Munching in Munchen!!

I know that Munich was one of Shawn's all time favourite spots in Europe, so I was looking forward to seeing if it would live up to the hype. Of course, it almost goes without saying that we started out our Munich experience with the obligatory free walking tour.....with Keith, our Scottish guide. He was a funny guy & made an already great tour, fantastic. During the tour we came to a church in the centre of town, Frauen Kirche, where Keith told us the story of how the devil had cracked it with the architect during construction & stomped down so hard in the concrete in the foyer that he left his footprint there forever. Unfortunately for Keith, he had told the same story to his morning group from inside the church.....the church people didn't appreciate his version of events & he has now been banned from entering the chuch...at least for now!! So we went in alone & checked out the footprint.....& sure enough there it was. The church's version is much more boring...it is the footprint of the architect!! I like Keith's version better!

Photo: The devil's footprint.....is too!! Plus, the number our camera gave this photo is 999...which if you turn upside-down is 666.....so it must be true!!


Munich is quite a big city full of squares, beer halls, food stalls & shops. Oh yes, the beer halls. We went for a beer at Augustiners during the walking tour...there really is nothing like German beer. Especially when it brought to you in a 1 litre stine, carried by a big busted wench who is juggling your stine amongst 11 others!! Quite an astonishing sight! Another interesting thing we saw was in Marienplatz....yes, another astronomical clock (the same as in Prague). Would you believe this clock was also voted the most disappointing tourist attraction in Europe....I think all our guides have been going to the the same training school & just getting their cities mixed up. It did live up to it's name for more than one reason. You see, the city still pays some old buggar to climb the stairs on the hour, every hour to press the button for the bells to ring & the show to start. Unfortunately, the old fella doesn't seem to understand the importance of time keeping for a clock & whilst we waited on 3 separate occasions, we have still yet to see the clock actually do it's stuff!! Apparantly, during last year's Oktoberfest, the clock didn't go off for an entire week!! It's ok though, Keith did a hilarious reinactment for us including the finale of a rooster squawking rather pathically once before disappearing onto the bowls of the clock tower. So our walking tour continued & before we knew it we were 4 hours in & it was all over. What an entertaining way to be introduced to a fantastic city.

Photo: Another Astronomical Clock.......Yaaaawwwnn!!

That evening, we joined the infamous Munich Pub Crawl. It's slogan is "the best night you'll never remember"....sounded ominous! It started in the bar next door to the hostel & we were treated to 3 free cocktails (or beers) & 3 free shots. then it was off to the first of 3 beer halls. It was obligatory to drink a litre at each stop & there was only 40 minutes per beer hall.....a bladder control nightmare!! The night got pretty messy....lets just say that many cheeseburgers were consumed on the stagger back to the hostel at the end of the crawl & I'm sure that is the only reason why we all woke reasonably clear headed in the morning......errrr, ok, afternoon!! It was great fun though & I do recall (upon checking back over the photos) that we did come across an unfortunately dressed guy on his bucks night. He was in a full rabbit costume with a mini keg & several whisky bottles strapped to his back. His mates were having a good laugh....poor sucker!

Photo: Beer as big as my head.....yes, that is it's official unit of measure....

Photo: Poor, sad man......


The next day was Sunday & everything was shut....a little gem about Europe that we love...hmmmm, no Sunday trade...I like it! We wandered into town just to stretch our legs really (& to clear the cobwebs from the night before!)...it was pouring with rain by the time we hit Marienplatz (the main square) but we came across a bit of a mob scene. I guess cos the shops are shut, all the local buskers come out to take advantage of all he people wandering around at a losse end. Now when I say buskers, I don't mean the tragic mime artist you might stumble across in the Bourke Street Mall....no, every single one of these groups were incredible. First, there was a string quartet of girls playing Vivaldi & Bach...then we moved on & to a group of about 6 guys all playing random instruments. Guitar, violin, double bass, cello, giant card board box with bells hanging off it, vocals...I can't remember the rest! These guys were incredible & we would have stood & watched them for 40 minutes or more (along with about 200 other people). That's my idea of how to spend a Sunday afternoon....NO SUNDAY TRADE...what a shame I'm missing the election at home, this could have been my election promise!


One of the other awesome ways to kill an entire day in Munich is west of the city in the Engischer Gartens....or English Gardens! A massive city park complete with....


