Tag: history

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Bari, Italy – Ancient City Wonder – Part Two

Bari An Ancient City Wonder

In part one was an initial take on how Bari is an ancient city built on a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea on the east coast of Italy. In this second part, some of the cathedrals and museums that are interesting and available to see upon visiting are discussed.

Museums

Of course ancient Bari has its museums, most of which record activities by humans that predate the Roman Empire. In some places in Italy and the Mediterranean Sea, one might come to the conclusion, that if one could dig deep enough one would uncover the big bang as well.

The Svevo Castle

If the Bari peninsula were to be looked at like it was a triangle, then the Castello Normanno-Svevo or Norman-Swabian Castle, would occupy the entire lower left hand angle. It is a huge building that occupies a considerable amount of real estate on that side of the old city.

Surrounded by a moat that is currently grown in, the exterior appears well kept in spots, but requiring considerable work in other places.

The Swabian Castle Museum

The museum does not contain many artifacts per se, but it does have a very good multi-media presentation and displays in some of the larger spaces.

Churches and Cathedrals

Cathedral Of Bari

The Cathedral of Bari was built mostly in the last thirty years of the twelfth century. It was built on top of the destroyed Byzantine church that used to stand, as well as older Roman ruins.

The interior is rather majestic for an ancient Catholic church and owes much to the simplicity of its architecture.

The Crypt

The church, architect and builders ensured that below this amazing edifice would be a crypt. The crypt preserves the remains of Saint Sabinus in the main altar, but there are other notable sarcophagi as well.

The Archaeological Ruins

Alongside and even below the crypt are some amazing archaeological ruins that extend all the way back to the third century. This includes some incredible mosaics, frescos and even a partial roman road, where one can even see the remains of where the wagon wheels once traveled.

The Church Museum

Finally there is a small museum showing old church vestments and other relics. Not particularly of much interest, so if you wish to skip this part you probably can without much guilt.

Though having said that, the most interesting thing I though they had were a set of old hymnal parchment rolls.

Restaurants

Ciclatera

Ciclatera, under the sea is a great spot to stop for a drink or to have a small bite to eat. Located on the Lungomare right after the Fort of San Antonio, this little cafe or restaurant has a great bar and food menu. We only stopped for a drink, but what we could see of the menu, the prices seemed pretty reasonable.

Piccinni 28

Located one block over in Murat from the old city on via Niccola Piccinni, is Piccinni 28 Italian restaurant. It appears to be a favorite for locals, since we saw numerous work groups come in and have lunch.

They offer pizza and a typical Italian menu with some Apulian twists to it. For us, it was trying something new, so we of course picked the Spaghetti All’Assassina, or assassin’s spaghetti, an overcooked spicy dish with ragu that is rather tasty.

That along with a fine glass of wine and an Insalata Mista on top makes for a great lunch, enjoy!

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Bari, Italy – Ancient City Wonder – Part One

Bari An Ancient City Wonder

Bari is an ancient city built on a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea on the east coast of Italy. It is part of the Apulia region of that country and for many centuries considered part of Southern Italy, which until early twentieth century was considered distinct from the Northern Italy.

The Italians here speak their own language, which is distinct from Italian and descended from the Neapolitan Dialect called the Barese Dialect. The differences here are also reflected in the food, pasta and other cultural areas.

The city itself has four distinct areas or sections, the old ancient part of the city is located on the peninsula. The train station is located in Murat, which may be considered the business section of the city.

Getting There

Since we are located in Northern Italian city of Turin, there are two options for us to get there, either the Turin or Milan airport. Since RyanAir has service to many small cities in Italy, Turin being one of them, they were the right choice for us. They provide a direct non-stop flight from Turin to Bari which only takes an hour and a half. It’s not cheap, but on the reasonable side. Even in January, with two flights a day, the plan was almost full.

Once we landed there were several options to get from the airport to the city. Train, bus, taxi and rent-a-car. When we can, we always prefer and ride the train. We just find it more relaxing and trouble free, but that of course depends on the country and the railroad that is available.

