Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for austria
A Baroque Jewel in Austria
By Linda Tancs
Melk Abbey is more than just a monastery; it’s one of the most impressive Baroque ensembles north of the Alps and plays an important role in the history of early Austria. Since 1089, the Benedictine monks have been living and working in Melk Abbey in uninterrupted tradition. Saint Coloman (Austria’s first patron saint) is buried there, along with members of the Babenberg family, the country’s first rulers. The size of a small village, the abbey boasts 1,365 windows, 497 rooms and over 5 acres of roofage. A guided tour takes approximately 50 minutes and includes the museum rooms, the Marble Hall, the balcony and the library, which contains over 100,000 books. From April to October admission includes the abbey park with its Baroque pavilion as well.
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Vienna’s State Opera House
By Linda Tancs
Austria’s Vienna State Opera is one of the world’s leading opera houses. Needless to say, tickets are always in high demand. You’ll have better luck taking a tour of this Renaissance Revival venue, which includes a look into areas that the lucky opera goer will not see. During a guided, 40-minute tour, you will walk up the grand staircase through the state rooms (Tea Salon, Marble Hall, Schwindfoyer, Gustav Mahler Hall) to the auditorium, with a view of the stage. Tours are offered in German and English.
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House of the Ninth Symphony
By Linda Tancs
In the center of Baden, Austria, a very ordinary house boasts an extraordinary history. It’s the home where the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven lived in the 1820s and composed much of his ninth symphony. To appreciate his musical genius, Beethovenhaus offers audio tours featuring his famous symphony. You’ll also find artifacts like a lock of his hair and the grand piano that he played.
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All About Mustard
By Linda Tancs
At the AnnaMax mustard factory in Austria, mustard is more than just a condiment. It’s where factory owner Rainer Haar creates mustard in over 20 different flavors, with each jar meticulously hand crafted like an art form. In addition to the multitude of flavors, you’ll learn about the cultivation of the mustard plant along with its history and medicinal uses. The facility is located in Bad Goisern at Lake Hallstatt.
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A High Plateau in Austria
By Linda Tancs
Situated on a sunny plateau high above Innsbruck, Austria, is where you’ll find the Tyrolean village of Seefeld. Typical of the region, it’s prized for its rugged mountain vistas and horse-drawn carriage rides. It’s also arguably the preeminent destination for cross-country skiing, boasting mile after mile of trails for every skill level. Less common for the area is the octagonal shape of its prized icon, the Seekirchl chapel. Completed in 1666, the early Baroque-style church is a favorite for shutterbugs. Travel there via Innsbruck, where transfers take about 30 minutes.
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Austria’s Steepest Cog Railway
By Linda Tancs
In operation since 1893, Schafbergbahn Cog Railway is Austria’s steepest cog railway. The journey to the top of the Schafberg takes about 35 minutes and begins at the lovely town of St. Wolfgang on the banks of the Wolfgangsee. Covering a distance of 3.6 miles and rising over 3,900 vertical feet to an altitude of 5,682 feet at the terminal station, the railway offers one of the best mountain panoramas in the country.
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Capitals of Culture in 2024
By Linda Tancs
In keeping with tradition, we begin the New Year with an announcement on the European Capitals of Culture for 2024: Bodø (in Norway), Bad Ischl (in Austria) and Tartu (in Estonia). Bodø has the distinction of being the first city located north of the Arctic Circle to hold the title. In February, a spectacular opening show in Bodø harbor will kick off the year’s events. Bad Ischl is in the Salzkammergut region of Austria, the first time this inner-Alpine area has held the title. “Arts of Survival” is the theme for Tartu’s banner year, the four pillars of which will be uniqueness, sustainability, awareness and co-creation.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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Beasts in Salzburg
By Linda Tancs
Forget coal in the stocking. In some countries, like Austria, there’s something much more fearsome awaiting children who’ve been more naughty than nice. Coinciding with St. Nicholas Day on December 6, Salzburg celebrates Krampus parades in late November and early December. The Krampus is a legendary creature sporting a hand-carved wooden mask, shaggy pelts and heavy bells. The typical beast is a costumed young man, who roams the streets and scares children who look like they’ve misbehaved. It’s all in good fun, of course, a centuries-old folk custom that has even made its way to America via New Orleans.
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The Friendly Alien in Austria
By Linda Tancs
Contemporary art may feel alien to some, but maybe Kunsthaus Graz will change your mind. It’s become a cultural landmark in Graz, Austria, its architecture being dubbed “the friendly alien” by none other than one of its designers. It’s also been viewed as a whale, a hippo and a sea slug. And that’s just the building’s exterior. Your senses will likely be challenged on the inside as well, with installations exploring the intersection of art and design and the use of photography to create illusion. If you’d like it all deciphered for you, then take the guided tour generally offered each Sunday.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Big Cheese in Austria
By Linda Tancs
Vorarlberg may be one of Austria’s smallest regions, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in cheese. That’s quite evident along the Bregenzerwald Cheese Road, an area linking 17 valley dairies and 90 alpine farmsteads. You can experience the cheese producers’ work in all its stages and have a hand in it yourself at the Metzler dairy school in the delightful town of Egg, site of the smallest private brewery in Vorarlberg. If you plan on tasting your way through the cheesemongers’ handiwork, then pace yourself. There are over 60 varieties in Bregenzerwald. Go now and experience the Bregenz Festival in the capital city, an annual event from mid-July to mid-August featuring opera, theater performances and orchestra concerts.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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