Tuesday 30^th August 2016

An early start this morning. Weather in Salzburg is expected to be 23°.

Breakfast at 7:00am then checked out of the hotel and into a taxi at 8:00am for the short trip to the Salzburg railway station for our trip to Budapest.

The train from Salzburg departed to Budapest at 9:08am and arrived in Budapest at 2:20pm. Got a taxi to our hotel, art’otel. Location is magnificent, right on the river overlooking Budapest Parliament house.

Weather in Budapest is a hot 28° with clear blue sky.

After checking in and having a cuppa we ventured out walking beside the Danube looking for where our river cruise boat will depart.

Budapest appears to be a beautiful city with very grand buildings.

We found an open-air pub to have a drink and relax before walking back to our hotel for dinner. Lynne had chicken with paprika sauce, roasted vegetables a dumpling and a glass of local wine which was very good. I had pork schnitzel with roast potatoes, pickles and a dark beer. Mick and I had a single malt whiskey to round off a good days traveling. We then had a short walk along the river to see the sites at night before returning to our hotel for a well deserved rest.

Parliament House Budapest

Chain Bridge at Night

Monday 29^th August 2016

What a difference a day makes. Woke this morning to light rain and temperature was a much cooler 22°.

Had a healthy breakfast of fruit, cereal, toast & tea/coffee then went to the Laundromat just round the corner from the hotel to do some washing.

Plan for the rest of the day was to explore the Old Town with first stop being the Salzburg Fortress,  which sits high up on a hill overlooking Salzburg. The way up is by funicular railway, which is very steep but only takes about 2 minutes to get up to the Fort.

By the time we got to the top it was lunchtime so we sat in a courtyard style café and had salad, pretzel and beer for me and bitter lemon for Lynne. Just as we finished lunch a storm hit with very heavy rain so we went into the Fort Museum and spent a very interesting hour looking through the various floors of artifacts dating back to 1077ad.

Once the rain eased we made our way back to the hotel for a cuppa and spent time updating our social media information.

Around 5:30pm the sky cleared so we set off again this time in search of the Glockenspiel in the Old Town Square which was due to chime at 6:00pm, it was a little underwhelming and certainly not as good as the Carillion in Munich. Took a few photos and then went in search of Nonnberg Abbey, which was used in The Sound of Music as the Convent. After walking up a long staircase, we came to a sign showing the way up to the Abbey was closed so we didn’t get to see it. Next stop was St Peters Church that was the inspiration for the scene in the movie where the Von Trapp family are hidden in the Convent by the Nunn’s.

As it was now well after 7:00pm we headed back in the direction of our hotel looking for some for dinner. Found a nice traditional German beer haus and had an excellent meal. Atlantic salmon fillet with veggies followed by apple strudel and a glass of wine for Lynne. I had roast pork with mushroom cream sauce and polenta potatoes then a cheese plate. Also had yet another different beer to help the digestion.

Now time to head back to the hotel to pack ready for our next train journey, Salzburg to Budapest. The train departs Salzburg at 9:08am so we will need to be at the station around 8:30am. We are now getting quite proficient and the train travel.

The Fortress

View from the Fortress over Salzburg

The Funicular

Glockenspeil

St Peters Church cemetery

Sunday 28^th August 2016

Another early start this morning (6:00am) as we were being picked up this morning at 8:30am by “Bobs Special Tours” for our Salzburg Sound of Music  & Hallstatt Tour.

Weather today is going to be a very hot 30° but it felt much hotter.

We were in a Ford Transit van mini bus that carried 8 passengers & driver.

We visited the Sound of Music venues in Salzburg:- The Palace of Leopoldskron, used as the Von Trapp home & where the children fell in the lake; Hellbrunn Palace to see the Gazebo where Leisal & Raul sang you are 16 going on 17.

Back in the bus for the 1-hour trip to Hallstatt, the lakes district of Salzburg.  The scenery is stunning with lakes surrounded by high mountains and castles along the shoreline. Had lunch in Hallstatt at a café on the edge of the lake, then a short stroll around before getting back on the bus for the trip to Mondsee to see the Cathedral where Maria and Captain Von Trapp were married in the movie.

