So begins our Austrian adventure...



Guten tag and hello again everyone! Thanks again for all your patience - you shall now be rewarded with many photos of castles, palaces, and of course, delicious Austrian cuisine!

We were lucky enough to stay with Tom's family near Salzburg for two weeks and they were all kind enough to take us on the "Standard Tour" (with Norbert as tour guide!) to all the local hotspots!

This entry is but the first of many of our fabulous Austrian adventures...

The Kaiservilla, built by Franz Joseph I as his own private hunting lodge - not a bad place to escape to for a weekend of shooting the local fauna.
Located in the town of Bad Ischl, Franz Josef, and his lovely wife Elisabeth, would come hole up here to escape the rigours of court life. Rumour has it that Elisabeth, or Sisi as she came to be affectionately by the Austrian public, hated the smell of cooking so much that the kitchen had to be located at the bottom of the hill. Not that royalty is picky or anything!

 The Kaiser liked to hunt. A lot. This trophy wall is but a tiny portion of the 50 000 animals he killed during his time there. But don't worry all you animal-lovers: he caught many of them in the name of education, to teach his children about the local wildlife.

Sadly, I couldn't take any photos inside the house, as it is still used as a private residence by the Kaiser's great-grandson, so you'll just have to use your imagination when I say that they definitely didn't scrimp on anything! The amount of silverware on the dining room table alone was overwhelming! 

 After leaving the opulence of the Kaiservilla behind us, we headed to the Dachstein mountains. Part of the Alps, these mountains are some of the highest in Upper Austria.

The combination of the mountains, clear water and trees reminded us of the Rockies!

A classic part of the Standard Tour is a day trip into Salzburg, which was only an hour away from where we were staying.

Though not a very large town, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty:

the centuries-old buildings nestled along the river, the formidable castle ruling the

landscape. 

 Another Salzburg claim to fame: Mozart was born here!

The admission to see merely two rooms was 17 euros each, so we opted instead for a photo only!

Mozart has also lent his name to the famous Salzburg chocolate marzipan treat: Mozartkugels! If you ever see these in a store near you, buy them!! Or come over to our house when we get back to Canada, as we have packed our bags full of them!

A more dramatic view of the Festung Hohensalzburg.

With construction beginning in the 1000's, it only reached this shape and size in the 1800's; every different ruling bishop wanted to make it just right for them, resulting in many alterations and various uses, including being a fortress during the Thirty Year's War, a military barracks and a prison for Italian POWs during WWI.

 Most importantly for me, the castle had an amazing view of the city!

After a busy weekend of sight-seeing, Tom and I drove to Attersee, one of Upper Austria's many beautiful lakes, though this one is especially beautiful and clear. I have never seen such clear, turquoise water apart from the caribbean, and never in a lake!

The weather had turned hot, so the cold water was particularly refreshing...!



And that was just the first few days! Much more to come, and don't worry - there will be food!