Germany/Austria Trip #5 - Bratislava

On the final day of our tour we had the great privilege to visit Bratislava in the country of Slovakia. This historic city is only 35 miles from Vienna, and it is the capitol of the nation that was created when the former Communist country of Czechoslovakia was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. 

As we approached the border we did not know what to expect. Actually, it was a rather simple border crossing -- much easier than passing from the USA into Canada. Our bus driver had to purchase a transponder (for about $100) that will allow him to travel back and forth into Slovakia in the future. The only problem is that our bus driver was from Italy and he may never return to Solvakia.

As we were approaching the city our tour director told us to notice the large non-descript apartment buildings and the somewhat modern and impressive bridge crossing the Danube River. She mentioned that the communist governement was pretty proud of the bridge, but the impressive tower rising above the bridge was used for spying on the citizenry. 

Since the fall of communism the city leaders have attempted to spruce up the drab apartment buildings with colorful paint. Still the legacy of communism is evident everywhere, even after more than twenty years since the iron cutain came down.

As we entered the city we could see that the city buildings and infastructure are in various stages of disrepair. Our first destination was the historic castle built in the 10th Century on the high hill overlooking the city. The castle is being rennovated and is not ready for visitors to see the interior, but we were able to tour the exterior and grounds.  

After leaving the castle our bus took us into the heart of the city. It is obvious that the Slovakians are rebuilding and trying to come into the 21st century, but they have much to do.

Here is a typical impressive historic building in disrepair that is representative of what we saw during our morning in this interesting city.

Standing on the doorstep of a building in the town square was this mountain shepherd who was playing his musical instrument that our guide told us is a traditional instrument of the mountains. The instrument is called a Fujara, and is a very large flute that has a mellow and deep sound. He was a very accomplished musician and was also very accomodating for picture taking.

As we were walking through the historic section of the city we encountered a parade that was being led by these characters. We're not sure what was going on, but we know that many children were marching in the parade and they were decked out with green hair and costumes that resembled these personalities.

The parade culminated in a boulevard where a stage was errected and these lumanaries began to entertain the crowd with folk songs and interaction. Evidently the sign "Narodny Festival" means "National Festival" and the celebrations of that Saturday morning were especially designed for families and children. It was a very festive mood, with food vendors and other kinds of street vendors selling all kinds of things.

As we were meeting our bus for the ride back to Vienna I got this good telephoto shot of the "spy tower" on the bridge. It is obviously not a tourist attraction, but a reminder of the oppression that still blights this up and coming country from the former Communist Bloc of Eastern Europe

This final picture was taken on the grounds of the Bratislava Castle and overlooking the city. We truly had a wonderful time, although it was a whirlwind trip, and would recommend this part of the world for travel. It is truly an area where there is a need for the gospel. 

Germany/Austria Trip #4 - Vienna

We arrived in Vienna and checked into the Hotel Am Konzerthaus and headed out the next morning to the Schonbrunn Palace. This magnificent palace dates from the 1500s and was developed by the Habsburg Emperors and was palace of the monarchies until the early 20th Century.

The center of Vienna is a rich mix of historical buildings and modern structures. It is a very progressive city that is filled with designer shops and it excudes economic prosperity and modern technologies.

After an extensive walking tour with our Globus Tours group we found a delightful Italian sidewalk cafe for lunch. It was a beautiful day and perfect for enjoying the food and atmosphere.

Following lunch we walked a few blocks to the Jewish Museum. This museum is a project of the Jewish community of Vienna to assemble and preserve all memorbrailia that relates to Jewish life, culture and history of the area.

On the main floor was a display that highlighted the treatment of Jews during the reign of Nazi occupation and terror. The following written graphic tells the story of a small girl that was sent to safety by her doomed parents.  It is a heart wrenching tale of Nazi brutality and family tragedy.

These minature toys were intended to go with Lily, but she did not become aware of them until many years later.