1. Nudie sunbaking

2. World's largest inner city beer garden

3. Manmade surfing wave in the river

4. Acres of rolling lawns to picnic on, play games on, ride horses on, nudie sunbake on!!

5. Giant Chinese Pagoda

6. Museums

7. Did I mention the world's oldest beer garden??


I'm sure there is also heaps more in the gardens but we walked around for almost an entire day & still only covered about a third. The nudie sunbaking was quite wierd (or maybe I'm just a prudish non-European cos there were heaps of people (mostly old men) with it all hanging out while families walked past, within wang-measuring distance & no-one seemed disturbed....except me & another English couple who were taking photos!! (Ok, so I took a photo too....but not cos I'm a pervert, just for the historical accuracy of this document.....honest!!). When Andrew looked at the photo, he said "Why would anyone wanna nude up like that & risk getting a burnt noodle??"....well said!! Sadly, as the photo suggests, this guy did have a burnt noodle but we didn't dare go any closer to ask the logic behind it....

Photo: Zoom in......burnt noodle!! Also, check ol' saggy boobs in the background!.....I swear, I'm not a perve!



Next, we moved on to the surfing wave. Now, we had heard lots of stories about the wave....we were a bit skeptical...being the big surfers that we are! We were soon proven wrong...there, spanning the width of the river (about 10 metres wide) was a wave...& people were surfing in it. It was one of the strangest things I have ever seen. The surfers would take it in turns to drop onto the wave from opposite sides of the bank, surf it for about 10 seconds (or as long as they could stay on) then they would be spat out down river before repeating it all over again! Not the sort of thing that would take off in Australia, but for a landlocked country it it probably the best they can do.

Photo: Surf's up....


Then we hit the finale.....the world's largest inner city beer garden. Seats upwards of 5,000 people & serves beer (of course) & a plethora of hearty, traditional, German food. It was here that I met my next true love...the humble pork knuckle. A piece of pork the size of my head, on the bone, with a thick hood of salty crackling.....nomnomnomnom!! Heaven.....that's really all I have to say about the gardens...for me, as usual, is was all about the food.

Photo: Pork knuckle as big as my head......the Germans really know how to eat!

On our final day in Munich, we shopped. We both came out with a pair of Birkenstocks....the only staple backpacker item we were missing from our arsenal....& what better place to buy them than their home, Germany! We also climbed the St Peterskirche tower...with it's 587 narrow, steep steps (yes, I counted them)...for an outstanding view over Munich. All the way over the where they will be holding Oktoberfest in a little over a month. I'll let you in on a little secret...we loved Munich so much that we slightly altered our travel plans in order to get a small taste of the festivites...how could we not, it is the 200th anniversary....hopefully I will live to tell the tale!

Photo: SOooooooo freaking excited....Ariana Travel, Ariana Supermarket selling Ariana rice....never happens people!!

Half price cake & more......

Back in Vienna.....what's the first thing I did?? Horsey time....take 2!! Every afternoon for 1 hour, the mares & foals are allowed out into a temporary paddock beside the stable complex. It was here that I spent 1 blissful hour sighing over the beauty of the horses, rattling off hundreds (yes, I mean hundreds) of photos & listening to poor Andrew shuffle from one foot to the other, check his watch & pray for it to all be over!! All too soon it was time to go & I consoled myself with my other great Viennese love - Aida. A chain of cake & pastry shops that are To-Die-For! Think less Cheesecake Shop & more Windsor High Tea....all take away. What was most exciting this visit was that it was 5 minutes before closing that we shimmied our way in the door & there it was....a hand written sign taped to the front of the display cases....HALF PRICE!! Yes, it was a blessing that I needed "just one more shot of the foal nibbling at the grass" cos we had timed our arrival perfectly. Of course half price just means I bought twice as much......dinner & dessert! I couldn't have asked for a nicer finale to our second visit to Venice....as it turns out, not a boring city at all!

Photo: All this playing is thirsty work!

Time for a new city though & now it was Salzburg's turn. Or should I say....now it was time for all things "Sound of Music"! A small detour on the way to Salzburg that I have to mention was Grannau. A tiny village really but what a gorgeous spot. Out the back of the hostel flows a jade green river of possibly the coldest water in the world! FFFFF....Freezing! The perfect place to spend a couple of days hanging out, riding bikes (well I wouldn't be riding the bikes...don't you remember what happened in China??), riding horses, cuddling the hostel cat, hiking & taking advantage of the movie lounge in the hostel. Sounds perfect right?? Well sadly we didn't time to stay overnight....Salzburg was waiting! Next time.....

