The Austria I Hadn't Told You About Yet.

Travel by caravan.

16/08/2005

H. 6:25

Departure from Mira, an old town on the Riviera del Brenta. Destination: Austria The barometer reads 14 degrees and it's raining. H. 9:50 We reached the border. We buy the "PICKERL". A sticky sticker that allows tolls on motorways and main roads. H. 13:25 We arrive at Frohnleiten and continue to the nearby, very small village of Ungerdorf, where we settle at a campsite. In the afternoon we visit the small town of Frohnleiten, "The pearl of the Mur valley", and Adriac, a small village west of Frohnleiten. Frohnleiten and Adriach are in the region of "Styria".

17/08/2005

During the morning we visit the Lurgrotte Peggau caves. They are in the centre of Peggau but also have an entrance at Semriach. They were discovered on 1 April 1894 by Max Brunello, an Italian speleologist. In the afternoon, at Stübing, a visit to the Österreichisches Freilichtmuseum, or Austrian open-air museum. It is a folk museum. The visit consists of a pleasant walk in the woods, among the traditional "Rauchstubenhäuser" (houses with hearths in the centre of the room). The reconstruction of these houses aims to show the museum's visitors the different cultural and rural areas of Austria. The visit took more than three hours.

18/08/2005

Visit to the city of Graz. See my first published trip, devoted precisely to this splendid city.

19/08/2005

Our journey continues. At 9:25 we leave the Ungerdorf campsite to settle at the one in Neulengbach. A rural campsite: it is, in fact, inside a farm. In the afternoon we visit the small village of Neulengbach and its castle.

20/08/2005

From the campsite we reach Vienna by train and get to the centre by underground. The day is entirely devoted to a tour of the city. The grandeur of the buildings makes you feel like a tiny ant. Taking photographs is difficult: either you settle for a detail or for a distorted, bizarre perspective. Coming out of the underground we find ourselves in front of the "Stephansdom" in Stephansplatz. A magnificent building in Romanesque and Gothic style. Its sloping roof, entirely covered with majolica tiles bearing the imperial coat of arms, cannot go unnoticed. A visit to the gardens of the "Hofburg". Seat, until 1918, of the imperial court. Then a stroll among the wonderful rose beds of the "Volksgarten". A visit to the "Rathaus" and finally the unmissable ride on the famous Ferris wheel.

21/08/2005

Today too we will visit Vienna. Our destination is "Schönbrunn" Palace and its park. The country residence of the imperial Habsburg family. "Schönbrunn" Palace is one of Austria's greatest cultural heritage sites. During the morning a visit to some of the Palace's rooms. The whole afternoon is devoted first to a demonstration of how to make Strudel, given by a young chef in the restaurant inside the Palace, then to a tour of its immense and wonderful park. Our walk, besides the various avenues of the park, reaches as far as the "Gloriette", a building at the top of a hill. From its terrace you can admire the Palace, the garden in front of it and the city of Vienna. Then, to finish, a walk in the woods where tiny squirrels, with their long tails, scurry about calmly without fearing the presence of visitors.

22/08/2005

Departure from the campsite towards the city of Melk. Settling in at the campsite of Danau. In the afternoon, a visit to Melk Abbey and the town. The Abbey stands on a rocky spur overlooking the town and is visible even from the neighbouring villages. It was founded by Benedictine monks. Inside, of particular interest are: the church, the garden and the library. From the terrace you can admire not only the town of the same name below but also the Danube.

22/08/2005

We leave the Danau campsite to head for the lake region. The weather is uncertain. We arrive at a beautiful campsite by a lake. It rains all day and the forecast does not look good. We learn from a newspaper that the bad weather has caused serious damage in various parts of Austria. Graz was hit too. In the afternoon we receive numerous phone calls from family and friends checking on the situation, since the news bulletins announce disasters all over the country.

23/08/2005

We get up early in the morning. It rained all night. Our journey cannot continue; the forecast announces more bad weather. So we set off four days early, aware nonetheless of having been lucky, since the summer of 2005 was certainly not generous.