Maria-Theresien Platz, are the Art History and Natural History museums. This impressive public square was built  with the public in mind, where they could come and enjoy the museums and stroll the grounds afterwards. The square is joined on the one end by the Museumquartier and on the other by the Burgring (Ringstraße), across which lies the Hofburg.

Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

Across the Burgring from the Hofburg is the Art History Museum of Vienna, or the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. It houses unique art pieces collected by the Habsburgs during their reign.

The Albertina

Formerly a palace, the Albertina was rebuilt after the Second World War and refurbished at the turn of the millennium. It contains collections of works by Monet, Picasso, Dürer and Da Vinci to name a few, my favorites are the works by Klee and Chagall. Here is a slideshow of some of those works.

Batliner Collection

A famous collection of paintings featuring Monet and Picasso, the Batliner Collection was endowed to the Albertina by Herbert Batliner’s estate. It contains many important collections by modernist artists, including Chagall, Ernst and Klee. Here is a slideshow of what this collection has to offer.

The Habsburg State Rooms

The building also has a collection of state rooms that were used by the archdukes and archduchesses of the Habsburgs. It consists of about twenty rooms of varying styles and designs.

Restaurants

La Scala Trattoria

Yes we know, Italian food in Austria? Yes and yes! It is amazing how many Italian restaurants and trattoria there are here, including chains like Vapiano’s, if you need a quick bite for lunch.

Vienna – Italian Restaurant – La Scala

This was a great pick for lunch, the hosts are very attentive and the food is speedily and well prepared. Though I would say that cuisine that is offered has an almost Rome feel to it, either due to the owners origin or as a response to tourist’s expectations. All in all, you couldn’t any better in Vienna than selecting this place to eat Italian food.

Zum Weissen Rauchfangkehrer

This is an old Viennese restaurant, formerly owned by Sacher[1]The same person one who made the Sacher Torte famous, which was named after the exploits of a chimney sweep who had a torrid love affair with a young woman baker who used to work in the building. After some time of coming out each morning covered in baking flour the locals would jokingly call the place of the White Chimney Sweep.

Vienna – Restaurant Rauchfangkehrer

The food is traditional for this area and very well prepared, the pea soup was marvelous. The Wiener Schnitzel was above average with the breading being very tasty, crusty and separated from the veal, making for a delicious entree. As such, expect to pay above average prices.

Be aware, though we were seated immediately at fifteen after six in the evening, management of getting a table appeared a bit capricious to us. They seem to turn some parties away while accepting others of the same size without reservations. My wife and I were puzzled, so reservations are easy enough to make and probably a good idea.

Vienna – Altstadt – Rauchfangkehrer Viennese Restaurant

A Bit More Of Vienna

Another short slide show of other sights in Vienna we saw while walking around. Enjoy!

References

References
↑1 The same person one who made the Sacher Torte famous
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Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany – Bad Water And All

This is actually a missing post from our travels in Germany while we were visiting our daughter and her fiancée in August. As we were driving back from our visit in Kronberg im Taunus, we stopped here to visit the wonderful park and spa.

Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, or Bad Homburg before the Taunus, was originally settled in 1180. Until recently in the late 1800s it became widely known as Kaiser Wilhelm II’s summer residence. Wilhelm later erected the spa and built the Erlöserkirche, or Church of the Redeemer for which the place is now recognized.

We divided our time between the Schloßpark and the Kurpark, which features numerous fountains where people collect and drink the local water.

Schloßpark And The White Tower

The Schloßpark, or Castle Gardens, contains many fine flower beds and examples of exotic flora. There is also a large lake that can be enjoyed while taking a leisurely walk around the grounds. The main attraction here is the castle with its white tower and overlook of the grounds and lake. At the time of our visit the tower was closed and we were not able to ascend to see any views of the surrounding town.

The Kurpark

The water here is documented to contain a myriad of basic elements, minerals and other health regenerative ingredients that are ostensibly good for your health. I tasted a few, with my fingers crossed that I wouldn’t get sick (which I didn’t), and can say that the overwhelming tastes are of sulfur dioxide and metallic, most likely from manganese. Though drinking it often could cause issues, depending upon the mineral exposures, an occasional drink now and then probably has no negative impact to the body and may even help in some cases.