Apulia has its own train system, separate from TrennItalia, so we purchased tickets at the desk before entering the train station (I figure, I can always install the phone application later for any return business). The trip from Bari Airport to Bari Centrale (C.le) takes about thirty minutes with about four of five stops in between.

Where We Stayed

Frankly, I no longer care for BnBs and will take a hotel over them any day. However, given the opportunity to check other Bed and Breakfast places, outside the crap these applications serve up, we will book our stays with them, provided we have thoroughly checked them out ahead of time using other people’s recommendations as our source material.

Murex B&B

Murex B&B is a very nice modern Bed & Breakfast in the heart of the ancient city of Bari. The owners are young, attentive and respectful of our needs. The amenities that are provided are sufficient and plentiful. Our room came with breakfast each morning and other treats, that would not normally be provided at some hotels and definitely not at those other places.

One word of caution however, the staircase to enter is rather steep. So, if you require assistance with your luggage, you should ask. The owners are more than obliging to any requests and will carry it up and down for you.

Our room was La Città, it was spacious, well lit and warm. The bed was firm with a cushion top and it definitely helped me nod off.

Basilica Pontificia San Nicola

The Basilica Pontificia San Nicola was built in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries and consists of a basic architecture of a nave with neighboring aisles.

The ceiling and interior has a rarity to it, that only an ancient church can provide. The roof is made of wood and is occluded by arches buttressing the sides together, few if any at right angles to each other, giving the entire interior a rather haphazard look.

 

The Crypt

Here you can find the tomb of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Christmas. The crypt is a beautiful room with myriad arches all of which are adorned with unique capitols.

Restaurants

Our first day here we only had time for one meal. Since we ate rather late in the afternoon, around three o’clock, we simply weren’t hungry enough for dinner later that evening.

Matiti Pasta Bistrot

This bistrot did not get very good ratings online, however we found both the food and service adequate for lunch. I ordered a glass of red Primitivo wine from the area which was just delicious, and a 5€ glass, it didn’t hurt my wallet either.

We kept things simple with a Caprese Salad, an Insalata Mista and later some pasta. After that I had an espresso and a sambuca. The total came to 62€ for two people, with two glasses of wine and coperto.

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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany – Saved from destruction

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is not doubt a miracle town amongst towns in Germany. Partially bombed during World War II, it took an American officer and the German commander of the city at the time to spare this town. The results of which, we are able to enjoy this middle-age town as it appears today, forty percent of which was nevertheless destroyed by allied bombing before it was stopped.

It is located in Bavaria and is about one and a half to two hours drive from the Frankfurt area on the A3 and A7, weather permitting of course. There are several parking areas to choose from for visitors, though we found street parking a block or so further out for free.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

If it weren’t for it’s strange history at the end of World War II, this town would be easily overlooked. Not necessarily by Germans, but definitely by international tourists always looking for some interesting sidebar or reason to visit. Luckily, even on a Saturday, we did not find it all that busy for a tourist destination. We only hope that it will stay that way.

Marktplatz

The center square hosts various shops and restaurants, as well as the Town Hall and Ratstrinkstube Clock Tower. Saint George’s fountain can also be found here toward the lower part of the square.

Towers

Rothenburg has many towers on all sides of the town, especially on the eastern side. The main entrance towers are of course grander, but the little ones are no less impressive.

The City Wall

It is one of only three towns in Germany which is still encompassed by a fully intact town wall. The eastern part of the wall, the one which we were actually able to walk on, was mostly repaired after its destruction at the end of the war.

Several parts are boarded up or unreachable, but many people from around the world contributed funds in the effort to reconstruct it, making it possible to enjoy it today. There are several main entry points, Gallows Gate, Thomas Tower and one near Ruckesse Tower, to name a few.

Restaurants

There are many restaurants to choose from in Rothenburg, many of which are located in or near the town square. Luckily, we failed on locating an Italian restaurant that was open, but it is August and the Italians are notorious for taking the entire month off for vacation. That forced to find the amazing place that we did below.

