Salzburg, Austria

Hohensalzburg Fortress towers over Salzburg

Unless you’ve been unable to do laundry for a sufficient period of time that you’ve considered beating your clothes on rocks in the river like its 500 BC, you can’t imagine how happy we were that our campground had working washing machines. We spent the remainder of the day doing laundry, sweating, and looking forward to the forecasted rain to cool off. Unfortunately, it didn’t arrive until we settled into bed. We were rudely awakened around 1 a.m. by water leaking onto us from above and spent at least an hour trying to track the source and stem the flow. Unsuccessful, we had to settle for catching drips using a collapsing sink. The droplets found new pathways waking us and requiring we place additional sundry containers under each throughout the night. The next morning we called several Bürstner service centers and having found none within 75 kilometers that could fit us in within a week, we resorted to a nearby motorhome repair place that could fit us in the following morning.

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

That afternoon, we followed the Rick Steves’ audio tour of Salzburg. I never associated “The Sound of Music,” with Salzburg but you frequently trip across the paths of the Von Trapps - the movie version anyway. I’ll make notations on the photos but if you want to delve deeper, download the Rick Steves’ Audio App and listen to his Salzburg Walk as you look through our photos and you’ll have a ton of the information I’m too lazy to write. If you’re familiar with Mozart, you know this is his birthplace and where he also lived but he grew to hate it when he was snubbed and we didn’t feel compelled to visit any Mozart attractions. There’s also much for classical music lovers here between the festivals and many concerts. We even heard a woman taking full advantage of the acoustics under an arcade singing opera beautifully with only a hat in front of her. 

Here are some random impressions: Salzburg has a lot to like: a cool fortress high atop a cliff looming over the city; a river with safe bike paths on both sides; great public transportation; lots of parks; interesting historical buildings and museums as well as modern conveniences. You could dodge from one street to another through very old stone arch alleyways where ancient metal doors were directly across from glass display windows with modern paintings used as backdrops for trendy clothing lines. The juxtaposition of the old and historic with the new and chic was delightful. Each somehow renewed your appreciation for the other. 

Q: So what’s not to like? A: There were too many tourists! I know, its high season. We need to stop traveling in high season. 

The following morning we took pains to arrive ahead of our 8:00 service appointment, handed over the keys, and headed into town for breakfast. Hohensalzberg Fortress was the perfect place to forget about our van worries and delve into the past. Construction began in 1077 and the fortress was so foreboding, nobody attacked the town for over 800 years. There was even an Irish connection: St. Virgil was an Irish missionary who built the first Salzburg Cathedral then served as Bishop (749-784) and became patron saint of Salzburg.

We weren’t surprised when the mechanic explained the leak was due to the AC unit not being sealed correctly but were surprised the repair cost $758. As we drove back to the campsite, we were pulled over by a large contingent of Polizei. They asked for our passports, drivers license and vehicle registration. Dermot was in the clear but I had left my passport at the campground at their request which we had done at quite a few other campgrounds. I did have my Passport Card with me but the very polite officer explained that he wasn’t able to check the stamps on the passport to verify I hadn’t exceeded my 90 day visa. He asked how far we were from the campground and explained that had we been far, they could have detained me until the passport could be provided. He proposed that he and another officer follow us back to the campground and we readily agreed. We laughed on the way imagining how unhappy the campground owners would be that their insistence on cash payment (probably a tax dodge) would lead to the police telling them how their practice was interfering with police business. 

After verifying my passport stamps; calculating I had not overstayed my visa; and a relatively lengthy discussion with the campground personnel; the friendly police officers apologized for taking so much of our time and wished us a safe and enjoyable trip. We remarked to each other that the nicest people in Austria are its Polizei. So lesson learned - don’t let anyone keep your passport. 

The following day the weather was perfect for biking and we headed out with no plan other than to ride along the river to the City and back. Along the way we glimpsed a lovely park and decided to explore further. Wouldn’t you know, it was Mirabell Gardens and yet another chance encounter with places that were featured in “The Sound of Music” (as noted on the photos). We’d have liked to hike the route taken by the Von Trapps to escape the Nazis but that’s pure fiction. The real Von Trapps just went to the station at the edge of their estate and took a train to Italy. Much less entertaining than the ruse with the performance, hiding in the cemetery, nuns pulling a distributor cap, and climbing every mountain but that’s Hollywood for you.

