Salzburg, Austria and Zagreb, Croatia

These cities were just supposed to be stop-overs for us but they held some delightful surprises.  We checked into our little hotel in Salzburg and asked the rather large man at reception for a dinner recommendation.  We always try to ask locals for good places to eat with the proviso - not where tourist eat, where they eat.  He suggested a restaurant just a couple of blocks from the hotel that he raved about, but when he gave us a card with the hotel’s name on to give to the restaurant we became a bit wary.  Then he asked us if we liked beer!  Hello!  He told us about a monastery across the river where the monks make beer said we must try it before we go to the restaurant.  

So we followed his directions, along a beautiful river walk, across a bridge and up to the monastery.  We entered this quiet old building with high beamed ceilings, wooden floors and wondered if we were in the right place.  At the end of a long echoey hallway we saw a sign that said “Bier’ and pointed downstairs. As we descended a couple of flights the sound of a room full of people came up to meet us.  At the bottom of the stairway there was a very busy noisy place with many food kiosks offering everything from sausage, to pork knuckles, chicken, schnitzel, ribs, fish, sauerkraut, potatoes in many incarnations and of course beautiful baked goods!   We quickly gave up on the idea of going to the recommended restaurant and settled in for a real Austrian eating experience.  While I shopped the food stalls Robert went in search of beer.  He found huge shelves of crockery 1/2 litre and 1 litre beer steins that you choose from and line up to have them filled!  There were 3 huge rooms and a beer garden outside filled people from all ages.  It was a great experience, we left full and happy.  

Beer Hall?

Not what we expected.

Food!

Beer Hall!

Steins

Some music in the beer garden.

The next morning we had a few hours before catching our train so we walked down the river path one more time to the stunning old town and explored the many little squares each one prettier than the last.  There is a huge old castle up a hill overlooking the old town that can be reached by a vernacular - that will have to wait for our next visit.

Salzach River

Fountain in one of the many squares

Mozart in Mozart Square

The Castle - next time!

On board the train for Zagreb and were wowed by the Austrian countryside - so beautiful!  We must go back and spend some real time there.   Our compartment mates were a delightful German lady on her way to Slovenia  to visit her sister and a young Croatian man who lives in Munich and was going to Zagreb to visit his Dad.  This bright fellow spoke excellent English and works in IT so he and Robert had an animated conversation that lasted the entire 6 hour trip.  Robert asked him about the best way to stay connected to the internet in Croatia and he showed us a portable WIFI router that you just need to purchase a SIM card for.  Robert asked where we could buy one and he said Amazon - but he generously sold us his brand new unit and said he would just order another one for himself when he got home.  It has proved to be the perfect solution.  When we got to Zagreb he showed us how to get to our hotel and we parted friends.  

Once more we spent the next morning exploring an old city before catching the train.  We found Zagreb to be very pretty, we walked through lovely city parks with statues and fountains to the city centre.  There is a stairway up to the old town and at the top of the stairs there was a huge outdoor market with beautiful fresh fruit, vegetables, olive oil, crafts and flowers.  It is so hard for me to see this abundance and not buy, but alas I had no place to cook for a couple of days and a long way to travel to my next kitchen!  We had time for a quick visit to the cathedral that is undergoing some restoration work.  There are examples of the old worn carved adornments along side the new ones that will be used to replace them.  It was very interesting to see that.  Inside the cathedral I lit a candle for my sister and had a quiet moment with her in my heart.  

Park in Zagreb

Stairs to the old town

Outdoor market

Zagreb Cathedral

Restoration Work and an old clock.

New Gargoyles 

We left Zagreb on the fastest train in Croatia.  All I can say is, if that’s the fast one I never want to take the slow one!  After 6 long hours on this slow, swaying train I was so ready to arrive in Split.  The countryside through central Croatia is not all that different from where we live in the BC interior so beautiful, just not as unique as some of our trips.  There were many places  along the way that looked like they had been damaged in the war and wondered if in fact that was correct.  We travelled first class so we had the entire compartment to ourselves which was great because we could move around to see out which ever window showed the most interesting scenery.  

We arrived in Split just as the sun was setting so had some nice vistas as the train descended from the hills to the seaside.  The train station, ferry terminal and bus station are all in the same area so with our train and ferry just having arrived it was a bit chaotic as we tried to determine where to find our hotel.  As we dragged out suitcases through the mobs and passed the loud seaside party bars we decided that perhaps Split was not our kind of town.  We found our hotel, which was far from the madding crowd, and found a little place to have a bite to eat and fell into bed!  The next morning we caught the 8:30 ferry to the island of Hvar so Split will remain unexplored.

More to come......

Paris!