Reichsküchenmeister – Das Herz von Rothenburg

If you are able to obtain a seat in the garden, one of the go to places in Rothenburg for a weekend lunch or early dinner.

The garden is just amazing, a totally relaxed atmosphere where we were fortunate enough to have a very responsive waiter. The menu is varied enough where one should be able to find something to fit their culinary needs.

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Mainz and Frankfurt, Germany – Revisiting old places

Not having an abundance of time, we decided to stay somewhat local a few times and visit Mainz and Frankfurt, both of which are but a stone’s throw away from Offenbach. Since we have been to both several times, we wanted to show other family members these two cities and will post mostly photographs without a lot of text.

Mainz

Restaurants

While in Mainz, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants, or in this case a Wine house (Weinhaus), that our friends Karl Heinz and Isolde Seegräber introduced us to in the course of one of our earlier visits.

Hof Ehrenfels Weinstube

Frankfurt

In Frankfurt all we did was a Stadtbummel around the city and just wandered around.

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Chapel Hill, North Carolina – A Weekend Escape

Chapel Hill And The Carolina Inn

As a Christmas gift from our children, we recently had a weekend stay at the Carolina Inn in beautiful Chapel Hill, North Carlolina. Celebrating its one hundred year anniversary this year, this old colonial inn is an integral part of the town and the university.

Ideally located within walking distance to almost everything within the town, it is a good home base for those who would rather not get in and out of the car constantly. Within five or ten minutes, you can reach Franklin Street and its restaurants, cafes and shopping, and the college is just a stone’s throw away. Parking is $26/night for either self-park or valet service and the lot is attended overnight.

The UNC Campus

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dominates the town and gives Chapel Hill that old university town feel. As one walks through the grounds of the university, it is easy to see the different architectural and building styles that were adopted throughout the years.

The walkways are appointed with old style colonial lamps in many areas and in some areas it is possible to think of what it might have been like back in those times. The architectural wonders even extend to some of the fraternity houses and other ancillary buildings on the campus. The only other remarkable things of note are the massive and beautiful trees that line most of the streets, many of which probably have been around as long as the university itself.

Moorehead Planetarium

The Moorehead Planetarium is always a nice place to visit, especially if you have children. For a modest fee, you can enjoy both a planetarium show, as well as the museum, which also provides hands-on learning exhibits for younger visitors.

The most enjoyable part however is the planetarium itself. Although they were totally booked on the Saturday and we were unable to see a show with our small party of five, they did have opening for Super Bowl Sunday. So we were able to enjoy their wonderful presentation, “One Sky, Many Eyes”. Though totally automated now with computers and an updated projection system, I do miss the old planetarium projectors.

Ackland Art Museum

If you are ever in the area, I cannot think of a better place to spend a few hours of your afternoon than at the Ackland Museum. Frankly, for me it was a surprise and delight, the free admission making it even more so. Having nothing else to do on our somewhat rainy day and weekend, we decided to go after our quick stroll down Franklin Street (there are signs on the pavement on Franklin, so just follow them if you are not sure).

The exhibits are eclectic in way and a bit varied, but most somehow unexpectedly go together, perhaps owing to very good planning and the way the building splits into separate areas.

I found the mixed media video of the eyeball and voice over rather well done, strange and quite interesting. Shown on a sphere, it actually had that eyeball look.

The museum also has a nice collection of Indian, Southeast Asian and Indonesian Art. Some contemporary and others a bit older. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be a total surprise, not expecting too much when we entered.

Restaurants

Chapel Hill offers a wide variety of restaurants. Most of the ones that populate the small area around Franklin street, cater to the university students, so you will find them somewhat budget friendly and internet centric. The more upscale restaurants, you will find further out of the main town and on the periphery.

TRU Cafe

A small cafe down Henderson Street, it has both inside and outside seating and definitely caters to the university students.

