Innsbruck

Innsbruck is a lovely city, but there is not a lot to do unless you are there to ski or hike. We spent most of our time just walking through the older parts of the city. When we arrived Friday night it was raining, but we made it to our hostel which was more on the outskirts of town. The next morning we had breakfast provided by the hostel and then headed out into the city. Thankfully it was no longer raining. We took the walking tour suggested by my Lonely Planet book, which took us all over the old town.

Then we climbed Stadtturm or the city tower for a great view of the city and the mountains.

Next we stopped at the Kroell café, also suggested by the Lonely Planet for their amazing apple strudel and they were right! It was so delicious. I tried a cream cheese strudel because I had already had an apple strudel. But I still tried a bit of Laura’s. So good! Afterward we took a stroll through the Hofgarten.

That afternoon we took a shuttle bus to the Swarovski Crystal World. I was expecting the exhibits to be more about the company, but the rooms were more like modern art exhibits and some of them were very strange. One was a crystal kaleidoscope where you lean against these posts and stare at the ceiling where a colorful Kaleidoscope is being projected. It was hypnotic.

After leaving the factory we walked through the Hofburg, the imperial palace. Unfortunately half of the rooms were closed for renovations, but there was also an exhibit about mountaineering that was included with our ticket. For dinner we just grabbed some pre-made sandwiches from the supermarket before heading back to the hostel.

The next day we had to switch hostels because the one we were in was fully booked when we tried to make the reservation. Our second hostel was much close to town and very quaint, but not as many amenities or free breakfast. It exhibited more traditional Austrian décor with lots of wood and cute little curtain and pink quilts.

We then tried to get to the Schloss Ambras, but could not figure out which bus we were supposed to take. So we took a bus instead to a town outside of Innsbruck called Hall, which has maintained much of its 15^th century medieval architecture. So we wandered around for a bit and enjoyed the sandwiches we had made with the rolls and ham from the free breakfast at the hostel :o) and then headed back into town.

We finally figured out how to get to the Schloss Ambras, a fortress turned into a castle by the Hapsburgs. It took a while to walk through the collection of all the portraits. There were also displays of suits of armor and all of the rare and fine objects they had collected from various parts of the world. The views of Innsbruck against the mountainous backdrop from the palace were amazing. Oh, and there were peacocks!

To see more photos, go here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023853&id=81901665&l=32e73edbb6

Venezia

So our trip to Venice got off to a rough start. We went to get on the bus leaving from the train station, and the driver would not let us on because we only had a ticket and not a seat reservation. However, when we had purchased the tickets, we specifically requested seat reservations because I had already gone through this once on the train to Prague and I did not want to make the same mistake twice. But the lady who sold us the tickets had assured us repeatedly that a seat reservation for the bus was unnecessary. She was wrong. So we missed our bus and had to go back to the counter and figure out a way to get to Klagenfurt so that we might still be able to catch our connecting bus to Venice. After negotiating for about 30 minute, they finally ut us on a bus to Villach, where we could still catch our bus to Venice and they even called the bus driver and asked him to hold the bus for us if for some reason the train was delayed. So thankfully, after all of that, we made it to Venice!

On the ferry on the way to our hostel!

The view of the bridge to the mainland at night

My friend Emma’s mom happened to be in Venice for a conference and so we met up with her on Friday night and had dinner with her.

Our first dinner in Venice (spaghetti of course :o)

We stayed in a hostel off of the main island because it was less expensive. However, the ferry to cross the channel was 6 Euros one way! Everything in Venice was sooo expensive, from food to souvenirs to different sights. Saturday we woke up to some rain, but thankfully after lunch it started to clear off.

So this was the view when I walked out the front door of our hostel

I split off from the group for a bit and went through an art museum and saw an exhibit about the architecture and design of Venice.

We then stopped in a café for lunch and then walk to the famous bridge. From there we decided to take a gondola ride. I was a little hesitant at first because of the price, but since there were 5 of us, once we split it up, it was not so bad.

I'm on a Gondola!

Afterward, we just continued to wander around and enjoy the sights and beautiful canals. We even did a little shopping. I bought a carnival mask. It seems as though everyone in Venice is selling them. We even stopped in one shop where you could watch them making the masks, It seems like a very delicate and detailed process.

The bus ride to and from Venice was beautiful driving through the Alps. The mountains are not only huge, but amazing to look at.

To see more photos go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023549&id=81901665&l=664cbc9ba5

Praha

Friday Laura, John, and I left for our first trip outside of Austria, Prague! Our train left at 12:26 and we arrived in Prague around 8pm. We stayed at Emma Hostel, which was much nicer than I had expected a hostel to be. Saturday we woke up early to see Charles bridge before the crowds. The bridge is lined with statues and artists trying to sell their work.

On the other side of the river, we stopped in St. Nicks Cathedral to have a look around and then decided to tour the castle. However, when we finally reached the stairs to the castle, we were told it was closed because they were having a reception there for the Pope. Disappointed we turned back and started towards Petrin Hill, a park nearby.

St. Nick's Cathedral

As we were walking down the street we noticed barricades along the sidewalks and about 20 or so people gathering in front of a Church. They seemed to be waiting for something so we stopped and asked a girl about our age what or who they were waiting for. She replied that the Pope was scheduled to arrive at the church in a little over an hour. Well we weren’t touring Prague Castle like we had planned and none of us had ever seen the Pope, and what were the chances that we would ever stumble across such an opportunity again…so we decided to stay and wait. As the hour passed more and more people began to gather. Because we were fortunate enough to come when we did, we were in the second or third row of people waiting on the side walk. Then, right on schedule, the Pope arrived. He exited the car and was greeted by government officials. One of the officials gave a very brief address right there on the sidewalk, thankfully in English, and presented the Pope the keys to the city.