Photo: Any excuse for cuddles with a cat....I miss Tilly :(

Now, you can't really start your Salzburg experience without refreshing your memory of the movie that put the city on the map...The Sound Of Music (or in Andrew's case a virgin experience!). The hostel conveniently plays the movie at 2pm...EVERY DAY...(plus extra showings for interested parties!). It was with the sounds of 'my favourite things' still ringing in our ears that we boarded the Sound Of Music bus & were introduced to our all-singing, all-dancing guide. To add to the wonder of the day Andrew had been set a challenge. Sarah had challenged him to take to the hills, twirling & singing the movie's title song....more about that later though. As we travelled along the well beaten path we got to see the back of the house that was used for filming on the lake, the driveway that Maria runs down at the start of the movie, the gates & front garden (if you closed one eye & squinted with the other!!) of the front of the house, the glass rotunda used for the love scenes & then the finale.....the tiny town of Mondsee & the stunning church used in the wedding scene at the end!

Photo: What a pretty spot for a wedding.....apart from the black clouds....& pouring rain!


Now I'm sure you're wondering when did Andrew do his singing?? Unfortunately there were 2 problems....firstly, it poured down with rain the entire day & secondly the "hillside" they used during filming is in Germany....hmmmmmm....So instead he donned his rain coat & sang & twirled his little heart out in a paddock on the side of the road! Very funny & just so slightly embarrassing!

Photo: There you go Sairs!!



We also heard a rather sad story about the glass rotunda while we were there too. Apparantly, a few years ago, an American lady wanted to recreate the scene where Leisel was dancing inside it with Rolf singing "I am 16 going on 17......". Anyway, unfortunately this lady had 2 problems....she was 86....& she forgot that in the movie Leisel used Rolf's knee to jump across the opening of the rotunda. So our American friend jumped, missed, landed on the concrete floor & broke her hip...whoopsies! Now, the sad part of the story is not that she broke her hip (well I don't think that's the sad part) but that she tried to sue the curator's of the rotunda....she lost, but ever since, the entrance into the rotunda has been locked....BOOOOO!! Now you can only take photos from the outside & there will be no more dancing!

Photo: I wanna a go at dancing in rotunda.....thanks for nothing, silly old lady!!


Back in Salzburg itself there were many more landmarks that made it into the movie & we had a lovely day wandering around enjoying the scenery. Meanwhile it continued to rain!

Photo: The castle looks out regally over the city.....very pretty!

I will remember Salzburg for 2 more things in particular....I finally had my hair cut after 4 months...YAAAAYYYY! ( Thank You Betty - who did an amazing job understanding my bad German & didn't shave my head or die my hair blue) ...& we discovered the most amazing produce market, right in the middle of town in the courtyard of a church. (You didn't think I could go to a new city & not write about the food did you??). At the market we ate giant pretzels, chocolate mousse, apple struddle, a custard pastry thing, deep fried french toast with some sort of savoury filling......delicious!! I could have spent hours there, wandering up & down, admiring the brightly coloured fruits & veggies & drooling over the endless cabinets of cheeses, breads & meats......oops, I think I just drooled on the keyboard!

Photo: My new friend, Gnomie...from the Sound Of Music...& new hair...yay!!

It was with sadness that we left Salzburg. Although it is most known for the Sound of Music, it is actually a lovely little town filled to the brim with scenic spots, beautiful parks & gardens & a stunning river through the centre. Plus, despite their reputation (much the same as in Germany), the people were lovely & friendly. Alas, just as we settle into the rhythm on a town, it is time to move on......next stop...MUNICH....beer & pork, here I come!

Adventures on the flying bus.....& a massive win for Marky!

Before I knew it......it was time to head to the airport & Hungary......Grand Prix time! On arrival at the airport we headed for the Malev Airlines check in desk.....if we had been able to find it! We couldn't see it anywhere so we asked at the information desk. The lady informed us that we couldn't possibly be here to for the 11am flight as there wasn't one! Hmmmm.....she then informed us (with a perfectly straight face) that in fact we would need to head outside the terminal, to the footpath & wait for our BUS!! I very sweetly said "But we booked a flight, I have the flight number & scheduled flight time & everything......". She merely repeated her earlier instruction & returned to chatting to her colleague. Sooooo......as we were 2 hours early (expecting to be checking in for a flight) we went out to the footpath where she said to wait....& we waited....& we waited. It got to 10.50am & no bus. Actually, during this whole time, not a single bus came by. In actual fact the bus terminal was below us at a different terminal. What made it even more stressful was that there were no other passengers waiting for a bus to Budapest....ahhhhhh! I went back inside to the information desk & not so sweetly asked again if the lady was sure we were to wait outside?? She rolled her eyes, huffed & repeated her earlier instructions.....again! With about 2 minutes to spare another couple of Aussies came running up the footpath, just as a mini van pulled up. "Are you going to Budapest?" they asked.....at the same time the van driver got out & said "Budapest".....pheew!! Seems were in the right spot after all! The driver had a print out with our names on it & when I pointed at them he simply said "Get in then!"....no passport check, no ticket check.....not even a bagcheck!! So we were off....in our flying bus!