Arrived back in Salzburg about 5:00pm and walked through the Mirabelle Gardens before going back to our hotel for s cup and rest prior to going to the Alter Fuchs (The Fox) pub where we had an excellent meal of various pork dished and finished with berry & egg soufflé.

The Palace of Leopoldskron

The Gazebo

The lake at Hallstatt

Mondsee Cathedral

Saturday 27^th August 2016

Up at 6:00am this morning as we leaving Prague today and have to be at the railway station in time to board the 9:12 am train to Salzburg.

The first part of the journey, Prague to Munich was in the 1^st class section, which very comfortable with plenty of space and a table to rest books, iPads etc. on. We even had lunch served to us by a waiter on real crockery with proper cutlery, also had a beer with lunch. Excellent service and the food was very good. We arrived at Munich around 3:00pm and changed platforms ready to catch the 4:18pm train to Salzburg.

Arrived in Salzburg at 6:00pm and got a taxi to the Hotel Wolf Dietrich where we are staying for the next 3 nights.

After checking in we walked around the local streets and had a lovely meal of hamburgers with fries  (cooked flat & crisp) accompanied by a beer for Mick & I and a glass of wine for Lynne & Heather. Heather and Lynne also had a “Mozart Cup” ice cream in a huge “horn of plenty” glass dish.

Continued our walking tour after dinner going over the bridge to the old town them back to our hotel.

Lunch on the train

View from the back on the train

Friday 26^th August 2016

Woke this morning to another day of clear blue sky. Temperature expected to be 28° with no cloud or breeze.

As it was going to be very hot we decided to catch a taxi over to Prague Castle. We had to queue for about 20 minutes to go through security before we could get into the Castle precinct. The Guards asked is I if I had any weapons, guns or knives. Asked Lynne to same, but also if she had any dynamite.

We didn’t bother with getting tickets into the castle, just walked round the lovely grounds. Saw the changing of the Guard, the outside of St Vitas Cathedral, which is quite magnificent, and walked round various other parts of the central castle precinct.

Stopped for a quick lunch then went to see the Royal Gardens. On the way there were some birds of prey on display, Eagles, Falcons & Owls. I held a female eagle, which weighed 5kg and has a 2m-wing span. They are amazing birds, which can reach speeds of up to 350kph and can spot their prey from 1klm away.  

Exited the Castle through the main entrance and out onto a large square which had excellent views over the city. From there we went down a long and rather steep set of stairs back into the old town to find the John Lennon wall, which was created in the 60’s as a protest by the young people as they were not allowed under the communist regime to listen to pop music. The government would whitewash the wall each day and the youth would graffiti it each night with messages about John Lennon. It became even more decorated with John Lennon comments after his death.

Walked back across the Charles Bridge and through the Old Town Square, where we sat for a while to rest our legs and have a beer, which was very refreshing. Lynne even had a taste of mine and found it good. 

On the way back to the hotel Lynne and Heather had Tradelink, (a donut cooked round a mandrel over a gas burner and filled with ice cream, cream and chocolate topping.

Headed back to the Hotel for a cuppa and freshen up before heading out to dinner at the La Republica Beer Bar, Music, & Dance  Restaurant directly across the road from the hotel. A great place with fantastic food. I had a 250 g veal schnitzel and Lynne had grilled salmon. The dark beer was very good so Mick and I had two just to make sure. Lynne and Heather had a glass of Rose. There was also a 4-piece band playing ragtime style music, which made for a great atmosphere. Also saw a lady on the table next to us who had the biggest hair we have ever seen. Took a photo. The waiter was also having a laugh about it and said he thinks it is Arnold Schwarzenegers’ mother.

Another great day in Prague, which saw us walk 11klms. Now back to the hotel to pack ready for our trip to Salzburg by train via Munich.

Guard at entrance to Prague Castle

St Vitas Cathedral

Royal Gardens Prague Castle

View of Prague from the Castle

Holding an Eagle