The Kurpark, or Spa Park or Garden, has many cafes and paths that one may stroll and enjoy during fine weather. There is a Swan Pond and a stream that runs through the park along which one may find numerous benches were one can stop, sit and just enjoy nature.

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Bacharach, Germany – Model Medieval Town

On a bend of the Rhine River above Mainz sits the small town of Bacharach. Nestled among the varied and many castles of the west bank, its row of buildings and high walls demonstrate historically how important this part of the Rhine was in the Middle Ages.

Bacharach – Above Burg Stahleck – August 2021

The walls of the Rhine River valley provide an ample perch for the many castles and fortresses that were built to protect the towns along its banks. The Stahleck Castle sits above this small town and extends it length of walls, turrets and towers around the small community like a net from above. The curtain of walls is formidable in both height and width, being its strongest at river level, where perhaps most of the attacks (if any) would probably originate.

The Town

There is no real center of town, since it is more of a stretch of houses and building along the Rhine. Points of interest include the main street called Mainzerstraße, where all of the shops are located, Blücherstraße which starts at Saint Peter’s church and continues up through the Steeger Tor, a smaller street called the Langestraße which parallels the main street and the beautiful park along the banks of the Rhine.

A main attraction here is the beautifully preserved Altes Haus. It is here where Robert Stolz wrote his operetta Wenn die kleinen Veilchen blühen, or “When the little violets bloom”, which was eventually performed in the Haag in 1932. Aside from that, it is an excellent example of Half-Timber, or Fachwerk framing.

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The hillsides in this area are dominated by vineyards, the area being a major wine producer for Germany. There are many Vintners here and many, if not all, sell directly to the public. Unfortunately after taking so long to eat, we were not predisposed to try and visit any of them.

Restaurants

There are several restaurants in town to choose from, all of which appear to serve a mixture of traditional German fare and some Mediterranean. It is probably preferable to find something on one of the side streets, since traffic is still allowed through the main thoroughfare.

Restaurant Burg Stahleck

We choose this restaurant based on its menu and amount of outside seating. Plus we were just lucky to get the last table with its advantage at being in a very strategic corner, in order to view the goings on in town.

Bacharach is indeed a great place to spend a day or afternoon. The combination of the town, the banks of the Rhine and Castle above it provide more than enough to do for anyone in the area looking for a day trip.

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Bolzano – Museums And Castles

Continuing our adventure in Bolzano, we found it has a number of good museums and many castles to visit, actually one of the denser areas for castles in Europe. We were lucky enough to have time to see two great museums and one of the better castles. If you are ever in Bozen/Bolzano, these are all great places to visit.

Museums

Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum

The South Tyrolean Museum of Archeology is the present home of Ötzi, the five thousand and three hundred year old man that was found frozen in an alpine mountain pass.

Südtiroler Archäologiemuseum

Visitors will learn who made the discovery and how, as well as many keen facts on the later removal and care for the iceman. It is amazing how many artifacts were found along with the body, all of which can be seen in the exhibits. Ötzi himself is viewable from a portal of glass, though which you can see most of the details of his frozen form. The room keeps him at the conditions in which he was found on the mountain-top.

Ötzi

Naturmuseum Südtirol

The South Tyrolean Museum of Nature is a rather small museum that provides a good educational foundation for the natural areas surrounding Bolzano. You can learn about all of the habitats and ecology of the forests and fields of the neighboring countryside, as well as its geology and climate.

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There are many hands-on exhibits for children, most of which are still accessible with the proper attention to hygiene, in this time of pandemic.

Castles

Schloss Runkelstein

Schloss Runkelstein

If you walk from Bozen/Bolzano to the castle, you will note that it is not just a thirty minute walk, but rather more like forty-five minutes.

Probably one of the larger castles in the area, with a location right next to the Talferbach, one of the many rivers (what we would call a stream in the States).

Schloss Runkelstein was built in 1237 near the road that north of Bozen up to the Ritten plateau, or Ober-Bozen. This was to avoid the Eisack river gorge. However, the road eventually passes through this very gorge and on through to the Brenner pass, making it a valuable piece of real estate for trade. It was actually built as a fortress to protect the local population. Not until the 14th and 15th centuries was it then converted by aristocracy into a castle.

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The castle contains great stories about Tristram and knights of the round table. There are several very good frescoes to enjoy and some very interesting period architecture. With any good castle, this one will take about forty-five minutes to hour to thoroughly discovery all it has to offer, including the views.