The service is very relaxed and all orders are done via their website, which at the time of this writing, was a nightmare and terrible. However, after only several attempts, we were all able to submit our orders. We were not surprised to learn later, that some of our orders did not come out and we had to re-ordered them; so, bring your patience with you. And no, they do NOT have their own phone application and no, the service people will not take your order.

Osteria Georgi

This small restaurant is situated on the corner of a small strip mall on South Elliot street and Franklin. They have both inside and outside seating and a fairly attentive staff. We sat outside, since it was tolerably warm out and it was packed inside; we didn’t want to catch anything before traveling back to Europe in the next few weeks.

The food was good, I ordered the lasagna which was very tasty and my wife order the Pasta Vongole. The Gattinara was excellent and I would commend it to anyone willing to try something a bit different.

Carolina Coffee Shop

The Carolina Coffee Shop says it is the oldest restaurant in town and is split in two, one side does only coffee and take-out, while the other offers a restaurant experience with full staff. Wanting the sit down experience, we tried the restaurant.

The sandwiches are very good and the service was timely. It can get busy during peak lunch hour, so if you are willing to wait a bit and eat later, the atmosphere is more relaxed and subdued.

IL Palio Restaurant

One of our old-time favorites is the Il Palio in Chapel Hill. Located in the Siena Hotel, this restaurant usually features exceptional service and even a piano player while you order and eat. Unfortunately, we were there on Super Bowl weekend so the service was limited to the outside bar area and there was no music.

However, that did not prevent us from having a good time and enjoying the excellent food that is provided by the kitchen staff. Additionally, compared with other places, the prices no longer look as inflated as perhaps in previous years.

We would like to thank our children for the gift, we had a wonderful time. It was a great gift and being the travelers we are, we wouldn’t mind doing it again in a different town in North Carolina, if the occasion were to present itself.

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Budapest, Hungary – Odds And Ends

Here are some final thoughts on Budapest, that would not fit in the previous articles.

Budapest Sightseeing

Normally were are not ones for taking sightseeing ventures of most any kind, unless it is very personal and involves a tour guide with a smaller group. However, sometimes you feel you have to try something new, oh well.

Legenda River Cruise

We took this river cruise on other recommendations but were a bit disappointed. Here’s why we would not recommend them:

    • We felt that though the cruise did show you the city at night, the tour was essentially something you could watch at home on TV, in fact, you actually do watch it on TV on the boat as it cruises, while listening in your headset.
    • The video and tour were often out of sync, so you could not actually see what they were talking about, boring and unprofessional.
    • The front is rather closed in and uncomfortable. In the summer the boat has to be adapted to warmer weather, like the rear of the boat.
    • The waitress tries to remember your free-drink offer and terribly forgets. Multiple times. I wouldn’t mind so much, but some of us didn’t even receive our drinks. So don’t buy the “free drinks” bullshit line!

Aside from the above, here are some photographs.

The Metro

Budapest has a pretty good metro. Though not terribly extensive, it does not go to the airport, it does however cover a pretty good portion of the city. Each entry point is marked with a stylized ‘M’ and you will have to pay attention to the direction of travel, the end-point or terminal station. Direction of travel on most signs is noted, as well as all of the stops made by the line.

The M1 Metro Line

Clearly the oldest and the noisiest for sure. Luckily this line runs up the old Andrássy ut avenue and fairly close to where our hotel was situated; so we were able to take this line a number of times.

The Remainder of Budapest

Here are some left over photographs from our visit to Budapest.

Restaurants

Here are numerous restaurants, most of which we really liked.

Spinoza Cafe

The Spinoza Cafe was a lark, since we were just walking away from the Jewish quarter back to the hotel. It has a viable menu with very good service.

It was a bit warm outside, but we ordered something light and made the best of it.

Bestia Restaurant

A fairly good restaurant downtown that has plenty of outside seating. We did make reservations for this one, but not sure they were actually needed. However, making them ahead of time will never hurt.

