Life in a year full of Saturdays: Austria

Showing posts with label Austria. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Vienna (Austria) - a boot full of belongings

VIENNA (Austria)
27 September - 28 September 2017

With our decision to move back to Australia in 2018 we also then needed to find a place for all the stuff we had acquired in the prior 2.5 years. We were told, in a number of subtle and not so subtle ways that non of this would be able to be stored in Belgrade. In fact, when we tossed around the idea of having a handful of boxes stored the firm advise from my aunt was 'No'. I recall I found her manner of answering at the time, as well as her complete disregard for our needs to be somewhat disappointing at the time. A little assistance would have been the proper thing to have done. Still, it is what it is.

Belgrade in September - the confluence of the Danube and Sava - Serbia

With our Renault Laguna packed to bursting we headed north out of Belgrade, effectively ending our living situation there. In a technical sense I still had the apartment rented until February 2018, so it can be said that we were in fact living in Belgrade until that point in time.

Inga describes this time, or this travel, as one of the most exciting. In her view the usual progression of things is that a foreigner will arrive in Latvia, perhaps get involved with a girl, and then drag them off to an unknown corner of the world. In some small part, she was now pulling me into her sphere and we were going to set up in Riga until our big move to the land down under.

First stop on the 2000km migration north was the hometown of my grandfather Heinrich Elisher.

On the road - somewhere in Europe - car full and ready to migrate north

There's some sort of kinship I have with the people here. Somehow I feel there's a little bit of Vienna in me. Quite often I wonder if my grandfather and I have walked the same paths, walked through the same doors, looked on the same buildings. There has to be elements of his experiences and life learnings that originated here that have somehow influenced me in some small way. Those small thoughts, those intangibles makes that way I view this city far for personal and closer to home than other places within that connective line.

The famous Sacher Torte - Hotel Sacher - Vienna - Austria

Bauskas apartment before the mighty renovations - Riga - Latvia

When you mix it all together this is what you get

Vienna was just to be an overnight stop, so we didn't get to doing a lot of sightseeing. In fact, how much sightseeing can you do in a Mexican restaurant whilst in Vienna? With that said, we did have a late night stop at the very famous Hotel Sacher, located in the Innere Stadt, the speciality is the Sachertorte, a delectable chocolate cake with an apricot filling. With a mighty fine cognac to accompany this late night tryst, this was just the thing I craved as a necessary highlight to our short stay.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Vienna (AUSTRIA) - Budapest (HUNGARY) - Real life version 2.0

Vienna (Austria) - Budapest (Hungary)
25 January 2016 - 29 January 2016

Thinking back to the moment when it dawned on Inga that she may need to move to Belgrade, and that period of time would be in the vicinity of 2 years now, it sometimes for me brings on feelings of extreme sympathy. Not only was I asking her to leave Riga but I had no chance of talking up the qualities of Belgrade, for sure it couldn't be dressed up as being an upgrade. For anyone making short visit to the Serbian capital will find that its very Balkan, in a post Communist, overtly nationalistic, historically challenged kind of way. It doesn't give you any sort of tingling sensation, in the loins or otherwise, and my goodness, TWO YEARS sounded like a death sentence when it came out of my mouth. It was however my best and final offer.

Vienna and Budapest were like the teaspoon of sugar, the dangling carrot that needed to be engineered as the entree to our real live, version 2.0. I call it a 'real life' as we had lived together for three months whilst travelling, we had lived together for three months in Australia, but none of it was really domestic bliss now was it? This was 'living together' in a real world kind of way and it was going to be taking place in a city that I only had a small idea of and Inga has no idea about. Let the canned laughter ensue.

Vienna - Austria

We were getting good at meeting in airports, Buenos Aires, Stockholm, Belgrade, Riga, Sydney, Vienna - it became unexpectedly familiar. For a while we became one of those couples that you'd see reacquainting themselves after an extended time apart. It was nice, in an odd way, but this time it was 'hello, I missed you' with the caveat that we'd be staying together, and that in itself was something to celebrate.

A day earlier Vladimir and I had busted out of Belgrade bound for my rendevous point with Inga at Vienna International. After having spent a few years with my cousin, living virtually next door, there's a couple of things I've gotten to know about him. He drives recklessly, so much so that it makes me feel uneasy. Do I think he's a good driver? Yes, but do I like the chances that he takes unnecessarily? No ....and do I think he jeopardises the welfare of his passengers? Yes, and I hate that and whatever bravado or machismo goes with that aggressive/reckless form of driving. I'm called him out on it a few times and called him out on it on this occasion too. Another thing about my cousin, he's particular. He doesn't like crowds but by that I mean he won't like venue if it is vibrant and has plenty of people, that just isn't his thing. That has challenges in itself and in some way negates a large part of freedom and enjoyment on my part. Thankfully in Vienna on this occasion it posed no challenges.

Inga arrived in Austria on Australia Day, in a city with no kangaroos but plenty of bratwurst and schnitzels for the offering. That's not really a comparison other than to simply pass commentary on the situation that Australia Day in Austria is bemusing.

Australian pub - on Australia Day - Vienna - Austria

Schonbrunn Palace - Vienna - Austria

Vienna or rather Wien, wow! Just a wonderfully sophisticated, engaging, elegant city. Every time I visit I fall a little deeper and harder for it, and of course, walk a little taller as this was my grandfather's hometown. Heinrich Elisher, my namesake was from here and I like to imagine that by walking through the city I'm stepping on the paths, on the stones, in some of the gardens the he did. I like to imagine looking at this city through his eyes and think somehow, in some way that he can see me strolling through his backyard. Sometimes those ancestral echoes ring louder when you're closer to home.