Next Stops: Munich, Nuremberg, Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Hallstatt, Austria

The drive from Innsbruck to Hallstatt took us across the German border where we were stopped, had our passports checked, and were asked if there was anybody in the van besides us. They also asked us multiple times where we were going and if we were heading home now. They were very polite and favored us with big smiles. We were also asked why our van was registered in Great Britain but was left hand drive. Eventually satisfied we weren’t harboring migrants, supplying munitions for the war effort or whatever other shenanigans an American and Irish citizen might be up to, they handed our passports back and wished us well. 

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

Our Garmin then guided us back into Austria through remote mountain backroads where we occasionally lost satellite reception. We soldiered on and eventually emerged from a long tunnel into the small but bustling town of Hallstatt. Maybe coming from Florida we’re just suckers for a town built into a hill with little stairways leading to hidden doors or disappearing into back gardens but we both found the town exceptionally cute. Just look at the pictures! 

Door into attic, house extends several floors below. 

Rick Steve’s walk through the town was very fun. It pointed out that the houses’ main entrances were through the attic level which opened into a back alley many feet above the current road through town because the bottom of the house was originally at lake level. There is also a store under which the remains of the Roman village that was once here are open to wander through. 

We noticed a higher percentage of Muslim tourists here and learned it had been advertised as a great vacation spot because it resembles the Koran’s description of heaven. We read Chinese tourists also flock here in great numbers and had even built a model of Hallstatt in China where people often took their wedding photos. All this has contributed to the town being over-touristed making it less livable for residents and the probable cause of the general grumpiness we noticed. Servers at restaurants huffed at a request for a table; campground owners were rude; and parking lot attendants waved us on impatiently. We also learned that tourism here started towards the end of the 18th century so you’d think they’d have it down to a science by now. 

We took an entertaining salt mine tour. We rode a funicular then an elevator to Rudolphstrum Viewpoint then hiked up an informative trail past an archeological site where many prehistoric burials have been excavated. At the entry, we all had to don funny clothes supposedly to protect our clothing from the salt but I suspect it entertains the guides. It was 47 degrees inside the mine so the bulk wasn’t unwelcome. There were several multimedia projections showing the history of salt mining here from prehistoric times through the current operations. There were also two slides - we were clocked at 23 km per hour in our longest tandem run. We may have to try the luge next! The big finale was a view of the oldest wooden staircase in Europe (carbon-dated to 1108 BC). 

Image from atlasobscura.com

We then visited the Catholic Church and took pictures of the graveyard with adorable tiny well-tended garden gravesites.  The nearby 12th-century Chapel of St. Michael is a bone chapel and entry is allowed for a small fee but no pictures are allowed. Space was so limited in the cemetery that bodies rested there only 12 years before they were dug up to make way for the more recently dead. Many of the bones and skulls ended up in the bone chapel but first many were marked with the deceased’s name and date of death and decorated with garlands of leaves, flowers, crosses or even snakes. 

Richest burial site with cremated remains.

The following day we toured the Hallstatt Museum and practically had the place to ourselves. Highly recommended - I took far too many pictures of the many archeological finds from the Late Bronze Age and early Iron Age that's called the Hallstatt culture (12th-6th centuries B.C.). 

As pretty and historic as it was, Hallstatt seemed too overrun by inconsiderate tourists to be a nice place to live. 

Next stops: Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg.

 

Italian Alps, an Iceman, and Innsbruck

Witch Trail View

Alpe di Siusi, Italy

As the temperature climbed, we headed to the Dolomites. Our first stop was Camping Seiser Alm which advertised our new favorite amenity - a pool.  The drive high up into the mountains was equal parts pretty and frightening. Though the drive wasn’t long, we took the rest of the day to check into our campsite with an excellent view of the peaks directly and distantly above us. Coming from the flattest of flat lands, we spent quite awhile puzzling over the guide book, maps, and tram and bus schedules and finally settled on the “Witch” trail for the following day. What could go wrong?