Our next blog will detail out hiking trip to Ober-Bozen and the Earth Pyramids.

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Bolzano – Modern Tyrol

The city of Bolzano, or Bozen, is a very modern city, fully equipped with everything that a modern person would want, trendy shopping, restaurants, very good transportation facilities and some very good hotels with all the creature comforts. It is more or less in the heart of South Tyrol.

Piazza Walther

The Tickets

Bozen/Bolzano offers a very good ticket package for travel and entry into many museum, castles and other venues in the surrounding area. The tickets are also good for the cable car and many trains, including the train that runs to Meran/Merano. The three day pass cost €30 at the time of this writing, but you will find that after a few cable car rides and museums, it has already paid for itself.

Südtirol AltoAdige MuseoMobile – Tickets For Two

The City

A mixture of the modern and the past, they have cleverly sculpted modern buildings, museums and stores into the fabric of past buildings. Of course, keeping in mind the past at all times, even the old hotels protect frescoes and other art when renovating, this is even evident outside.

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The Laurin Hotel

Our hotel stay was at the Laurin, a beautiful four star hotel near the center of the city. It has all of the comforts of home and more.

The Hotel Laurin

The rooms are spacious and full of amenities, including slippers and spa robes. So if you are looking for a place in Bolzano to pamper you, this hotel should be on your list.

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The Franciscan Monastery

The monastery is in very good condition with a portico that has a painted ceiling and several frescoes that depict the establishment of the Franciscan church.

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The Franciscan Story

The following frescoes can be found in the church and offer a pedagogical study of the monastery and its teachings.

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Bolzano Cathedral

This cathedral is known for its colorful roof and it does have one with a very distinctive pattern.

Restaurants

La Torcia

Very good Italian pizza and food for a very good price. They have the traditional wood fired pizza oven and very good wine from the tap.

Ristorante La Torcia

As you can see below the pizza looks amazing and it was delicious as well. The desserts, like most desserts in Tyrol, are amazing.

Der Weisser Rössl

A Tyrolean restaurant offering all of the local special. It is actually rather large inside and probably can handle hundreds of locals and tourists at a time. However, while we were here they hardly filled the back garden area and a few tables inside, a sad sign of the times.

Weisser Roessl

The food however is actually quite good. I particularly enjoyed the Hungarian Gulash soup.

The Franziskaner Stuben

We ate at this restaurant for lunch and enjoyed it thoroughly. Try the Gnocchi plate or any pasta dish, they are great.

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Luzern – The Latern City

The fourth largest city in Switzerland and split by the Reuss river on the Vierwaldstättersee, or Lake Lucerne, lies Luzern. A pretty little city with ample bridges and pedestrian streets, where one can easily spend a few days relaxing and enjoying the fine Swiss hospitality of the people here, who speak a dialect of German called Alemannic. I found it impossible to understand and difficult sometimes even when they spoke High German, their dialect’s influence on their pronunciation being that profound.

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Luzern On The River Reuss

Hotel Ameron

Our hotel was rather well situated. A block or two got us to the train station one way, the other we can cross the famous Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge. So, it is an excellent place to start a tour of the city.

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Hotel Ameron

The Chapel Bridge

The first, and most conspicuous point of interest to see, is the Kapellbrücke. Restored in 1993 after a major fire, some of its paintings survived and can be enjoyed with a casual walk across it to see its namesake church, Saint Peter’s Chapel, or just to get to the other side.

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The above is a slideshow of the bridge and its adjacent water tower, or Wasserturm, but the tower has nothing to do with holding water. Rather, it is named so, because it is standing in water. It has had several uses in the past, but recently it now has a tourist shop located within, which is currently temporarily closed due to lack of tourism in the area.

The Spreuer Bridge

This Spreuer Bridge also spans the Reuss river and has a more interesting structure adjacent to it, a turbine house and assembly for generating electricity. It is no longer in use, and was closed in the 1970s due to high maintenance cost and difficulties finding parts.

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The bridge also contains the similar paintings as can be found on the Chapel Bridge, along with a small altar celebrating the Madonna.

The water from the Reuss picks up speed rapidly after this bridge, as it is confined to a smaller space for the turbine to use. The rapids are swiftly moving and create quite a noise. Unfortunately in the video below, I thought the bridge was the Chapel bridge at the time, since it does have a small chapel or altar within it, so please ignore that comment.

