The first time I went to Europe was as a twenty four year old, wide eyed apprentice to an agriculture chemicals company's headquarters near Frankfurt - newly married, totally broke and very happy.
A return trip was always on our minds and we finally made it in the summer of 2016. This time we wanted to see places that we missed the last time but also revisit some places to relive the nostalgia.
Of course with the charm of being able to photograph some of best cityscapes and landscapes, I was really looking forward to the trip and thanks to Google we did plan quite an exciting trip.
Our plan was to land in Vienna, drive to Melk, Dachstein,
Salzburg and then onwards to Neuschwanstein
and Munich. We would then drive back to Vienna and take trains to Prague and Budapest.
I don't know about you but planning for a trip is one of the most fascinating parts to me. To some extent it is probably the geek in me - maps, figuring out the lay of the land, train connections
- and the whole new digital world of - AirBnB, Google, Trip Advisor - makes it kind of enjoyable in its own way.
St. Stephens Cathedral or Stephansdom (the banner picture is taken from the top of the church, a tough 343 stairs climb) is the most prominent symbol of Austria and stands near the St. Stephen's square. It is hard to believe that it was destroyed during WWII and
rebuilt in just seven years. The square itself is full of shops selling tourist tchotchkes with prints of Klimt's "The Kiss". I love the painting and the nearby Belvedere
Museum had a great exhibition of Klimt's work. Like most other tourist squares this place has amazing energy, pretty average food and the standard local beer. The Hofburg palace complex is vast and requires a fair amount of walking to cover all portions.
After spending a few days in Vienna we went to Melk which is a short drive along the Danube. After you get out of the city, the drive becomes beautiful. Melk itself is a little town of and the climb up to the Abbey is on a cobbled path dotted by small
eateries and gift shops (again selling Klimt). The views from the semi-circular exterior terrace looking out over the Wachau Valley are absolutely breathtaking.
The majestic gold leaf covered ceiling
Karlskirche. There are benches around the church on the street. We sat around here before walking to the Opera house to take some night time pictures.
Of course there are some iconic photos of the Opera house but we were getting very late to get back home after a nice dinner at the Naschmarket which is an eclectic collection of shops that sell everything from baklava to bedsheets from Jaipur.
This photo is my favorite because even though it is a long exposure photo, the car was actually standing for the light to turn green and therefore the beautiful starburst of the headlight.
We started our car trip towards Salzburg with a day trip to Dachstein which is an alpine attraction and the tallest mountain in the Styria region. As most alpine attractions it has beautiful vistas, cable cars, miles of hiking and limitless choices for adventure sports. We took the cable car to the top and hiked to the five fingers lookout post.
The hike is dotted with wood houses like the one here...
Views of Hallstatt, which is a quaint little village at the foothills of Dachstein are a treat for someone who loves panoramas.
This picture was made with six vertical shots!
Rocks blend with the snow which blends with the sky.
On way to Salzburg we crossed Wolfgang lake. With water so clear you can see the bottom of the lake forever and the mountains drop a perfect reflection.
"High mountains and the Grossglockner - what was once exclusive to skilled alpinists has been transformed into an adventure for all ages that is still incredibly fascinating thanks to the construction of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road."
And I cannot agree with it more. In fact, Grossglockner was not on our original plan. After coming to Salzburg we soon realized that we had probably planned for a day too many and probably could add a new destination to our itinerary.
Now don't get me wrong, Salzburg is fascinating and also has some real nice restaurants ( Angusta, Brunnwirt ) apart from the verdant beauty of its lush mountains and crystal lakes.
Driving to the alpine road would mean we had to leave early from our AirBNB and drive a couple of hours before we hit the base at Fusch an der Glocknerstrasse at around six am.
It is a beautiful village but was still sleeping when we reached. The 48 km journey starts at a toll plaza where you can also buy the tickets.
The entire route has 36 hairpin turns and 12 stops which house restaurants, museums and gift shops. The first few turns look pretty tame.
Wait till you get a little higher and the vista opens up. We saw a movie shot being set up, I really hope it is the next Bond flick!
And then we drove into the black forest region in Germany. Back to the country of which I have fond memories and dear friends. Though I have lived there and been to the Munich region this was our first time to Neuschwanstein.
After the exhilaration of driving on the Autobahn, we eased into the foothills of the castle dreading the hordes of tourists and long lines.
What surprised us were some of the totally deserted hiking routes to the castle. We hiked up and down, soaking in the beauty all around on a very clear and crisp day.
And of course the fairy tale castle of King Ludwig II which is probably the most visited castle in Europe.