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

For some reason, Google maps doesn’t have a grasp of the public transportation in this area so after missing the camp recommended bus, we decided to just follow those at the bus stop dressed in hiking gear and that turned out to be a winning strategy! I doubt this would work at most locations so don't take this as advice. The first cable car got us quite a way up the mountain but it took a second to reach the trailhead. The hiking provided many beautiful views of soaring peaks and it wasn’t technically difficult. The views of the valleys far below caused Dermot’s knees to knock and he wasn’t much interested in having his photo taken with those backgrounds. 

We were a bit disappointed that we only encountered one witch but were glad we never met the bull the signs warned us about since we had seen the pies he left and those were plenty big enough! We also got to see farmers using hand rakes to turn the hay and though we envied the peace and beauty of the area, decided we were lucky to have retired from desk jobs. 

Back at camp, we endured the heat and never made it into the pool which was only available with a reservation made the previous day and for only 45 minutes at that.  Time to go.

Bolzano, Italy

For our next stop we chose Camping Steiner in Bolzano for its multiple pools including one that was indoors, our newest favorite amenity. After a harrowing trip back down the mountain, we enjoyed a restful afternoon lounging in the indoor pool. Unfortunately, the heat proved too much for our AC which dripped water onto our bed and we had to disassemble the foam mattresses from their covers and various bedding and allow them them to dry. Troubleshooting suggested we clear what could be blockages to the drainage system. The fix was only temporary as the dripping resumed again later and we resigned to sleeping in the heat. As this was Saturday and there were no service centers open on Sunday, we would probably have another such night. 

Bolzano is also home to Ötzi the Iceman. Prehistoric man has always held a special fascination for me and I'd been following the Ötzi story for many years so I felt very lucky to be able to visit the museum. When I tried to make early reservations on-line for the following day, the Museum was closed until 2 pm because they had closed off the area "due to the defusing of an aereal bomb from WWII in Bolzano/Bozen."

It occurred to me once again how privileged I was to have grown up in a country where this wasn’t a routine problem. The following morning we learned the downtown area would reopen at 12 so we headed out a bit beforehand and rode the bus all the way to the site that was cordoned off and surrounded by Carabinieri and the Bomb Squad. We heard a long siren but nobody ran and there was no explosion so defusing must have gone as planned. 

We had lunch at a restaurant just off the main square and followed the fairly short walk in the guide and dipped into a supermarket (mainly for the AC as it was now in the 90’s) until our scheduled time arrival at the museum. 

Interactive and fascinating.

The many objects found with Otzi were displayed with very good explanations and I savored all of those before allowing myself to view the man himself. Though so much has been learned from him and thousands have seen him, I admit to feeling like an intruder when seeing his actual body encased in a thin layer of ice in his specially designed display tomb. In the most interesting parts of the museum, photos weren’t allowed. This picture is of the very cool interactive exhibit that allows you to move a "window" around to see various scans (bone, musculature, magnified, etc.). Of course, the fact that forensics studies have concluded that his death was actually a murder which they have investigated as a very cold case, made his story all the more intriguing. People have longed for immortality and Otzi has certainly achieved immortality of a sort. 

That night we waited until 10:00 p.m. to turn on the air conditioner again after positioning our collapsing sink under it. We kept in on low and held our collective breath, ears trained to hear the expected drips. It worked all night to keep us cool so our conclusion was that we had just overtaxed the unit and it had frozen up - twice! Time to go.

Burg Reifenstein/Castel Tasso

We headed for Innsbruck but made a stop along the way at Reifenstein Castle which is one of the best preserved as well as artistically and historically important medieval castles in South Tirol. The castle was built into the rocky hill and some floors from the earliest parts were still the original, craggy rock. The kitchen alone is fantastic in all its rough and sooty glory. 

Original kitchen - so cool!

There are even sleeping boxes where the knights, guards, staff and sometimes the townsfolk all slept together about 10 people per box. Sleeping in groups was a necessity in the cold winters and people slept sitting up as lying down was associated with the dying. There were rooms where councils were held and even a dungeon (a picture shows the hole in the floor through which prisoners were lowered). We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the two most highly decorated rooms but they were spectacular. 