Paris has so much to offer and we only had two days in which to take it all in, not possible!  We walked from our hotel to meet some friends for coffee on our first morning.  Their favourite cafe is on the Ile St. Louis near Notre Dame and we found it without too much trouble.  After coffee they showed us around their neighbourhood, Marais, and helped us buy train tickets that we had not been able to buy on-line.  They gave us some great pointers on how to see the real Paris - back streets, quiet corners and look up!  They left us at Victor Hugo’s house and carried on with their busy lives.  We were so grateful for their help.  In the afternoon we explored the St Germain area where the universities are located, there are many little alleyways and courtyards to peek into.  For dinners we picked up a variety cheeses, some ham, duck rillettes, bread and wine which we enjoyed back in our hotel room with our large windows wide open and the table set in front, our own sidewalk cafe without all the smoke!  

Notre Dame

Inside Victor Hugo's house

Apparently Victor Hugo made most of his own furniture from salvaged pieces.

The man himself!

The next morning we took the metro to the Eiffel Tower, took photos, quickly left the tourists behind and wandered the quieter streets.  We saw a variety of interesting architecture just by walking slow and observing.   Although we did not have time to go into Musee du Louvre we spent time in the garden and photographed the outside.  The same thing at Notre Dame, the crowds were so huge we enjoyed the outside and kept walking.  Paris is a wonderful city in which to walk and to people watch.  We saw the beautiful people - impeccably, fashionably dressed, delicious food displayed in such tempting ways, tourists - like us exhausted from trying to see it all and normal everyday Parisienne’s going about their daily lives - puffing madly on their cigarettes!

You know...

A courtyard we wandered into.

Art Deco or Belle Epoque?

Stunning - whatever it is!

From the bridge over the Seine 

Same statue

A very busy place!

For dinner on our final night we made a choice from many little places on a street near our hotel and were very pleased with our decision.  Our waiter was so much fun and the food was delightful.  As we were leaving the restaurant there was a group of ladies reading the menu on the street so I encouraged them to go in.  It turned out that they were a group from Calgary who had been cycling in France.  Small world.  I hope they enjoyed their dinner.

My dinner.

Our waiter - he stole my hat!

We had a very early train to catch the next morning so we were up at 5:00 and on the Metro by 6:00 to begin the next leg of our journey.  We boarded aTGV train from Pair to Stuttgart at 7:25.  For those of you not familiar with the TGV train it is a high speed train, we travelled at speeds up to 315 kph!  The French country side whizzed past but we are still able to enjoy the beauty of the early morning mist.  We arrived in Stuttgart, Germany at 11:04 and left at 11:58 for Salzburg, Austria. 

A very fast train!

Ritter Sport Chocolate display in Stuttgart 

Cookies at Stuttgart Station

Scotland 2014

Love this little boy!

 I am finally getting around to posting some words about our 2014 grand tour.  Let me start by telling your about our time in Scotland.  The first week we spent with family in Strathaven, a lovely little village south of Glasgow.  Since we reconnected with Robert’s Mother’s family a few years ago we have grown very close to these dear people.  We have a very special attachment to Lorna, Robert’s cousin’s daughter, and her husband Tom and son Callum.  They are expecting a baby girl in November, sorry we will miss that.  We stayed with them in their home and had a wonderful family time cooking together and playing with Callum, it was hard to say goodbye.  Robert’s Aunt Jenny is in poor health and was in hospital when we arrived.  She was discharged while we were there, we are grateful that we were able to visit her in her home as well as hospital.  Once again, a very difficult goodbye.  I wonder how it is possible to love people that we have spent so little time with - I guess that’s family connection

Great high level stunts!

Sea King Helicopter

We had a great outing to Ayr for an Air Show with Tom, Lorna and Callum on our first Sunday.  Harry, Robert’s brother, joined us and we spent the morning wandering the area looking at Air Force and Air Cadet exhibits as well as a small carnival and car show.  Firstly though we enjoyed warm fresh made doughnuts at the Pavilion!  The real air show started in the afternoon, there was some amazing stunts performed high in the skies above us and a simulated rescue by a Sea King helicopter, but the star of the show was the grand finale, a fly-by by the last remaining Vulcan bomber!  The skies were clear so we could see it coming up the coast for miles, then suddenly it was roaring over us like a massive futuristic space ship.  What a magnificent craft.  The ground literally vibrated as it flew over!

The Vulcan Bomber

New Lanark

Our second week we spent with Harry. He picked us up in Strathaven and took us to New Lanark, a model mill town from the late 1700’s.  It's World Heritage Site on the River Clyde that was built to take advantage of the water power provided by the only waterfalls on the river.  Homes for the mill workers were built and the town is as early example of a planned settlement and is an important milestone in the historical development of urban planning.  One of the partners, Robert Owen, a social reformer, provided improved working and living conditions for the workers and insisted on education for children.  He influenced the modern co-operative movement.   The town has been restored and is in a beautiful setting a great place to visit.