We got to the hostel with no difficulties & were pleasantly surprised with what we found. A lovely old house that had been split up into bunk rooms to accommodate 30 people....small by our usual standards. All the rooms lead off a central TV area & best of all - a kitchen! So what was the first thing we did when we got there you might ask?? Went to the supermarket, bought fresh produce & made pasta. It was the first time we had cooked in over 3 months & I have to say it was lovely. Not just the food but the feeling of normality that comes from cooking a simple meal & eating at a dining room table....just like home! (Ok, so most of our meals at home are eaten standing up over the sink or infront of the TV but the thought was there!).

Photo: Cookin up a storm


Next morning we slept late.....until lunchtime in fact.....we were feeling very at home! Then off to the track to pick up our tickets. The local government are very kind while the GP is on & provide a free shuttle bus service from the city centre to the village near the track but this didn't kick in until the next day so we had to find our own way there. No problem...we thought. Looked easy enough on the map.......hmmmmm.....


Walk from hostel to train = 25 minutes

Train from Budapest to end of train line = 25 minutes

Train from end of train line to train station near track = 60 minutes

Walk from train station near track to track = 40 minutes (& 5 kms)

Queue with 15,000 other race fans = 60 minutes

Getting to walk down pit straight & stand on pole position = PRICELESS!!!!

Photo: Pole position.....


So it was a 2 & half hour journey but we were finally here!! The track is set in a valley surrounded by beautiful, lush farmland & tiny villages. The walk from the station near the track even included a bush bash through knee high weeds in a paddock & a climb over a fence. Unfortunately I don't think the Hungarians are reknowned for their organisational skills as the pit walk was a slight disaster. We (all 15,000 of us) were funnelled into pit lane from the far end -or as I like to call it Marky's end- where we could peruse the garages & ohh & ahh over the cars before being funnelled out the other end & onto pit straight.....no looking back! About half an hour in though, they made an announcement that there was to be an autograph session....back at the beginning of pit lane. Well, mass hysteria broke out as people started to fight their way against the flow of one-way traffic to get back to Marky's end to join the newly assembled, hysterical mob of autograph hunters. Pheew! I almost found myself crushed under an enormous Polish man who was threatening to wet himself at the prospect of getting Kubica's autograph. So we eventually made our way safely out the other side but not before the 2nd & final English announcement of the day came over the loud speaker - "The autograph session is due to start soon but we would advise that no-one else joins the line as most of you won't get to see the drivers anyway"...take that! Of course that didn't stop people joining the hoardes....I would estimate that about 5,000 people gave it a shot despite the warnings. When they made the announcement that the first drivers were coming out - Button & Hamilton - the crowd went wild.....although the elation didn't last long as the boys were only out for approximately 5 minutes before their turn was done & it was in with the next pair....& so on & so on!! I was happy though....I got to see Marky's car, stand in pole position on the track, cross the start/finish line & walk along pit straight to the first corner.....no autographs, but I was happy!

Photo: Looking around the sweeping first corner

Next morning it was up at 6am & off to the track. This time on the free shuttle that the organisers were providing for race-goers......we were living in hope that the shuttle was going to be more straight forward than the train! We walked from our hostel to the tram & took a tram about 20 minutes into town. Then it was down under the road til we popped up on the other side & found ourselves at the rather innocuous looking bus stop. We knew that we had found the right place cos we were surrounded by Ferrari wearing revheads! Mind you, if it wasn't for them & a tiny sign on the inside windscreen on the bus that said 'Budapest - Mogyoród' we would probably still be wandering around Budapest looking like homeless people. Onto the bus we got & we were off...so far, so good. We arrived in the tiny town of Mogyoród, in the churchyard to be exact & after alighting the bus, we followed the masses across the road & up the hill. Again, nothing was signposted so we just hoped the people infront of us knew more than we did. Luckily the track was only about 2kms (uphill) from where the bus dropped us, a marked improvement on the 5km from the previous day. Once inside the track we found our spot for the weekend.....on the hill overlooking the straight, roughly opposite number 12 on the grid. Perfect!! The giant screen was right infront of us & we could see about 50% of the track. Here we stationed ourselves for 3 days....arriving at 8am every morning & leaving around 5pm every afternoon. We only made the mistake once of trying to buy food.....one paper plate of hot chippies (roughly 15 chips in total) for 6 Euros or $9 Aussie......geez!!