The wooden ceiling and beams were beautifully painted but the paintings were badly damaged due to the use of lime during plague times. The depth of history felt very close to the surface and I really enjoyed imagining living through those times while here. The current owners are an elderly brother and sister and they spent their childhood summers in the 1940’s here. Lucky kids!

Innsbruck

Innsbruck is visually stunning with dramatic peaks and the forested mountains as its backdrop. Public transportation into the city was easy and we followed the guide's walk from Maria-Theresien-Strasse and back thru the old town streets enjoying the architectural style and paintings on the buildings.  We finally came to the famed "Golden Roof" where Emperor Maximillian I watched spectacles including jousts and even executions in the streets below. 

The Innsbruck Card let us ride a space age-looking funicular and two sets of packed cable cars up as close to the peak as possible. We then hiked an easy 15 minutes to the peak and enjoyed the views in every direction using the informational signage to pick out distant points of interest. There were hiking trails leading off and we explored a few of those. The weather was perfect and we could see for many miles.

Tirolean wedding clothes.

The following day we finished the rest of the guide's historic walk and toured the Museum of Tirolean Folk Art (Tiroler Volkunstmuseum). Rick Steves only gave it one (out of three) triangles but it far surpassed my expectations as it included entire rooms from the 1400's; many intriguing items from everyday life; and an entertaining audioguide. 

Next Stops: Several times we've learned that we just missed seeing someone we knew, or got an invitation from a friend of a friend after we had already left an area. So now, we're going to post our next stops ahead so that we don't miss any more opportunities! We're heading to Hallstatt, Salzburg and Munich. Don't be shy, we love to meet up with people on our trip even if its just for coffee or a drink. 

Venice and Verona

Verona's Roman Arena

Venice

Descending out of the mountains of Slovenia onto the fields of Northern Italy, we set our sights on Venice. Our campground was right next to the Fusina ferry which transported us into the city every day. Cruise ships and cargo ships alike passed close to our campsite near the water’s edge.

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

It was Dermot’s first time in Venice and I enjoyed trying to make the most of his experience. Of course, thousands of others were trying to do the same so there were long lines at sights, crowded vaporettos, bridges bristling with selfie sticks and people all trying to get their best side in a photo at each viewpoint. After the peace of the mountains, it was a bit overwhelming, and of course, hot.

We were lucky to have the benefit of a flexible schedule so we extended our intended stay to make the most of it. Not all of Rick Steve’s’ tricks for skipping the line at the big sights worked but we found one that did and it made a huge difference. The evenings were less crowded and we were able to enjoy Venice at a slower pace.

The history of Venice is fascinating but I won’t go into all that, except to say that it’s a bit sad to know that it was once so much more beautiful and we’re seeing it in decay. Sometimes that’s great from a tourism point of view, but we both imagined how difficult it would be to live here. On a cruise of the Grand Canal via vaporetto, I noticed that there were far more dark windows than when I came many years ago. Covid gave the city quite a blow but also time for a reset to make tourism more sustainable in the future. 

We had time to eat more like locals by going off the beaten tracks to enjoy a Venetian Pub Crawl for dinner. You order a drink and a few cicchetti (Venetian version of tapas), savor them and then move to the next place. Every place we really liked, we only found with the guide as they were tucked down little alleys and not always where google maps said they’d be. 

We also really enjoyed getting away from the crowded streets and wandering down the little back streets and alleys. It’s so much more peaceful and there are lovely homes and little surprises tucked into corners, above doorways, on balconies and in the tiny “rivers” (only the Grand Canal is a canal).  We took hundreds of pictures so they’ll have to take up the slack where my description falters.

The two most noteworthy sights we visited were the Doge’s Palace and San Marcos Basilica. The Doge’s Palace was once the seat of enormous power and was built to show just that. If you’re interested in the history, you can Google it, our pictures reflect some of the fabulous art and armory. One room was once the largest expanse without supporting columns and it also contained the largest oil painting in the world. The ceilings were incredibly ornate and filled with beautiful artwork.

San Marco's Basilica was being renovated.