Here are some more of the artifacts that Lily's parents intended to send with her when they sent her to safety in 1939.  Anyone with young children or grand children would be greatly moved to see these simple symbols of family love and faithfulness.

Perhaps the most poignant aspect of the museum display was this cloth of yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear during the time of Nazi persecution. The Jews were forced to construct their own stars and then to wear them. 

On Friday night we went to the Palais Auersperg to hear the Viennese Residence Orchestra perform musical selections from Mozart and Strauss. The venue was outstanding and the music was superb.

 Here is the host of the concert introducing the program in the concert hall. He brought a friendly and informative greeting and told us that there would be no more pictures.  So -- this was my last picture.

On our final evening we had a wonderful dinner at the Wiener Rathauskeller, which is a large restaurant located in the basement of the City Hall of Vienna. The entire massive building is impressive and the large vaulted dining area is unique and historic. A wonderful conclusion to our trip.

Germany/Austria Trip #3 - Mondsee

After leaving Salzburg we headed west about an hour to the town of Mondsee. Our purpose for this stop was to see the church building that was used for the wedding scene in The Sound of Music. When we arrived we found out that the town of about 3,000 was conducting their annual Corpus Christi festival. 

It seemed like the entire town was assembled in the town plaza that was in the center of all the restaurants and shops and led to the front of the church. Everyone was dressed up in their traditional dress and people of all ages were there. In fact, it was very obvious that all the extended families were in attendance.

There were older folks dressed in their traditional alpine outfits like these three individuals.

But there were plenty of young families dressed up in their finest too. The couple with the young daughter in white looked like they might have traveled from the big city to join their family and friends for the festival.

These two brothers were having fun playing near a fountain and I snapped an earlier picture of them that I subsequently showed to them. As a result the older brother wanted to pose for this picture with his brother.

This little girl was possibly the sister, or maybe a cousin, to the boys. Anyway, she alternated from being carried around in her mother's arms to scurrying about the plaza. She was a doll!

Then the parade began with all of the trappings. All of the participants were very serious and careful to march in an orderly manner.

The marching band was very musically accomplished. I was surprised that in their repetoire they played the tune for the hymn, "Abide With Me." It was a beautiful rendition.

Our guide later told us that the military personnel that marched were like regional militias that would probably correspond to our National Guard units. Obviously some of the marchers were very young cadets who participated in youth oriented units, and, then too, some marchers were older military veterans.

I have no idea who these ladies were with their curious headresses. Perhaps they belong to some sort of guild that has historical or cultural significance.

Then along came this group of older women dressed in black. I presume that they were widows, but I don't know. Can anyone enlighten us?

Finally after the parade passed out of the plaza toward the lake we were able to gain access to the inside of the church. This then is the aisle used in The Sound of Music for the wedding scene when Maria marries the Captain.

The entire town then marched to this beautiful park on the shores of Mondsee Lake to carry on with the rest of the day's festivities. It is truly a beautiful spot.   

Germany/Austria Trip #2 - Salzburg

We actually spent most of the time on our trip in Austria and found it to be a beautiful and interesting country. Our weather turned excellent and the alpine scenery and quaint villages were delightful. 

The historic city of Salzburg was a favorite. Our hotel was conveniently located near the center of the city and it was a short walk of a few blocks to gain a view of the Hohensalzburg Castle. The name literally means "High Salzburg Fortress" and the castle is perched on top of Festungsberg mountain overlooking the city. 

It was just a short block and a half from our hotel to enter the Mirabell Gardens where several scenes from the famous "Sound of Music" movie was filmed. This fountain...

...and these steps were used as part of the backdrop where Maria and the children learn the Do-Re-Mi song. Connie is standing on the very steps that are used as a musical scale in the film's scene.

The Mirabell Palace  and Gardens are beautiful and extend for about four blocks toward the oldest section of Salzburg. This is a favorite site for weddings and there were actually two weddings in progress during the time we walked on our official tour through the gardens.