We screamed ourselves hoarse every time we saw Mark, heard his name or just thought we heard his name.....we had an absolute ball!! Then came race day. We were so pumped, but when we got to our usual spot on the hill we found ourselves completely surrounded by Sebastian Vettel fans. Ohhh dear...this wasn't going to end well! There were a couple of things we noticed about F1 fans.....Ferrari was king...but everyone (except us!) went bananas for Schumacher. The merchandise area was dominately by red except the 2 entire stands dedicated to Schuey...right down to towels & baby bibs. When it came to Red Bull, Seb was the man. We only found one Webber t-shirt & one hat & they were both mens so Andrew was happy but I sadly went home merchandise-less :( Kubica was the other big name of the weekend - being from Poland, many of the supporters had made the journey from just over the border to give him a cheer. But, back to the Seb fans.....we noticed an older guy just down from where we were, wearing a Red Bull shirt. As I said earlier, if we saw Red Bull chances were they were German...but something about him told us something else. Maybe it was the pallour of his skin, not sure, but we took the chance & set up camp just beside him. About 30 seconds later he answered his phone & sure enough.....Pommie accent!! Now we just had to hope he wasn't going for the Kraut.....luck was with us & he was Webber all the way....WOO HOO, instant allies! A short time later his wife turned up, then another English family set up camp next to us & it wasn't long before we convinced them to barrack for Webber in the event Hamilton had a shocker! Take that Germans!!

Photo: Go Marky!!


So a driver parade preceded the race which saw Jenson playing the prankster & doing naughty things to the other drivers while they were being interviewed to put them off or make them laugh. Meanwhile Vettel & Shuey had their own little private chat away from the other dirvers & only turned to acknowledge the crowd when it was time for their interviews. Maybe they were sharing the secret to the perfect Bratwurst, all I know is that they looked like total wieners!! Hahaha...sorry bad joke!



I'll skip forward to when Kubica retired with about 35 laps to go.....that saw a mass exodus of Poles...not interested now that their man was out. We had continued shouting & cheering thoughout the race.....bolstered now not only by the British couple but as Hamilton was having a shocker, the family was also jumped on team Webber! And didn't we give the Germans around us some curry......in fact we must have been so obnoxious, that with 20 laps to go they packed up their flags & Birkenstocks, tucked their tails between their legs & took off!! Well, I can't blame them...it was obvious that Webber was gonna win & we weren't gonna let them forget it. So, of course, he won & we went ballistic......even burst into spontaneous tears as he crossed the line....Andrew too!! It was an unforgettable day, such a privilege & bonus to see him win...couldn't happen to a nicer & more deserving guy.

Photo: And the winner is......


The whole 4 days had obviously taken their toll though, as the next morning we both slept until lunchtime. We managed to drag ourselves into town to have a look at some sights, including the river & the castle but it wasn't long & we were back at the hostel eating toasted cheese sandwiches in our jarmies.


Whilst we had only come to Budapest for the race, it did provide us with the opportunity to reunite with 2 cool chicks from Canada we had met in Prague. It is really nice when travelling, especially for a long time, to see a familiar face in a strange city....even if the face is only a recent acquantence. We headed off down the street from our hostel to a restaurant we had been admiring all week. It was always busy & we found out the hard way that sometimes booking is not such a bad idea. But after about 40 minutes I think the waitress took pity on us & squeezed onto a table in the back corner with the mumbled explantion..."other people, they cancel". Here we enjoyed the most amazing meal including massive pieces of meat & VEGGIES!! None of us could remember the last time we had seen a veggie let alone eaten one so it was celebrations all round! The night ended all too soon, as we had the race the next day, but it felt so lovely & "normal" to go out for a meal with friends!

Photo: Heather & Megs...& yummy dinner....great night!!


Tuesday morning saw us back at the airport looking for our "flying bus" again. Easy this time & before long we were on the road back to Vienna. Not before a quick stop off for lunch....in Bratislava, Slovakia.....as you do!

Tears in Wien.....

On arrival in Vienna we headed straight out on the "Walk'n'Fork" tour of the city. What was essentially another walking tour of another European city...but with a twist....i'll get to that later! Our guide was Walter, a retired university history professor with a wicked sense of humour. He not only gave us a taste of the history of Vienna he also gave us some of the sordid stories of some of Vienna's most famous families. For example the wife of one of the kings who was having it off with the wife of his best friend.....discovered after both women had died & the mistress's diaries were uncovered.