San Marco's Basilica was unique for its variety of decorative styles and Byzantine flavor. Many of its treasures were actually stolen, ransacked, or “liberated” depending on your point of view - including the remains of San Marco himself! The bronze horses that once graced the front of the basilica (now inside to protect them from the elements) originally pulled a chariot, were gilded and had ruby pupils. Historians aren’t sure where they were made or even when but the range is about 175 B.C. to fourth century A.D. According to our guide, legend says they were made in the time of Alexander the Great, taken by Nero to Rome, then Constantine took them and then the Venetians stole them during the looting of Constantinople in 1204. Next, Napoleon took them when he conquered Venice in 1797 and they were installed over the triumphal arch in Paris. They were returned to Venice when Napolean’s empire fell. 

The incredible mosaics suffuse the entire expanse of the basilica with a golden glow and told the stories of the Bible in full color. This effect isn’t really captured in our photos but they do show little glimpses of this enchanting place.

Verona

I’m a sucker for a city with layers of history and Verona has that in spades. We followed the guided walk thru Verona’s sights. Much of the Roman Arena was off limits as they constructed the stage for the annual opera festival. The Erbe market was full of touristy trinkets but the surrounding buildings had painted exterior walls. The Basilica of St. Anastasia is Gothic architecture and is beautifully painted and decorated inside. 

My favorite was the Cathedral Complex or Duomo. During the Roman Empire, there were villas with private thermal baths and probably a few temples - one dedicated to Minerva. The first early Christian Basilica was consecrated between 362-380 A.D. The site was added to and reconstructed after natural disasters or fires over the years. The intriguing thing about it is that you can see parts of all these structures here as areas of the excavated site are left open for viewing and an early church is still in use as a chapel. 

Slovenia

 

The Julian Alps

Piran

We arrived in the early afternoon at the crowded Camp Fiesta which had few sites available, restrooms in poor repair and no pool but was just steps through a nice park to the Adriatic Sea with a pebble beach. These were round pebbles, not the small sharp stones we’d thus far encountered. Dermot stayed in the shade while I floating in the sea staying cool waiting for a later, and hopefully cooler trip into the town which was only a 16 minute walk away. The path from camp to town followed the beach climbing upward to the Cathedral atop walls with great views overlooking the town square and port below. 

As we followed our guide, we noted that most of the people in the campsite and even in the town seemed to be Slovenians judging from the license plates and conversations making it a bit of an undiscovered gem. We descended into Tartini Square which was atmospheric and enjoyed the views from along the harbor. Though it didn’t seem overcrowded, we were lucky to find a table for an early dinner at Pri Mari (the second restaurant we picked from the guide after being turned away at the first). Sated, we wandered the small back streets and alleys without a plan since it was so small you couldn’t get too lost and very much enjoyed the town. Mary Murphy wrote a more comprehensive post on Piran: Picturesque Piran

Click here for our photos and (i) for information.

The Karst 

Park Škockanske Jame

The good news is: this was the best, most exciting cave experience I’ve had to date. The bad news (for you) is that they didn’t allow pictures while we were in the caves.  If you're interested, do a google image search and you'll see what I mean. 

The walk is not for anyone that has trouble with stairs or tires easily but it rewards your efforts with huge caverns, massive stalagmites, and a long, meandering pathway intermittently lit looking like something out of a creepy sci-fi movie. As if that wasn’t enough, the cave system starts with a river near Piran that disappears underground and runs for miles until it emerges again in Italy. We saw and heard the water flowing far below us. Though we experienced it during a time with little rain and, therefore, low water volume; due to a constriction further along, rainy weather fills it up and the water is a raging torrent. Leaving the caves, we took a slight detour on the way back to the ticket office to a scenic overlook at the town that sits above the collapsed valley (which used to be part of the cave system until the roof fell in).

You'll have to zoom way in on the town it get a feel for how deep that gorge is. This town is not on my list of potential places to live!

Ljubljana

We arrived late at Ljubljana Resort Hotel & Camping which is a small campground adjoining a resort-style pool and other amenities which we were allowed to access on a limited and/or reduced-rate basis. We resolved to spend the first night touring the gym, relaxing, eating at the camp restaurant and strolling the nearby path along the river. 