The Musegg Mauer

The Musegg Mauer, or wall, is a long and imposing edifice of the city. It climbs the hill rapidly on the side of the Spreuer Bridge, starting at the Nölliturm, and ends almost at the other side of the city before Zürichstrasse, with the Dächliturm. The towers are arranged as seen below, some of which, like the Wachturm, can be visited.

Here is a short slideshow of our walk around the wall, up the Wachturm and along the top of its wall for some way.

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Using the legend provided above, you should be able to identify each tower by its unique shape.

Luzern The City

The rest of the city is geared toward shopping, eating and tourism. It is clear that some shops have fallen on hard times have closed, others are temporarily closed or are opening on modified schedules. Here are some views as you walk through the city.

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One thing to note, the city is full of interesting looking doors and cornices. If you keep your eyes open you may see a few things you likely not see elsewhere.

The Lion Monument

Hidden across the Zürichstrasse and in the same area as the Glacier Garden, is the Lion Monument of Luzern. A carving out of solid rock in a very quiet and tranquil place in the middle of a city.

So, if you are looking for a relaxing spot to end your day of walking the town, this park will provide the quiet you need. It is open to the public for free, however, for the Glacier Gardens, there is a fee of 12CHF per person.

Restaurants

The Rathaus Brauerei

If you are hungry and need a bite to eat while walking around, or just need some good Swiss food, the Rathaus Brauerei may fit your needs. It has customary Swiss fare at a reasonable price. They even have expresso and a good selection of wine and beer to wash it down. We had soup, water, wine a large mixed salad, an order of Wurst with Sauerkraut, expresso and Sambuca, all for the reasonable Swiss price of 63CHF. I say reasonable, because all food in Switzerland is expensive. By the way, they have great mustard here, enjoy!

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My Salad and Wurstchen Plates

Well that’s it for what we call a whirlwind tour of Luzern. Normally, we like to stay awhile in a place to get the real feel for it, but it was more of a waypoint for us on our way back to Turin. We were glad we stopped by to enjoy what it had to offer, even though it was still very quiet due to the affects of the pandemic.

Bis nächstes Mal, Tschüß!

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Interlaken Ost To Luzern

Just a quick post on the train ride from Interlaken to Luzern. We took the regional railroad service from Interlaken Ost to Luzern, a daily service that runs at about thirty minute intervals during regular hours.

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Interlaken Ost to Lucern – North is down

Leaving Interlaken

The trip is divided up into about two parts, one before the Brünigpass and one after. Here is a quick slideshow of photographs taken before the pass.

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Here are a few videos climbing the mountain up to the pass. The regional train on this route is a bit bumpy and swerves alot, so if you are inclined to have motion sickness, it is best to take it before you leave Interlaken Ost.

Arriving In Luzern

Once over the mountain there is a slow descent and the train will stop several places before arriving at the main train station in Luzern.

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And here is a final video of the train traveling along the Sarnersee before we entered Luzern.

That’s it! The overall trip takes about two hours, due to the stops and the windy tracks. The train had to repeatedly re-engage the rake, or cog wheel, system as it went up and over the mountain. It seem to disengage at each stop then re-engage when leaving, which tended to slow us down some.

I hope you enjoyed this short traveling version of our post. Next post will be about Luzern.

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Grindelwald – Jungfraujoch

Departing from Grindelwald once again, we find ourselves heading through the Kleine Scheidegg to our ultimate destination – Jungfraujoch, the Top Of Europe, or so they say.

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Jungfrau Glacier

Jungfraujoch

The Jungfraujoch experience is a collection of tunnels accessed by the Jungfraujoch rack rail directly under the saddle or “Joch” of the Jungfrau. However, most of these tunnels are actually under the south side of Mönch and provide access to the glacier, the observatory, as well as other necessities for people to visit. It all starts with a train ride.

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Tickets For Two – Jungfraujoch From Grindelwald

As you can see from the price on our tickets, they are not inexpensive, so get a travel pass if traveling by family or small groups. As a couple we probably could have saved some money, but we wanted to remain flexible since we slow travel and never know what we are doing one day to the next.

With the exception of the glacier stop, which by the way you can only view going up (so get out if you want to see it), all other exhibits in the Jungfraujoch can be visited in any order.