Photo: The walking tour was so entertaining that this is the only photo we took....I think it's a museum??

Now we had very low expectations when we arrived in Vienna as many people had warned us that it was boring. It may be boring but we are too & we hit it off instantly! The walk took us past all the usual suspects: Museums, Town Hall, Parliament, several sites of Hitler speeches....but I most excited by the Royal Palace...or rather what it contained! The Spanish Riding School....it had been a long held dream of mine to see go to the school & see the stunning Lippizaners Stallions in full flight & I was merely hours from realising that dream.


But first...the twist! At the end of the 3 & 1/2 hour walk we ended up at a small, family run restaurant. It was here that we filled up on the juiciest chicken schnitzel EVER, with chips & salad. Then we all got a free beer & a shot of Franjelico & we were on our way back to the hostel bar...for more free beer. I have to say my favourite beer in the world is free beer!


When we got back to the hostel we met our new flatmate....Keith, the 93 YEAR OLD from Australia. Yes, that is 93....not 39!! He was even a fellow busabout passenger who was only days away from heading home. Now, far be it for me to knock the old fella for getting out there & having a go. In fact, if I had just heard about him, I would be thinking "Wow, I hope I'm still as active as him when I get to his age!". This would have been before the joy of sharing a 4 person room with him. Old Keithy had been on the piss every night for the past 6 weeks.....actually for the last 70-odd years would probably be more accurate! He had gotten a cold a couple of weeks ago that required antibiotics...however, as he wanted to go out drinking with his mates, he had put off taking them for over a week & in doing so had gotten a whole lot worse. So bedtime came & about 20 minutes after lights out, he got out of bed for a wee. Old man bladder ensured that I got to listen to the joy of old Keithy going to the loo about 12 times a night. It wasn't just any old wee-ing either. First of all, the urge to go would wake him with a start & he would wrestle with the blankets for a bit before he managed to get his feet on the floor....then would come the banging of the wall in search of the light...then the fumbling with the door as he tried to close it & finally the relief....ahhh...hhh...ahhh...ah! I completely understand that at his age he can't help it when nature calls BUT he really outdid himself this particular night.


Every one of Keithy's stories ended with "..& you'll be back in time for happy hour!". Unfortunately he had over indulged somewhat during happy hour in the hostel bar & ended up throwing up all over the bathroom. So now I was enduring interrupted sleep, spew smells & the sound of him choking on God knows what...ALL NIGHT!! To top it off, Keith refused to address me personally...instead he would say to Andrew "Just get the good housewife to run dowstairs & do the laundry...." etc...all the while I would be standing right in front of him! The joys of backpacking are never ending....but I never expected our most feral flatmate to be a pensioner!

Next morning......horsey time!! The only catch is that bizarrely, for 8 weeks during Summer, the stallions are sent out to the stud farm in the Austrian countryside for a little holiday....just when the city is full to capacity with overseas visitors...hmmmmm?? The one good thing with not seeing the "real thing" was that our tickets were only 10 Euros whereas the tickets for the standard show start at 100 Euros!! This meant that we were instead treated to a perfomance named "Piber meets Vienna". A 1 hour show featuring the next batch of horses to be trained at the school....the future superstars. We also got to see some of the mares from the stud (incidentally the stud is called Piber) with their 8 week old babies & a short display of carriage driving. As I said it has been a dream of mine to see these magnificent creatures for over 20 years & I'm guessing this explains my surprising reaction to seeing the horses for the first time....yes, I burst in to tears....& continued to cry through the entire perfomance. It was magnificent.

Photo: Carriage driving in full swing.....horses are hard to photograph, especially when you are trying to dodge pillars & heads!!

Photo: Mamas & babies playing

After I pulled myself together, we headed off to discover the wonders of some of the magnificent palaces littered around the place. First up was the Belevedere Palace....by far the most spectacular building we had seen so far in Europe (excluding Sacre Cour, which we have only seen from a distance but which I suspect will probably be my favourite once we get back to Paris at the end of September!). Belevedere is set on massive grounds, amidst gorgeous gardens & rolling lawns. There was a plaque at the entrance that explained that the Palace was built in 1721 by a fella called Prince Eugene. I loved the section on the plaque that read "without undue burdening of his purse" the Prince had Belevedere built. Luckily for the prince, he was in charge of a battalion of Hungarian troups (?) who were more than "happy" to help out with the construction!