As we exited the gardens our guide pointed out the large house across the street as the home of the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

Then as we headed into the heart of the old city we saw this house where Mozart was born. Mozart was a child prodigy who began composing at the age of five. In 1781 he left Salzburg for Vienna as a result of a bitter dispute with the Archbishop of Salzburg. Our guide cracked that "Mozart never learned humility", but he sure was a prolific composer.

It was fun to cross the Danube River on the "Mozart foot-bridge" which was also featured prominently in the Sound of Music.

We also stumbled upon another interesting Sound of Music scene location. It was the cemetery that was used for the scene near the end of the picture when the Von Trapp family were hiding for their mythical getaway. In the movie the family walks to freedom by climbing mountains into Switzerland. We learned that was a Hollywood storyline fabrication, because Switzerland is several hundred miles from Salzburg. The real Von Trapp family took a scheduled train ride to "escape" Austria.

At the end of our Salzburg walking tour we found a lovely courtyard cafe and enjoyed a classic Austrian lunch -- including a large pretzel and diet coke. Well, actually, the coke wasn't very Austrian. :-)

Germany/Austria Trip #1 - Arrival in Germany

On  June 2nd we boarded a plane at the RDU Airport for Newark and then on to Munich, Germany. After a nine hour flight we landed in Munich to begin our week long adventure in southern Germany and Austria. On the last day of the trip we also spent about four hours in the city of Bratislava, which is the capital of Slovakia. 

Upon landing we were met by "Tom" our taxi driver sent to transfer us to our hotel. He piled our luggage into the Mercedes station wagon taxi and took off toward the center of Munich. In just a few moments he was speeding down the autobahn and Connie was amazed when the speedometer topped 180 km/hr. That translates into 111+ mph. It was quite a ride!

After some rest and a welcome dinner to meet the rest of our 36 Globus tour group members, the next day we boarded our comfortable motor coach that became our rolling home for the week. 

Our first morning of our activity was a bus tour of Munich. The most notable stop was to see the Nymphenburg Palace. This palace was the main summer residence of the rulers of Bavaria, and it was huge. The palace extends to a length of over 7 1/2 football fields in a panoramic layout surrounding the extensive grounds. A misty rain did not dampen our spirts.

We headed for the center of the city in order to see the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel at 11 a.m. On the walk to the center square we saw this mass of bikes parked in orderly fashion. In all the towns that we visited bicycles were everywhere. One has to constantly be checking the bike lanes, which parallel all sidewalks, for whizzing bicyclers.

At the center of Munich is The New Town Hall (new as of 1874, that is) that houses the famous Glockenspiel in the center tower of the building.

Every day at 11 a.m. the Glockenspiel chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century to the amusement of the crowd that gathers. The figures move and interact as the chimes play and the crowd is captivated by the spectecle. It is interesting.

Then it was off to the Bavarian countryside to visit the Linderhof Palace. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see complete. It is relatively small, but very ornate and in a beautiful setting.

King Ludwig II was arrested and declared insane shortly after completing this Palace. He mysteriously died by drowning in a lake not far from this castle. He certainly left a significant monument to his memory.

Then it was on to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Our first glimpses of the castle seemed to be straight out of a Frankenstein movie. But as we got closer the mists cleared and the castle was truly magnificent. 

The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II as a retreat and as a homage to the German composer Richard Wagner.  The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. It also appeared on an early edition cover of Positive Action's Building Life's Castle 4th grade student workbook.

Leaving the castle we headed south and crossed into Austria and soon we were in the midst of the majestic Austrian Alps. Absolutely gorgeous and awesome!

Our final stop that day before heading to Salzburg was in Innsbruck. We loved this picturesque city of over 100,000 population that lies in a long valley with mountain ranges on both sides. We did some quality shopping here and learned to love the ice cream -- Italian Gelato -- which we enjoyed several more times on the trip. Good stuff!

NEXT INSTALLMENT: Salzburg -- The Sound of Music