Vienna

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Vienna was such a beautiful city! It is full of majestic buildings from the peak of the Austro-Hungarian empire during the end of the 19th century. These buildings are still kept in good, working condition today. Vienna overall takes very good care of it's buildings. There is a lot of normal wear and tear as well as a lot of damage during WWII. However, everywhere, we saw fresh, old buildings with constant conservation taking place. One of the most obvious examples is St. Stephen's Cathedral. It even has a piece of old and reconstructed portions outside the front entrance in order to ask for conservation donations.

"Death and Life" by Gustav Klimt

While Austria is the city of music, whether it be operas, symphonies or some other classical form, the season doesn't start until September. During the summer, there are only tourist shows. This just means that I'll need to return to Vienna during the season. Vienna was also the home of intellectuals and artists during the turn of the century (19th to 20th) such as Gustav Klimt (artist) and Sigmund Freud (philosopher). To see some of these artists, visit Museums Quarter and the Leopold Museum. It's largest collection is of Egon Schiele. In addition, it has a plethora of works by his contemporaries. On Thursday nights, there is a discount ticket that covers Leopold Museum, mumok and Kunsthalle. mumok and Kunsthalle exhibit modern art. It can be interesting and/or disconcerting.

Venus of Willendorf

During our full day in Vienna, I started at the Natural History Museum. It has room after room of minerals, fossils and stuffed animals. However, my main interest was the Venus of Willendorf. It is a small statue (11 cm) that was discovered in Willendorf, Austria. It is 25,000 years old! This museum has good information and some interactive sections, such as a moving, roaring model of an allosaur. The newer sections have English translations. The older collections do not. The topmost section carries special exhibits. When I visited, there was a photography exhibit of Chernobyl by a German photographer.

Looking down on Vienna from the winery

In the afternoon, I took the 38A tram to the end of the line in Kahlenberger. There is an international school up there as well as an adventure park with zip lines. But, I was just looking for a good hike. There were several good trails up above the city for panoramic views. On the way down, I stopped next to the house where the musician Franz Schubert was born. Then, it was up through vineyards back toward the bus stop. One of the vineyards had a few picnic tables and a little food for sale. It was a gorgeous, sprinkling afternoon to enjoy the fresh wine, food and the view.

Igls (near Innsbruck, Austria)

View from our hotel

If you love the idea of being surrounded by green mountains on vacation, cooled by a gentle breeze and comfortable in 70 degree weather, Igls is the place for you. We arrived at 7:30 one evening after a twisting climb up from Innsbruck, Austria. The view from our hotel* was of the Alps!

Panorama while hiking

When we asked for dinner recommendations, the desk reception sent us on a five minute walk to "downtown" Igls where there was a plethora of restaurants. We choose a small pizzeria, named Pizzeria Venezia. A tiny taste of Italy in Austria. All the pizzas were under 10 Euro. The pizzas are thin crust and medium sized.

Top sign is for Jakobsweg with pale seashell against blue

In the morning, I explored some of the walking trails around Igls. There are so many options! For example, did you know that pilgrims came through Austria to get to Santiago de Compostela church in Galicia, Spain? That pilgrimage trail is called "Jakobsweg" here; and, it's marked with a seashell. I hiked along part of Jakobsweg as well as some nearby trails. The trails are well marked. Sometimes, they are nicely paved, sometimes they are just mowed stretches through meadows. It is quite the adventure! For those interested in hiking, check out this Tirol hiking link.

View while hiking around Igls

Unfortunately, rain clouds began to descend, obscuring our view of the mountains. As the rain started, we drove off to Bergelis, the Olympic ski jump. It's quite pricey to take the elevator up to see the view. (9.50 Euros). But, on a clear day, the views would be spectacular. While we were there, there were ski jumpers practicing on the green hill. We could see them from outside the gate. It was so amazing to watch them fly through the air and land on the turf!

Ski jump. Tiny specks up on right top of jump are a skier

*We stayed at Sonnenhof Hotel. It was the perfect location for a quiet evening, close proximity to walking trails as well as everything in the small town of Igls. Plus, it had great Alpine views from the rooms. (80 Euros/night)