Photo: The stunning Belevedere Palace


From Belevedere we headed to Schonnbrunn Palace, the most famous palace complex in Vienna. The first thing we noticed about Schonnbrunn was how chaotic it was compared to Belevedere. It is fairly close to the centre of town & it seemed that every tourist in Vienna converged at the entrance gate just as we arrived. Still, we got in with no problems & were struck by one thing....how yellow the palace is. Belevedere was crisp & white but Schonnbrunn is a strong mustardy colour. In fact, I found if I stared at it for too long, it started to look like a Disneyland attraction.....kinda fake!

Photo: Ok...so it might just be me....but I think this looks like a giant cardboard cutout!!



We ventured past the slightly off-putting front facade to the gardens around the back. The thing about Schonnbrunn is that is is not just a palace complex, it is also a zoo, a maze, a restaurant & the most breathtaking part...a giant Romanesque, sunhouse on top of the hill. Beautiful! Sadly, the clouds were rolling in & the sky was very threatening so we raced around the grounds & ran for the metro. We made it just in time, before a huge downpour...pheew!

Photo: The enormous sunhouse on the hill overlooking the slightly disappointing Schonnbrunn Palace...

Photo: The webbed hoof of one of the horse statues above the fountain......hmmmm.....

We are heading off to Budapest for the Hungarian F1 GP in the morning but we do have one more night in Vienna next week.....I'm sure I can fit in another visit to the horses........

Czech-ing out the Republic!!

So we left Berlin to head into the Czech Republic. After crossing the border, another fuss free drive through...no passport check, we stopped off at Terezin - a Jewish Ghetto camp. Terezin was made famous during the war for being the camp where high profile Jewish people were sent & put to work before being shipped to a concentration camp. It was also used extensively by the Nazis as a source of propoganda.

Photo: An archway in one of the courtyards....rough translation "Work Sets You Free".....hmmmmm, that barbed wire is kind of ironic then...


For example, as we toured around the compound we were able to the see entire rooms that were set up or "staged" to present the image of how the Nazis wanted these camps to be seen. There was one particular room that was set up with washbasins around the perimeter of the walls (still in near new condition) to prove what outstanding hygiene facilities were provided to the detainees. The fact that over 60% of 25,000 odd people who were processed at Terezin died of disease or malnutrition before they even reached the concentration camps was clearly beside the point. Of the 40% that remained, around half were shot or tortured to death due to perceived "disruptive" behavior. I was most disturbed by the swimming pool that was located next to the driveway that led to the shooting range. The prisoners had been recruited to build the swimming pool for the use & enjoyment of the Nazi officers & their families during the summer months......so the last thing the prisoners saw before they were executed were the Nazis swimming & playing in the pool they had built. Very sad.

Photo: The final walk taken by the prisoners would take them through this tunnel....to the right, out of the picture, was the swimming pool built for the enjoyment of the Nazis.......

Soon we were back on the road though & before long we arrived in Prague. We were staying in a hostel on the outskirts of town & it was largest hostel we had been in so far - some 500 beds. It looked like a huge old school with long corridors with rooms on either side & swimming pool in the basement. We headed into town, which was about 15 minutes on the tram & were struck by the beautiful, old buildings in the Old Town. That's another thing we have noticed about most of the European cities we have seen, most have the "Old Town" & the "New Town". The Old Town is generally geared towards the tourist market & Prague was no exception. However, it had lost none of it's charm & the first thing we did was join the obligatory free walking tour.

Photo: The "Old Town" Square


On the right of the main square is The Astronomical Clock - voted the most disappointing tourist attraction in Europe.....not an undeserving winner either. Every hour hundreds of people gather underneath it, staring up expectantly, waiting for the show.....a skeleton on the side of the clock rings the bell & a strange collection of morbid figures pass by an opening in the clock tower. Then a guy dressed up in traditional clothing blows his horn (so to speak!) & the shows over....it last all of 2 minutes. I guess 600 years ago when it was built it would have been quite revolutionary. The guy who commissioned it was so thrilled infact that he had the eyes gouged out of the poor guy who built it so he would never be able to build anything that spectacular again. Harsh!

Photo: The Astronomical Clock.......let me know if you can figure out what's astronomical about it!!

Photo: A close up of what happens on the hour - weird skeleton (bottom right) rings bell & morbid figures appear in windows....hmmmmm....

The main attraction for most visitors to Prague is the castle, perched high up on the hill overlooking the city. It is the largest medievil castle in Europe & covers a massive area surrounded by beautiful gardens & parkland. It is so big you really only get a very small glimpse of it as part of the tour plus to actually go into selected areas & rooms was very expensive so we were satisfied with a walk through the 3 main courtyards & a look at the gorgeous, gothic cathedral in the centre.