Mazel Tov Restaurant

I have to say I was very surprised and delighted with Mazel Tov. Not only do they have a very good venue, restaurant saying, they also have very good food.

I ordered the soup and pastrami sandwich and was pleasantly surprised by the taste and texture, they really know how to slice pastrami, nano-thin.

 

Mystery Hotel Restaurant

The Mystery Hotel has a very good view of Budapest, for those wishing such a thing. We availed ourselves of an evening of drinks here, after a long day of sightseeing and museum visiting. Unfortunately while we were there, they had a music mixer that was definitely one-dimensional, playing the same bum-bum-bum crap that belongs more in a club venue, than a restaurant.

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Budapest, Hungary – Royal Buda

Buda – Where The Royal Life Was

Budapest is split into two parts by the Danube River. As a natural obstacle, it offered some amount of protection, or defense, against enemies or in some cases, the population. Buda is such a place. It is where the royal families of Hungary chose to build their fine castle.

Buda Castle Hill

Buda Castle Hill is mostly wooded and covers only about a third of the entire city of Budapest. Its most prominent feature is the Castle Hill, where the Buda Castle and the Church of Matthias stand.

On top of this hill sits the Buda Castle and most royal buildings. It has a very good view of the valley below and Pest on the other side.

The Underhill Hospital Museum

One of the more interesting curiosities on the hill is the Underhill Hospital. A short walk from the Budapest-Déli M2 stop through the Vérmezö Park will get you there, that is, after climbing a few sets of stairs, it is on a hill.

Unfortunately, you cannot take photographs inside, so inside will have to remain a mystery until one visits. However, a bit of history may peek one’s interest. It started as a system of caves dug out from the hill for storage and then protection. Later, it was confiscated and repurposed as a hospital during the wars. It was also used as an air-raid shelter and later efforts were made to make it into a hospital which could take patients in the event of a nuclear war. Though noble, it will become quite clear to anyone who visits that the approach, space and logistics were oversimplified and in the end – unpractical.

The Matthias Church

One can not help point out the Matthias Church [1]also known as The Church of the Assumption of Buda Castle when they reach the top of the hill. With its one tower and beautifully shiny tiles, it does not show its true age. It actually has a remarkable history which actually makes it tightly woven with all Hungarian history. Two kings had their coronation there and it has had many names in the past and has been rebuilt and reconstructed many times. Definitely worth a visit.

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

The two sides of Budapest were not formerly brought together by bridge until 1849, when the Széchenyi Chain Bridge. It is probably one of the most remarkable features of the city, just because it is so different. Happily, the Hungarians had the prescience to rebuild it after the war exactly they way it was before, preserving it character and that of the city. A walk over this bridge is actually worth the time.

Restaurants

We only ate at one restaurant on the Buda side, since there were only a couple points of interest for us on east side of the river.

Arany Hordo Cafe

The Arany Hordo Cafe might be called the Gold Barrel Restaurant on you map application, not sure why.

It is a small cafe on the corner of Tárnok utca and Anná utca on Buda Castle Hill, not far from the Matthias Church. It has nice open air seating, if you can get a table. The food is decent, as well as the service and the prices are reasonable considering the area.

We stuck to simple fare for lunch and enjoyed it immensely.

References

References
↑1 also known as The Church of the Assumption of Buda Castle
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Budapest, Hungary – Lively Pest

Pest – Where The Real Life Is

Budapest is a very clean city, with a strange, almost quiescent nature to it. For the most part there is a noticeable absence of police, yet there appears to be very little crime, or at least the appearance of no crime, unlike other countries like Italy or France, where the authorities parade around with weapons and make their presence known.

The Pest side of Budapest has most, if not all, of the hotels and many of the restaurants. It has monuments on every corner and more history than you probably want to consume. Both sides are very active, but the Pest side is the side where all the boats dock, like Viking River Cruises and others, so it can get quite busy after ten o’clock in the morning.

Though beautiful, after a while you realize, like so many other cities in Europe, it’s all about the facade. It’s all brick underneath, mortar and stone.