Edinburgh

Next morning we were up early and on the train to Edinburgh.  We had a wonderful day walking all over the old town trying to avoid the tourist traps!  The only touristy thing I did was visit the Cathedral - a requirement since Spain.  A priority for us was to find the Oxford Bar and have a pint.  If you are an Ian Rankin fan you know this is the bar that Inspector Rebus frequents in his novels.  It was exactly as described in the books!  Okay so I guess that was a bit touristy but we were not with the mobs on the Royal Mile.  The “Ox” doesn't serve food so we found a pub for fish and chips before continuing our walking tour by heading towards Holyrood House - the Queens residence in Edinburgh.  We arrived just in time to see the gates close but we probably wouldn’t have gone in anyway.  We also saw the ultra modern Spanish designed Scottish Parliament building.  It is an interesting building but not very sympathetic to the traditional architecture of the surrounding buildings - makes you go hmmmm - not sure what they were thinking.  

The Ox

The rest of our time with Harry was mostly spent in and around Glasgow.  We took in a MacIntosh exhibit of never before displayed drawings and plans for buildings and homes.  We enjoyed a couple of visits with his friends Joan and Wally.  They hosted us at there home for a delicious curry and we also all went to a local restaurant one evening.  We hope to host them at our home someday soon, they keep promising that they will come to Canada.  There was also another trip to the seaside at Prestwick.  It was a lovely quiet day, the last for a while.  

Our friends Megan and Andre arrived the beginning of our third week, things got busy from there on in.  We met them in downtown Glasgow and once they were checked in to their hotel we went for tea at the Willow Tea Room, one of my favourite things to do in Glasgow!  We spent the rest of the day walking all over the downtown area where we enjoyed a pint at the oldest pub in Glasgow, The Horseshoe.  We finished the day with a pub dinner and walked M & A back to their hotel for a good nights sleep.  The next day we visited Pollock Estate and the Burrell Collection and enjoyed a wonderful curry dinner. 

View from Ben Nevis

Our road trip began the following day, we picked up a rental car and headed north to the Highlands, Glencoe and finally to Fort William for a couple of nights.  We were blessed with clear skies and warm weather so Robert, Megan and Andre were able to climb Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles.  I had received the sad news of my eldest sister’s death a couple of days before so a day by myself wandering the town and relaxing at the B and B was what my soul needed.  Our hosts became a bit concerned when the climbers were not home at 7:00 pm and insisted on taking me to see if we could find them.  I wasn’t concerned but I enjoyed the drive out to the base of the mountain where of course their was no sign of them - they met us back at the B&B.  All was well, they were exhilarated and ready for dinner.  We said farewell to our excellent hosts the next morning and carried on towards the Isle of Skye.  It took us most of the day to reach the ferry port at Mallaig just 70 kms away because there are so  many wonderful historical and beautiful places to stop and see on the way.  We did not have reservations for overnight and were a bit dismayed to see “No Vacancy” signs on all the B and B’s.  We finally found 2 rooms in a hotel that was built in the late 1800’s to serve the town’s busy port.   There’s not much to the town but we found a restaurant that served amazing food! We enjoyed mussels in cream sauce with bacon, haggis appetizer and Cullen Skink - smoked haddock, potatoes and leek soup! Oh my!  

Ascending Ben Nevis

Amazing views

On top of Ben Nevis

Star jump!  

The next morning was brilliant for the short ferry journey to paradise - I mean the Isle of Skye.  I immediately fell in love.  Skye is a small island filled with such diverse beauty; vast stretches of fragrant heather,  rugged mountains, amazing sea vistas, beautiful quaint villages, sheep every where, historical sites and above all kind and lovely people.  A place to return to, two nights was not near enough time.  On our drive around the island we stopped for lunch at a lovely old hotel that had once been a hunting lodge.  While there we met an elderly lady from England who had stayed at the hotel on her honeymoon over 60 years prior. 

Leaving Mallaig

Hielan' Coo (Highland Cow)

Morning view from our place on Skype

The Old Man of Storr

Kilt Rock

Jodhpurs at the former hunting lodge.

Traditional croft houses.

Our final day with Megan and Andre was spent travelling to Inverness via the bridge from Skye to the mainland, stopping at Eilean Donan castle and along Loch Ness.  We also visited Clava Cairn, ancient stone burial sites near Culloden battle field.  These stone circles were the inspiration for Diana Gabaldon’s Highlander series and date back as far a 3000 BC.  They are in a famers field shaded by lovely big trees.  There is something quite magical and mystical about the place.  Once we checked into our B&B we found a great pub that served delicious authentic Scottish food, we enjoyed homemade Scotch Broth, Lamb Stovies, and of course, as usual, Robert had fish and chips.  The next morning we said goodbye to M & A and returned by train to Glasgow and our last night with Harry.  We boarded another train the following morning for London and then the Eurostar to Paris.  After our first trip on the Paris Metro, carrying our luggage up and down many flights of stairs we arrived at our hotel just before 9:00 pm.  We had a quick dinner in the neighbourhood and fell exhausted into bed.  

Skye Bridge

Eilean Donan Castle

Clava Carin

to be continued……