austria

Below is a map of the journey we took around Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. Click on the stars to read about each location and view photographs that we took during our travels. Or alternatively view the photos without any commentary here.

I have now gone through all the photographs I took whilst on the tour of Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. They are available for viewing if you are interested. Click on a thumbnail to see a larger image if you want. The photos are arranged in the order that we did things.

Germany, Austria and Czech Republic Photographs...

Our three day stay in Vienna was a mixed bag of experiences. In many respects our impression of the city was tainted by the uncomfortable journey there and the worst accommodation of the journey.

On the train from Salzburg to Vienna we thought we had struck gold by securing a quiet, empty six-seater compartment on the busy train. Unfortunately during the journey a young couple joined us and it was then that we discovered the compartment was previously empty because it was in the smoking section and ventilation for such an activity was very poor. Unfortunately for our lungs the couple were chain smokers who lit up just as the train left the station and did not stop until we pulled into Vienna three hours later. Just to make matters worse the guy received or made cellphone calls every few minutes and had no qualms in filling the compartment with noise and smoke much to our disgust.

After the unique Sound of Music tour our second day in Salzburg started more sedately with a walk through the city and a look at the large fortress on the hill. The fortress began life in the 15 Century and has since been expanded and reinforced to become one of the most impressive medieval fortresses still standing in Europe. There are a lot of loose comparisons that could be drawn between the fortress and the big city in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Moving through the different defensive layers revealed an older part of the castle until you reached the centre which contained a very impressive quarters for the ruling King. There were a few museums and exhibitions within the fortress but compared to Bath's Roman Baths the tours themselves were a little disappointing.

After the fast paced nature of Munich the quiet trip across the Austrian border to Salzburg was a nice change. Salzburg is the home of 'The Sound of Music' and its surrounding landscape is at times breathtaking. We stayed at the Yoho Hostel which had a definite Sound of Music (SOM) flavour. Every morning at 10:30am the SOM movie is shown for guests and discounted tickets for the twice daily SOM tour can be purchased at reception. Consequently the hostel has a higher than usual number of female occupants and on the whole a very nice feel.