Category: Roth Trip

Munich

We started the day in Wien with a run before a huge breakfast at the hotel we stayed in.We arrived in Munich after a 4 hour train trip from Wien. It was a scenic ride with lots of fields, mountain ranges, tunnels and pretty villages. In Munich we stayed a couple streets from the railway station at the ‘Arthotel’ which had art on all the room doors and sculptures in the passageways and reception areas. After checking in we walked first past the railway station. There was screaming sirens and the sudden arrival of multiple police vans with a squad of 50 plus in  tactical uniform.  Seems someone had abandoned their bag ! Part of the station was evacuated and 9 trains delayed . We continued on to the Munich tourist traps . First to Marienplatz where there is the usual but in amongst Bavarian buildings and multiple shops . Further on vistited the Hofgarten and the Englischer Garten including watching the surfers on the standing wave. (One of pics below gives a new definition of ‘the line up’. In the morning Emirates rang to say , as they were overbooked on our flight they   could upgrade us to business class to Dubai on a flight   6 hours later with a shorter transit in Dubai.  This  suited me(Lily)  fine as  I hadn’t really done any shopping. and they were having 40% end of summer sales in lots of shops! We walked around the town for about 5 hours before I did any shopping and stopped in a couple cafes for drinks. Here you can buy beer anywhere in cafe’s and people walk around the city’s streets drinking beer from bottles! It was low 30’s oC so thirsty weather but I stuck with coffee today! We walked past the enormous Oktoberfest grounds that were being built in a very large green area. We went up the Bavaria statue – a mini statue of liberty.  After shopping we reversed our route from the previous day.

We took the train to the airport and they wouldn’t let us in the business lounge cause we only upgraded not paying which we were disappointed with because we had big plans of having luxurious showers etc!

Wien

We traveled by train from Prague to Wien (Vienna) which is very confusing with all the different spelling of towns. Their railway stations are like our airports! We’ve had reserved seats all along as you would on a fight and it only cost a few Euros extra but every train trip there has been incidents where one person who had a reservation has to ask another to vacate their seat as they have it booked! We are staying in a new hotel called Schani near Wien railway station and it’s small but comfortable. It was about 20oC today so we decided to walk to the Danube which was about 15km the convoluted trip we took around the Keiser Wasser! On the way back we took  a Danube 3 hour boat trip which was interesting as it went through the Little Danube Canal and a couple of locks and past a wier! I started off with a water then a cuppa tea then orderd a white wine then another wine . Anyway I ended up drinking  half a bottle of wine and was unsteady on my feet but we then had to walk about 7 km back to our room so some of it was used to fuel the walk! Rick fortunately can still navigate after a few beers. Vienna is very stately with lots of monuments to past wars and again Baroque architecture! On the way to the Danube we went past the Belvedere Palace and gardens and through the Botanical Gardens. There were a lot of River Cruise Boasts moored along the Danube that we see on advertisements on TV. We’ve eaten in an Austrian  restaurant twice and most things are crumbed and you get a lot of potatoes!

Prague to Vienna

After a run round the park and packing our gear we walked round the corner to a little cafe for breakfast. Check out the receipt ; 4 coffes,2 croissants,2 lots scrambled eggs, bread, for 347 crowns =$19.20 Aus ! Walked to the train station and boarded the train for Vienna.

We are  staying in a little chic hotel near the rail station . We first had dinner in a place nearby serving Viennese food ; what to you have when in Wien ; Wiener Schnitzel , of course.  Walked into the old town , found the stars on the pavement , much better than the Hollywood ones. Near the opera house we were accosted by men in wigs selling concert tickets . After all what do you do in Vienna – go to a Mozart concert. The performance was by the the Vienna Mozart orchestra all in traditional dress and was  great ,with a bit of a Strauss encore.

Circles in Prague

Arrived in Prague by train from Berlin in the evening and while heading to our accommodation had a treacherous time crossing one of the intersections only to find later that there was a safe passage via a tunnel. We are staying near the Wencelesas square area and walked a short distance to a place selling traditional Czech food – two meals two beers and a wine for less than $30!

The following morning we walked round the town, our first tour taking us across an uncrowded bridge then up a steep hill near the cable car. At the top there were a whole lot of gardens that have been there for some time . Back across the bridge we went to restaurant Zofin on one of the islands in the Vltava river.

After lunch we headed for Karlova Most , ‘Charles Bridge’ , which is an old stone bridge with a cobblestone road and multiple religious oriented statues and a LARGE crowd. There , various artists buskers etc were  peddling their wares on the bridge . We headed up the hill again once across the bridge but this time on the cobblestones and steps through the old town. Every time you turn a corner in Prague you come upon another grand baroque style building. After coming down we headed toward the old town square.On the way we were intercepted by people selling concert tickets and bought one for a concert that evening . The town square was crowded with people and full of more baroque buildings and churches and the ‘Astronomical Clock’, which looks great but I still don’t understand it any better.  It was tricky to find your  way out of the square and actually know where you were heading. Eventually we were on our way back , via the train station to buy our tickets to Vienna.

After a small break we headed back for the concert … this time in the ran . The concert was in the Cathedral of Clementi and was a string quartet and pipe organ playing Vivaldi , Bach and Handel. The strings were great but the organ playing terrible. We had dinner at a place selling traditional spit roast with a 3 piece jazz band playing. The rain was less intense walking home in the evening ….. circle No. 3.

Following day we went over a bridge further up the river and up the hill this time to Lenti Park then the Royal Gardens then the Prague Castle.