Photo: The lovely view over Prague from the castle

Photo: Gorgeous cathedral...it took over 700 hundred years to be completed & ironically is currently under re-construction! It is also massive & almost impossible to fit into one frame.....

On the way to the castle we stopped at a rather unusual sculpture.....2 men peeing onto a map of the Czech Republic! They had mechanical waists & willies so the peeing was quite realistic...so I'm told. To top it off, there was a small, brass disc on the ground not far from the sculpture that had an SMS number on it....so if you SMS a message to the number one of the men will oblige & pee it out for you.......ahhhh those crazy Czechs!!

Photo: One of the strange peeing men......I chose one of the photos which was slightly more G rated!!



Another interesting site in Prague was the John Lennon wall. It has no significance to a particular meeting between the great man & the city, it was simply started to express the outpouring of grief felt by the local people in December 1980 when Lennon died. Just a residential wall on an insignificant street that has since become a bit of a pilgrimage for Beatles fans the world over. Apparantly Ringo Starr visited the wall 2 weeks before we were there!

Photo: A small section of the John Lennon wall


During the walking tour we were taken in to a church a bit off the beaten track. It is famous for having a human hand hanging from the ceiling inside it. Legend goes that there was a statue of Mary Magdelene in the church & one day a thief broke in & tried to steal the necklace she was wearing. Well Mary wasn't too happy about this so she woke up & grabbed the man's hand & wouldn't let go. In the morning, when the priest arrived he came across the guy, still being held by the "statue". He grabbed an axe & rather than cutting off the statue's arm he decided to cut off the thief's arm. When he got down to the last few millimeters of flesh, Mary let go & the hand was left dangling by a bit of skin.....gross!! Anyway the priest finished off the job & he decided to hang the hand in the church as a deterrent to other would-be thieves! A quirky story....other than that a rather boring church!


Opposite the church was Andrew's favourite spot in Prague....the Aussie pub showing the cricket live from England. This brings me to another funny incident....we were chatting to 2 great girls from Canada who were in our hostel room. They happened to mention cricket & that they had been in London & a couple of Aussie boys had taken them to Lords to see a game (only a week or so before we had been there). Andrew was green with envy just at the thought of it but then came the icing on the cake. Heather said casually "Oh, yeah, that's right, one of your boys was playing that day. He's kinda dark & wears the white stuff on his lips".....well Andrew's eyes nearly popped out his head because she was obviously talking about Andrew Symonds & anyone who knows Andrew knows that he has a love for Andrew Symonds that borders on unhealthy!! He was standing next to the window at the time & as he digested this information I could see his brain ticking over....I'm sure he considered jumping!!


On our final night in Prague we did something a little different. We went to a beer spa. Yes, we soaked in a barrel of beer, heated to 37 degrees & enhanced with herbs & stuff. While we soaked, we poured cold lagers from our own personal taps located next to the barrel....& yes, I did check, we weren't drinking our own spa water!! After we had wallowed for half an hour or so we got out & were wrapped up in sheets - mummy style - & were laid down in a giant bed of straw. Then we were covered in thick blankets & left to sweat our arses off. At the end of it the lovely little Czech lady told us that we must not shower for 12 hours.....mmmm, 12 hours with straw in places it should never be!! Still it was a very funny experience.
 

Photo: What do I say.....


From Prague, we headed to the teeny, tiny town of Cesky Krumlov. When I say tiny I mean you can walk from one end of town to the other in less than 10 minutes. There is not much to do in Cesky apart from meander the ancient, cobblestone streets, eat hot cinnamen scrolls coated in nutella & drink really cheap beer...pretty idealic really!! Cesky also has it's own castle - of course it does, this is Europe!! A couple of things make this castle a little bit more unique....1) The castle is still protected by 2 brown bears & apparantly has been for over 600 years....2) The walls of the castle are actually smooth so the "brickwork" & mouldings are all painted on to give the illusion of texture....see the photos for a better understanding.

Photo: The spire atop the castle.....all the bricks are painted on!!

Photo: The view across Cesky from a window in the castle


One of the great things about small towns in Europe is being able to discover hidden gems that serve cheap food....not so easy sometimes. We stumbled across one such place in Cesky. A small, traditional Czech pub which served it's food on paper plates & charged the princely sum of 2 euros. This got us a massive piece of pork, bread, pickled chillis, gherkins & sauerkraut.....washed down with a half litre of beer...all up less than $5 for a feast!
 
The Czech Republic really impressed us. Lovely old buildings, unique experiences & great food....what more could you ask for?
 
P.S Apologies for the corny title too!!