mike & rhonda's latest adventure: Stairway to Heaven

We have spent the past 5 days in beautiful Austria. I am quite convinced that the stairway to heaven must be here, I just haven't found it yet. But it is not because I haven't climbed enough stairs in my search to find eternal bliss.

The week started in Salzburg, near the German border, which we reached by train after spending time in the lovely Lake Constance area. On our first day there, Caity and I wanted to visit the Ice Caves and do a gorge hike outside of the city while Rhonda did a tour of the Mirabell Palace and Gardens, the Domquartier (offices and residences of the 17th century ruling class, built next to the Cathedral since the spiritual rulers were also the political rulers) and then a cable car ride to Untersberg which had a very scenic view of Salzburg and the surrounding area. Both trips were wonderful, although ours had a bit more adventure. The Ice Cave trip involved a half hour train trip to Werfen followed by a cable car ride and a steep hike to the cave entrance. Once we were in the cave we walked up another 700 steps to the top of the cave, through large caverns and massive amounts of ice. We only covered one kilometre of the chilly 42 km cave. After that we took another short train ride to Liechtensteinklamm where we wanted to explore the narrow gorge which led to a 50 metre waterfall at the end. With no directional signs in view at the station we asked two different locals at two different times to point out the way and when they separately were in agreement we set out on our way. About one kilometre later with still no signs in sight we asked a young schoolgirl if she knew the way. She immediately pointed in the opposite direction to which we had walked, so with our time running short, I flagged down a taxi and he drove us back the way we came and another 4 km's to the start of the gorge. It was worth the effort though. The hike went through a very narrow gorge, carved out by a fast flowing river, and up many more stairs to the beautiful roaring waterfall. It must be an incredible experience in the spring once the snow melt is underway.

The next two days we all walked around the Old City of Salzburg. The highlights were the Hohensalzburg Fortress (1100 - 1600 archbishop's homes and protection from political rivals), both of Mozart's homes (incredible artist and similar portrayal that was described in the award winning movie, Amadeus), a Salzach River cruise, several Museum visits (the Modern Art Museum was 1960's strange), and the impressive Cathedral (and 200 more steps to the tower for a great view of the city). Our final stop was a short trip outside the city to Hellbrunn Palace, a summer playground for a 16th century archbishop where he designed trick fountains to surprise and soak his guests (and the tourists who now venture out there).

We then moved on to Vienna, using our handy Eurail pass once again. The train system is a very convenient way to travel in Europe with trains going in every direction and frequently. Five minute transfer times are easily made (electronic signs guide you to the correct platform) with a ticket honour system in place (checked on board 50% of the time) and the trains travel at speeds of up to 200 km / hr.

Vienna has also been a treat to walk around. The Old City has many pedestrian-only streets and like most cities we have been in, they do a wonderful job of preserving and maintaining their historical buildings, so there are great views with every step. Yesterday we visited the lively Naschmarkt where the ladies purchased scarves and we all enjoyed some market stall food. Then it was on to St. Stephen's Cathedral where we went down into the Catacombs (11.000 people buried there) and climbed the 343 steps of the South Tower for a good view of the city. A short tram ride around the Old City was followed by a walk through Volksgarten and more impressive buildings including the Imperial Palace, and finally, a visit to the Sacher Café for drinks and a taste of their famous Sachertorten which was delicious. In the evening we took the Metro out to Schonbrunn Palace for a concert in a beautifully decorated hall where we listened to music by Mozart and Strauss, accompanied by two opera singers.

Today, Caity is renting a bicycle to explore some sights outside the city, while we are going back into the Old City to visit the highly acclaimed Art Museum (Kunsthistorisches) and the Rathaus, a seemingly odd name (but perhaps appropriate) for the home of their city politicians. In the evening we will re-group with Caity and go to a performance at the Vienna Opera House before departing on an overnight train back to Switzerland where we will meet up with Rachel in Bern.