Waiting for the Pope...

He's here!

Once the Pope entered the Church, we decided to leave, but getting to Petrin hill seemed too difficult due to the crowds, so we made our way back to Charles Bridge and wandered around Old Town. We visited the Museum of Communism, which was very interesting. It told the story of life under communist rule and the walls were filled with statues, posters, and all other sorts of Communist propaganda. Then there was a room playing continuous video footage of protests, Soviet tanks, and police beating protestors. It was hard to imagine that it only changed 20 years ago.

We walked to the Old Jewish Cemetery but it was closed by the time was arrived. So we walked back toward Old town and watched the astronomical clock at 5 o’clock and little windows opened up to reveal wooden figures. Then we walked through St. Wenceslas Sq. and by the national museum and then back to the hotel. Our hostel had a kitchen so for dinner we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some chicken and rice.

St. Wenscelas Square

Sunday we woke up early to catch a bus to Terezin, a former concentration camp during WWII. I read about Terezin before we left and had the impression that it was a fort built in the 18^th century taken over by the Nazis during WWII. But Terezin was actually an entire town, not just a fort. During WWII, the residents of the town were evicted and the town and the fort became a concentration camp. Many from Terezin were later taken to Auschwitz where they died. So we spent the whole morning walking through the museum, the town, the barracks, the crematorium, and the fort. People still live in the town of Terezin, but it still feels eerily deserted. We saw a number of buildings that looks abandoned or in serious need of some repairs.

That afternoon when we arrived back in Prague, we climbed up to Prague Castle and toured the grounds and the Cathedral, the actually palace was still closed, though I am not sure why. On our way down from the castle we walked through some sort of wine festival. We stopped to watch some street performers dressed in medieval clothes playing music, dancing, and even sword fighting.

Sword fighting is fun to watch

Then we walked back to the Jewish Cemetery and toured the Ceremonial Hall, two synagogues and the cemetery, which contains over 12,000 head stones and the remains of around 40,000 people. Many of the Jews from this historic neighborhood were taken to Terezin during WWII. We then walked back through Old Town square and again cooked dinner at the Hostel.

The Old Jewish Cemetery

Monday we woke up even early and took the train to Kutna Hora to see the Bone Church. We arrived around 9am beating the crowds. After walking through the bone church we walked around a bit, stopping in to see another cathedral and then took the train back to Prague.

Chandelier made out of human bones

We stopped at a café for lunch and then climbed to the top of Petrin Hill. When I go hiking in the US or to a park, most of the time the path will wind back and forth so that the incline is not as steep. However, in Prague and even in Austria, I have noticed that many of the paths go straight up the hill and are very steep to climb. At the top we had some amazing views of the city.

Also at the top was a mirror maze, and mini replica of the Eiffel tower, gardens, and restaurants. Climbing Petrin Hill wore us out so we walked back to the Hostel to rest for the evening. That night we went out to enjoy the views of the city at night. It seemed like we wandered around the entire city. We stopped at a café for some late night desserts, like ice cream with warm raspberries (yum!).

Hartberg

This weekend my friend Johannes invited my friend Laura and I to his birthday party Friday night and to spend the weekend at his house. He and his family live in Hartberg, about an hour or so northeast of Graz. On the way out of Graz we stopped and ate at a Bushenschank, which is a kind of farm. For the most part, everything they serve you was grown, raised, or made there on the farm. In Austria, lunch is the biggest meal of the day and looks a lot like what I usually eat for supper, where as their dinner looks a lot more like lunch with lots of bread, cheese, and cold meats. From there Johannes's father picked us up and took us to Hartberg.

An arial view of the Bushenschank that was hanging on the wall. It was raining so I couldn't take pictures outside.




So the food was good, but be careful! What looks like shredded cheese is really horseradish and it is HOT!

Johannes's family's house, covered in grape vines :o)

That night was his birthday party, where I met his family and many of his friends. His birthday cake was very different. It was cake topped with some kind of cream or something like yogurt with a top layer of jelly. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but the more bites I had, the more I liked it.

Saturday we hiked to the top of a hill. There we climbed a tower and took in some great views of the Austrian countryside. Then we drove a little ways to see some ruins from the Roman Empire. On the way home for lunch we stopped at the Church where his family attends and dad works.

The view from the top!

Ruins from the Roman Empire (in Austria?)

So funny story. On Saturday morning as we were walking toward the car, Laura yelled "Shotgun" and Johannes just stopped, really surprised and gave her the strangest look. We laughed and once in the car tried to explain that its just how you call dibs on sitting in the front seat of a car.

The center of Hartberg

After lunch Johannes showed us where he volunteered at the Red Cross. We even got to see one of the ambulances. Then we visited his mom at the hospital. We then went to another Bushenschank for dinner and had the most amazing fresh apple juice.

The Hospital

Our view from dinner Saturday night :o)

Later that night we went to Hartberg's Oktoberfest. Walking in it looked very similar to our county fair, with many of the same carnival type rides. Also, there was a live band playing music, but most of the songs were in English and American Rock or Pop songs. Laura and I tried Strum, which is wine that is not fully fermented. It is really good and does not really taste like wine. It tastes like juice and is very sweet. It's only available a couple weeks in the fall.

Schlossberg

Today after German class, some of my friends and I stopped by Stadtpark (the city park). Below is my mentor Johannes who has helped me survive my first few days.

We then climbed the 260+ stairs of Schlossberg. It is a hill rising up over the main platz in Graz, with a fort and clock tower from (I think) the 16th century on top. Now there are gardens with gazebos, shops with food and souveniers, and views of the entire city. The climb was worth it because the views were amazing!

The 260+ stairs to the top....

The Amazing Views!