Parliament Tour

For anyone visiting Budapest, the Parliament on the Pest side is an attraction that must be seen. However, be careful when purchasing tickets! There are a few official looking websites out there that purchase them for you at double the price. Check and double check your search engine and map application to ensure you have the official website. It will be quite obvious if you do, since you will receive your tickets immediately, instead of waiting for them to „appear“ in your mailbox.

Looking at the front of the building from the land side, you enter from the right and below ground. There are also some interesting monuments before you enter worth seeing, so keep your eyes open for them.

The tour is rather long but very thorough. We were even able to catch a glimpse of their unicameral legislature in-session! We were actually quite impressed with the thoroughness and professionalism of the tour. Though we thought they spoke at length, perhaps too long, about the crown jewels, which of course you were unable to photograph.

Restaurants

Here are a few more restaurants we visited in Budapest, one of which I wish I never went to due to social media idiots.

New York Cafe

There is a term in America and it is quite apropos here, „lipstick on a pig“. My thoughts regarding this cafe were that it was totally over-priced for the quality of food and service received, though the interior was quite impressive

In fact, that can be considered one of the downsides to this cafe; there were so many people mulling around and taking photographs, it was actually quite annoying at times. Especially in this day of social media, where everyone has to take the so called infamous and narcissistic „selfie“ or „influencer“ pose. It makes a person like me almost puke at times.

The food was sub-par for such a restaurant; we had the Pasta Pomodoro and thought although the pasta was done properly, the sauce tasted of nothing. The wine on the other hand was satisfactory in taste, but way over-priced at 50€/bottle. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except the service was just not so great.

Pick Bistro Deli

This little bistro, on Kossuth Lajos tér, is not far from the Parliament building and a great place to stop for lunch after your exhaustive tour.

They have many great Hungarian lunch items to choose from and the staff and service were excellent for us. They also have plenty of open-air seating, which during a warm day makes the visit all that much more enjoyable.

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Bad Gastein, Austria – Böckstein Hike

Yesterday, since the weather was definitely improving, we decided to take a walk or hike to Böckstein, another town along the river that feeds the majestic Gasteiner Falls.

To get there you can hike the Kaiserin Elisabethe Promenade, which is for the most part paved and relatively flat. It is probably important to remember to bring water, since there is not much wind in the valley and the sun can make it quite hot without any shade or clouds to protect you.

Böckstein

Located a bit more than three kilometers south of Bad Gastein is Böckstein, a small hamlet of houses at the nexus of the Pallner Bach and the Naßfelder Ache.

The town center has some historical buildings and items of interest, and of course a museum that was not open. Check the times, because like many other businesses in the area, they are probably only open from 15:00 – 18:00. However, if you do get to visit, definitely stop, I heard the museum is quite interesting and well presented.

Within the park there is an old mining train on display. The Elektrische Grubenlokomotive, or electric mining train, is part of the Montanmuseum of Böckstein and a very interesting find for train enthusiasts.

Restaurants

The unfortunate thing about Bad Gastein is the lack of restaurants. There are about a handful of them that are owned by the same entity that owns our hotel, therefore the menu in each becomes rather predictable. Our hotel does have the Ritz restaurant, however it only offers a five-course meal at a fix priced. Which is in and off itself okay, but the quantity of food sometimes is just too much.

Angelo Pizzeria

Located on Karl-Heinrich-Waggerl-Straße, Angelo Pizzeria is actually part of the group that owns the Salzburger Hof hotel. It is usually open from 15:00 to 20:00 and has fairly good pizza. The soup was actually quite good, I had their tomato soup with creme fraiche and it was very tasty.

Their mixed salad is a typical German gemischter Salat, where everything is actually not mixed, but placed next to each other. So all of the grated carrots, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes line the bowl. Moreover, on the bottom of your mixed greens, you will find a surprise of traditional coleslaw or chopped cabbage, beans, sliced beets and German potato salad styled potatoes.