The next morning we easily caught a bus into the city (public transportation, check) and immediately wondered why the streets were so empty. We only spent one day in the actual city but it was not too big and not too small, it felt just right. There are no big sights to see but there are a thousand little details that, together, make it very livable. The main square was charming and there were more people but nowhere was excessively crowded. The streets are closed to traffic making it so much more relaxing to wander. There was an extensive market all along the river, ample bike paths, many eateries, the remains of a Roman town, and gorgeous architecture. It’s also clean and green with many leafy parks and fines for not recycling! Locals were very friendly and most also spoke excellent English which made everything about our travel here easy. Even the bus drivers met our fumbling attempts to use the bus card with patience and a smile. We left a bit early so Dermot could catch the All Ireland game at camp but I must admit to being smitten with Ljubljana.

We spent much of following day doing a bit of planning and some chores then headed for what was billed as a resort-style pool. There were two enormous pools that had many features to delight any child and some adults and it was packed. Since Dermot and I are looking for comfortable lounging chairs with umbrellas for shade, we were out of luck on this very hot day as every lounge chair around the pools was taken or draped with a towel. We swam in the water for awhile and found a picnic table in the shade but didn’t stay long.

Lake Bled

The following day checked into Camping Sobec and felt lucky to find a space in the “free areas” since the first place we called was booked solid through August. “Free” in this case means there are no set boundaries, you just park wherever you fit. Rain featured heavily in the forecast for the afternoon and following day so we left chairs to hold our spot and headed into town to get in as much sightseeing as possible.  

Finding parking was a nightmare with the lots set aside for campers requiring payment for the full day assuming we would spend 24 hours there. We eventually found a lot we hoped would not be upset if we temporarily defined ourselves as more of a car/van than a camper since we were only staying a few hours. I downloaded an app that allowed us to extend our time if needed (and we did - twice). 

Lake Bled is a very charming area complete with a castle on a dramatic cliff far above the town. We walked around the glacial lake enjoying the views and taking pictures along with all the other tourists. Smarter people (locals, presumably) wore bathing suits and ignored the signs forbidding swimming in the lake. I eyed the castle far above dubiously but eventually decided it was worth the estimated 20 minute hike uphill since waiting for the shuttle would have landed us there during a rain storm. Calling it a hill made it seem more doable than a "cliff." The weather app indicated it was 90 degrees which at least partially explained why the ascent was more challenging and sweaty than anticipated. The views were worth it, in retrospect . . . maybe. The castle and museum were somewhat interesting and the wine served by a man dressed as a monk was nice.

When we returned to camp, our chairs had been moved aside and Dermot had to square off with a young Aussie couple to reclaim our space but with a bit of reshuffling we all found room. Showers and cool drinks were necessities. 

Perusing Mary Murphy's blog, I found her post on the area which is much more informative than mine: Bled - Simply Bled

The Julian Alps

Our original plan was to wait out the rain in camp but the forecast now gave us a clear window to make it through the Vrsic Pass and we took it. Dermot drove the 49 hairpin turns (they’re numbered!) while I narrated and navigated using Rick Steve’s Self-Guided Driving Route. Our van isn’t an automatic it’s what Fiat calls "Comfort-matic," which means you don’t have to shift gears, there’s software that mimics automatic shifting. This usually works pretty well but on mountains, the engine revs alarmingly higher than seems warranted. We made the bicyclists very nervous. 

The views of mountains, forests, glaciers and river Soca were stunning. Unfortunately, the summit was jammed with people all trying to get the perfect shot and the size of our van made it unlikely we'd snag a parking space so I just took shots through the window as Dermot drove. We camped outside the town of Bovec at Camp Polovnik, happy to be on relatively level ground. This area has many adventure sports offerings like white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, bicycling and paragliding. The option that most appealed to us was kayaking but the water levels in the river were low so we passed.

There were still miles to go on the self-guided tour so the next morning we headed for the town of Kobarid watching for the sights along the way. This region was the site of fierce and pivotal fighting in WWI and we visited the extensive collection of war artifacts at the Kobarid Museum. It was sobering to look at the pictures of those who had been gone for over 100 years and realize we still hadn't found a way to ensure the enduring peace we all need and want.