sLOVEnia and Family

Having returned late from Venice the night before, we slowly made our way from the hotel in Arcade, into the car, and on the road back to Austria. Having decided we had ALL day to get there, a drive through Slovenia with a stop at Lake Bled was on the agenda. Yay!! I was looking forward to seeing SLO again and this time spending quality time in Bled with my GMan! Before leaving Italy we bought cheese and salami from a farmer's stand, fresh fruit from a close by market, and crispy fresh bread from the bakery. Rain the entire drive dampened the enthusiasm a bit, so much of the scenery was missed, another one for "next time". We made it to Bled early afternoon and had our picnic lunch from the Italian shops in the car. Just as good as we expected!! Having fueled up, we made our second hike up to Castle Bled (the first did give us reason to eat more :).

Once at the top we took in the scenery in the dry conditions. The view over the lake is beautiful!

 

The 1000 + year old castle is one of the oldest in Slovenia, first mentioned in 1011 when a German king awarded it to a bishop. It sits atop a cliff above the glacial lake, which also happens to be thermally fed, with views of the Julian Alps and the entire Upper Carinola region. We toured the museum with its exhibit of the geographical and cultural history of the area. The restaurant was closed due to wedding festivities, of which we witnessed much picture taking. We of course, took many of our own in the romantic setting. 

Winding back down the hill, we went in search of Bled's famous cream cake, Kremsnita.  Greg, so good at finding yummy places to eat, brought us right to the original place. Sava, with its 60 year history of making this delicious dessert, was the perfect place to enjoy it!

After making G feel how warm the water is, (it's amazing!), we wandered around the lake towards our parking spot and found another romantic spot for pictures. The locks behind us are a phenomenon we've seen in every country and on nearly every bridge. Started in Paris, couples place a lock, usually with their names on it, on the bridge and throw the key into the nearby waterway. 

Expecting a two and a half hour journey to Großarl, Austria, we left SLO in the early evening. Unfortunately, border controls made quite a traffic jam and we crawled along adding an hour to our arrival time. Exhausted, hungry, and in the caring hands of family, we were shown our room, provided a late dinner and made welcome at Hotel Kristal. 

Großarl is in a beautiful valley, it is a popular skiing and hiking destination. Most mountain peaks are at approximately 2000 meters, with 400 kilometers of trails and forty huts providing farm fresh products from the alpine-meadow farmers, the area is called the Valley of Alpine Meadows. It was such a treat to hike to these farm huts (actual homes and small guest houses) where families greeted you and provided hot cocoa with rum, beer, schnapps, fresh made bread and cheeses, soups and pastries. 

We woke late and enjoyed an incredible breakfast buffet in the hotel. The Epping family along with a few friends had already eaten and were planning an easy hike up to one of the huts. Since everyone agreed we'd catch them, we were given the nod to come after we finished. Getting our hiking gear delivered to the room, we readied and set off after the group. Although they had a 45 minute head start, and I am out of hiking practice, we DID reach and eventually surpass the group. 

I so enjoyed the scenery and the exertion of the hike up, following my Amazing GMan. The path was steep and in patches very slippery, rain started just before we reached the hut. Once inside, the greetings, the warmth, the hot stone oven for warming and drying clothes, the food, drink and comaradarie of family and friends felt absolutely perfect. 

After the hut, G and I decided to continue up to the peak, supposedly a 30 min hike up. Of course, Monja bonus mileage came along and an hour later, we finally found the peak. 

Luckily the way down was easier to follow and we made it back to our hotel with just enough time to clean up before dinner. The hotel provides an incredible culinary experience. Dinner begins with a huge salad buffet, then an appetizer, your main meal is chosen from three choices the day before, and then there's dessert. We tried different red wines and settled on a favorite and enjoyed trying the different after dinner schnapps as well. Life is good!