Wirtshaus Jägerhäusl

This restaurant does not belong to the chain mentioned above and offers a happy alternative to the same menu. The decor is appealing and it is also in a quiet area, away from the Silver Bullet Bar that plays loud music.

Here you can actually find a Minestrone soup and other dishes that are well prepared and taste great. We both ordered the soup, I ordered the chicken sandwich and Patti ordered the chicken schnitzel. With a bottle of water it all came to 57€, which we found reasonable for the area.

Today it’s off to the top of the Stubnerkogel and a day on the mountain.

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Bad Gastein, Austria – Gasteiner Falls

We left Turin early in the morning on the 5:50AM train, in order to catch the FrecciaRossa from Turin to Milan. Of course, due to the early hour, we used the Wetaxi Application and ordered a taxi for 12€ to take us to Porta Nuovo, the main train station in this part of the city.

Our connecting FrecciaRossa, took us from Milan to Venice Maestre, where we picked up our Austrian ÖBB train to Villach, Austria. Luckily, all of our connections, and there were four, worked without issue.

An hour train north of Villach, Austria you can find the small health spa town of Bad Gastein. Though a shadow of its former self, when dignitaries and other luminaries used to visit for its waters and mountain air, it is still worth a visit, if not only for the aforementioned reasons.

Bad Gastein

The town runs at a slower pace than other mountains towns we have visited. Perhaps it is more difficult to capture tourist monies with a waterfall and health resort as the primary attractions, as opposed to say a very large mountain or a large ski resort complex.

There are parts of the town center that appear to be in eternal repair. Though there is work going on here and there, it does not appear to have progressed much in the last few years. The thermal water fountain building and the old Kurhotel of Austria appear permanently closed. Unfortunately, there are no signs posted explaining the reason, so we were just left to ponder what might have happened.

Hotels

Hotel Salzburger Hof

We stayed at the Salzburger Hof, a very large hotel close to the train station with all the amenities. It appears to be one of the better kept establishments in Bad Gastein, with two pools, three restaurants and a health spa. Apparently host to Count von Bismark and other dignitaries, including many American personalities.

The rooms are very spacious and well appointed. The hotel seems proud of its tradition of important guests, there are photographs of everyone who has visited hung throughout the hotel and in the rooms.

Gasteiner Falls

The main attraction in the center of town now are the falls. The great Gasteiner Waterfalls are indeed impressive, especially after the storm that has just passed through this region of Europe. Since a video is worth a thousand words, here are a few.

It is easy enough to get a glimpse of the waterfalls by walking the main road through town and stopping at the bridge.

After taking in their beauty from the bridge, there are also other vantage points from which the falls may be enjoyed. But, that requires a bit of climbing and some hiking, all of which can be done with modern sneakers, not equipment necessary.

There is a section above the falls where they were purposely redirected some years ago by a dam that was built by a member of the clergy. This forces all the current water down a single corridor within the rocks.

Hiking Trails

There are numerous trails for walking, hiking and biking around town. For our first day our we chose the one that visited the Upper Gastein Falls and then descended towards lower Bad Gastein.

Restaurants

La Pizzeria Napoletana

A very small Italian pizzeria stuck in the back of a another building right next to the Gasteiner Falls is the La Pizzeria Napoletana.

Their tomato and mozzarella pizza is thin and very tasty. This restaurant has a minimal menu of pizza, beer, soft drinks and some wine, there is little else to choose from if you are really hungry.

The pizza is authentic, right down to its crust. The prices are very reasonable and emblematic of what you would expect in a small town or city in Italy.

Orania Stueberl Restaurant

A restaurant that is almost always open, it is a good go-to place when you have few if any options. The food is good, but rather predictable, but that could be said for the rest of the cuisine in this small town.

The interior is adorned with numerous sacrificial animals that were ostensibly killed locally and now inhabit this restaurant’s walls. I guess I never understood if this practice was supposed to be in honor of the animal that was killed, or in spite of it. In any case, it appears a bit overdone.