The Eiger Glacier

The first stop, while on the train, is the Eiger glacier. Since our hiking trip from Kleine Scheidegg showed us the bottom of the glacier, we thought it only fitting to see where it begins as well. It is a five minute stop, so you must hop off and hop back on once you are done.

In the photographs above, you can just see where the glacier drops over the edge and descends rapidly. From there, you can pick up the view of it from below (see our previous post on Kleine Scheidegg).

Jungfraujoch – Glacier

While you are still inside the complex, the first glimpses of the glacier are impressive. Here are some photographs while we were still winding through the corridors trying to find our first tour.

Jungfraujoch – Museum Exhibits

There are a few museum related exhibits on the lower floor the include dioramas and other artifacts in glass enclosures. They all make for interesting reading.

Jungfraujoch – Ice Palace

The ice palace, or palast, is a corridor and rooms with ice carvings in them. It is cold, kept at a constant minus six degrees celsius, so you will need to bring something warm to supplement your apparel.

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Here are also some videos of walking through the ice tunnel. The floor is actually not as slippery as one would think, probably due to intense cold temperature they keep it at.

Jungfraujoch – Alpine Sensation

The Alpine Sensation is a mixture of museum and distractions for children. It still offers enough to stop and take a look at some of the interesting exhibits and information they have on the history of the Jungfraujoch. However, if you take the moving walkway they may be more difficult to read.

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Jungfraujoch – The Sphinx

Though not completely sure why it’s called The Sphinx, probably a mixture of the astronomy dome and the platforms resembling that form from a distance, it offers outside panoramic views of the glacier and the surrounding peaks. Bundle up though, it’s cold outside!

Here are some remaining still photographs in a slideshow.

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This concludes our trip to Grindelwald and the surrounding areas. We really enjoyed the hotel, the town, the hiking, the air and of course the mountains! We hope to return one day with our children. But until then, on to Lucern, our next stop on our trip.

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Grindelwald – Kleine Scheidegg

At two thousand or so meters above sea level and little Grindelwald, is the small train interchange of the mountain pass at Kleine Scheidegg. Three separate lines run from here and it becomes a busy little beehive in the morning hours, less so in the afternoon, at least during summer.

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Kleine Scheidegg Train Station

We purchased our tickets in Grindelwald station not thinking much about passes, which is actually a mistake, but live and learn. In any case, to get there you take the rack train, or cog train, from Grindelwald.

The way up takes about thirty minutes and there are about three stops along the way, including Grindelwald Grund, to pick up passengers who drive to take the train on a day trip. Since I forgot to take a video going up, here is a short one on the way down.

Note: Investigate getting a multi-day pass that includes the Jungfraujoch and traveling in the area. Especially if you are traveling with family or a group, this may save you serious money. The Jungfraujoch is an inclusive train/experience, so it will be a bit pricey, so any discount you can get may relieve the sticker shock.

 

Kleine Scheidegg

With the Hotel Bellevue, where Clint Eastwood stayed during the shooting of The Eiger Sanction, a movie based on the novel with the same name; Kleine Scheidegg is a collection of hotels, cafes and train lines to other parts, including Jungfraujoch and Lauterbrunnen.

The Eiger Glacier

Next to the imposing Eiger, the Eiger glacier drains its icy contents between itself and the Mönch, while Jungfrau sits idly by, to the right of both.

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The Eiger Glacier – Eiger Is To The Left, Mönch Is Directly Behind It

The hike from the train station up to the glacier is about an hour and can be quite demanding at time. There is loose gravel and some tricky places where you ascend. But it’s all worth it in the end, the views are amazing. Here is a slideshow of the sights that we saw on our trek up.

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Restaurants

I hope you enjoyed our trip to the glacier and the area around it. We actually did eat at a small place here, it’s not much to look at, and at the time they only had window service because they are still in reduced operations.

Restaurant Eigernordwand

This little restaurant has very limited room inside and outside, so first come, first served, as they say. The menu is rather simple, but the food is very good. Like other places around and due to its location, the prices are on the high side, especially for window-only service.

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Restaurant Eigernordwand

If you are traveling during virus restrictions, keep in mind that you have to remain flexible. So prices notwithstanding, we still enjoyed it and felt that we had a decent lunch when we left.

Our day trip ends with a short video of  us pulling out of the Kleine Scheidegg station. Patti and I both agreed we have to visit during winter, to get the full feeling for this beautiful place.