The following day, Monday, we got an early start and after another amazing breakfast, drove to Salzburg. The night before we had booked a city walking tour for 10:45 and arrived early enough to park and wander the nearby Mirabell Palace and gardens. I've never seen the movie, however G has, so I got the full run down of where "Sound of Music" scenes were played out. Makes me want to see the movie... Maybe. The palace was originally built for an Archbishop's (non-Catholic) mistress in 1606, but has seen changes in its history and now has a Neoclassical style. Inside is a Barogue marble staircase called the Angel's Stairway, with lots of creepy, fat angel babies (not GMan's favorite architectural feature). The hall once used by Mozart's family is now a wedding room. It was also here that the latter king, Otto of Greece was born in 1815. The gardens are considered the most beautiful baroque style gardens in the world. It's flowers are changed out every 20 days, and many concerts and theatrical events are held here throughout the year. 

Heading out on our tour, we learned of many historical events and important places. Salzburg (Salt Fortress) is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It has preserved much of its history and beautiful Baroque architecture from the 17th century, despite being bombed during WWII. Interestingly, Salzburg had been a self-ruled city state from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, with protection from the Holy Roman Empire, due to its wealth in salt, "white gold".  The tour took us through the Mirabell Gardens, into the New Town area, past Mozart's adult residence, and the home Christian Doppler (famous for the Doppler Effect), and then across the river and into Old Town Salzburg.  In Old Town we were taken down the covered side streets, into the many plazas, through the open air marketplace, into the university, and past the many churches, cathedral, and other historical points, all of which reflect the vast wealth that the city controlled.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here in 1756 and composed and performed in Salzburg from the age of five until 17. 

During the walking tour, our guide not only pointed out the various historical highlights of the city, but also certain culinary highlights.  As we followed along he drew our attention to a biergarten where all of the locals gather.  We made a note to return there later to soak up all of the local flavor!  A few moments later, he told the story of the famous Bosna Wurst (hotdog) stand that is so beloved by the locals that the lines run down the streets during the holidays.  Hmmm... another mental note to return.  A while after that, he directed our attention up a side street to the oldest restaurant in the

world (maybe Europe or perhaps even just Salzburg), established in the year 805!  Uhhhh... okay... this list is getting quite long for a pair already with dinner plans in Großarl. We were assessing our options when he brought us past the oldest Italian coffee house in Salzburg.  ACK!!  Too many options!  

After a short discussion we both agreed on the obvious choice and at the completion of the walking tour we made our way to the "oldest restaurant in the world" (how could you pass that up!). We were able to retrace our steps and found it quite easily.  But a quick look at the posted menu revealed that they realized very clearly that being the oldest restaurant in the world allows you to have "white gold" pricing.  

Change of plans!!  

"Wouldn't it be great to have a photo of the oldest restaurant in the world!" ;-)

"Absolutely!  Where was that Bosna Wurst stand?" :-)

"Yum!!"

After our little lunch stop, we headed up to Hohensalzburg, the castle fortress complex that dominates Salzburg's skyline.

One of the largest medieval castles in Europe, it was begun in 1077 and continually expanded by succeeding archbishops. Its steep ascent of 506 meters makes it very formidable! Inside many of the buildings are used as museum and exhibit space. My favorite was the room with medieval weaponry and the "stick figure" warriors. 

One of its many towers houses the Salzburg Bull, a huge mechanical organ built in 1502.

On the way down we found St. Peter's cemetery, dating back to 1062, it is also a famous scene from the Sound of Music (although the cemetery was replicated in the film). The Christian Catacombs are located here in the rock face above, with a chapel from 1178. It is believed that St. Maximus was hurled to his death from these caves in 477 and a panel from 1530 relates the events.  

Before leaving Salzburg, we enjoyed coffee and cake at the first Italian coffee house, and then explored the Salzburg Cathedral admiring the vibrant frescos and intricately carved inner dome and arches.  

Finally, venturing through some typical souvenir shops and purchasing the famous Mozart Kugeln (chocolate praline with marzipan and pistachio), we made it back to our car and back on the road.