Apart from being known as the City of Music, it's also known as the City of Dreams because it was also the home of the worlds first psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, and again, when I look at the timeline of when my grandfather was alive and living in Vienna its very likely the two would have crossed paths on the odd occasion.

We spent a few days in Vienna, just walking around the city and also seeing Schonbrunn Palace, a place that at one time was the Summer residence of the Hasburn rulers. Considering it was the end of January we were relatively lucky with the weather also, navigating our way through without so much as a bout of rain, snow or sleet.

After a few days in Vienna we headed down to Budapest via a brief stop in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava.

Now the great thing about Europe, which is totally different to countries such as Australia or the US, is that you can travel a mere 60-70kms and be in another country and capital city, which was the case here. Only a 70km, 1hr drive from Vienna and there we were, still on the Danube but having lunch in the old Czechoslovakia, experience something totally different in terms of geography, language, culture and food.

Budapest - Hungary

Later that day we arrived in Budapest. A city which in some odd way, being so close to Belgrade, I felt as though I should know more about, but in actual fact knew nothing about. Additionally, and somewhat embarrassingly, there had always been that ingrained Serbian prejudice in me that somehow Budapest was inferior, to what exactly I'm not sure. Inferior to everything. It's a very Serbian view, everyone else is inferior but they know nothing in their country is of quality either - so essentially, in their mind, everything is crap!

Budapest - Hungary

Budapest IS NOT crap, in fact its wonderful and one of the great highlights of Europe. The unfortunate thing was that it took so long for me to discover our next door neighbour and that also, on this trip, we would only be staying the night. Never the less, Inga & I gave ourselves the opportunity to wonder around.

Budapest - Hungary

On the Serbian border - three passports - all awaiting entry

Starting at the Liberty Bridge we walked down one side of the Danube in front of Gellert hill to the Rudas Healthy Spa, essentially making a small circuit. Unfortunately we didn't have time on our side but from what I saw and experience of Budapest I knew that it had to be placed high on the list for a return. Considering Budapest was now going to be a neighbour there was no reason that we shouldn't start up a friendship.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Hallstat (AUSTRIA) - It's chocolate, coated in chocolate, wrapped in chocolate

Hallstat (Austria)

13 September - 15 September 2015

No doubt, I was grateful that this would be the last stop on such 'bomb riddled' ride across the continent. Of course there had been highlights and of course there were moments of collective enjoyment, but the exercise of mandating active journeying for 'tick box' purposes made no sense, and neither did the active complaining. Still, Hallstat as the final destination was to be a real highlight.

Perhaps some 16-18 months earlier I had opened the travel section on a beautiful Sunday morning and come across Hallstat for the first time. A fairy tale like alpine village nestled between the Hallstater See and the Dachstein mountains. The Sydney Morning Herald had nominated it as one of their prettiest villages in Europe and hence is automatically made it onto the travel schedule that I had created for my parents as they traveled around Europe that year. I could not have imagined then all the changes that took place between that time and me arriving now. All the participants were the same except for me, I had replaced my father in this mission. Still, I'm glad that he had the opportunity to have seen it when he did.

Hallstat - Austria

Hallstat - Gmunden district - Upper Austria

Obertraun - Austria

Hallstat - Gmunden district - Upper Austria

Without question, this village is the epitome of cute, or sweet, or 'picture postcard' perfect. It has everything going right for it. Gorgeous scenery, picturesque architecture, a lovely cool climate, clean, crisp air. It's dream-like in Summer and I can only assume that Winter turs this place into something unearthly. It really is that impressive.

We actually took up residence in a town on the other side of the lake, a short drive from Hallstat, named Obertraun. Quaint in its on right but infuriatingly heedless, or unmindful, by way of their numbering system for commercial/residential premises. There literally is no rhyme or reason to the way they do it, No.2 stands next to No.47, No. 63 stands next to No.17. There's no logic, no algorithm, no code that can comfortably distill what you have into something that you may safely utilise to find your way. What's more, asking for assistance will either get you blank looks or directions that are unlikely to be of any real use. Apparently the travel crew had encountered exactly the same mindless situation the year before, and hey presto, he we were giving it another whirl just for kicks.

Hallstat - Austria

Hallstat - Gmunden district - Upper Austria

Hallstat - Austria

Another kick in the gonads was received whilst we checked in at the DORMIO RESORT in Obertraun. I wrote about this ridiculous situation on TripAdvisor, which you can also read about via this link SHOCKING BILLING PRACTICES - DORMIO RESORT (OBERTRAUN)

...the short of it being that a one night stay of 181 euros had a little 'cleaning fee' of 191 euros added to the bill, apparently 'fine print' which I had missed whilst making the reservation on booking.com. I've also seen that amount described by other people in the same situation has a 'Hallstat tourist tax' or some other fanciful name. Either way, completely bogus and shameful I have to say.

DO NOT STAY HERE! DORMIO RESORT - OBERTRAUN - AUSTRIA

Our days in Hallstat were pleasant, its hard not to appreciate a place as beautiful as this. Scenery and views in such abundance in the same sort of way that extremely attractive people somehow don't feel right to walk amongst the also-rans, they just feel so far removed from normal that they edge into uncomfortably abnormal territory - right! - you know what I mean.

An interesting attraction in that area are the salt mines, which have an estimated date of first utilisation sometime between the 8th and 5th centuries BC. Who knows, maybe I had some ancient ancestors that cruised this area for salt back in the day? Ancestry.com tells me that it's a possibility at least.

Salzwelten - Hallstat - Austria

Hallstat - Austria

At the end of the day you go to Hallstat for a dose of beauty and perhaps a great schnitzel, if you do that then guaranteed you won't be disappointed.

Somewhere on the road in Serbia - motoring back to Belgrade

After a couple of days we finally turned the car south and heading back to Belgrade, what was to become my new home. This trip, mercifully, had come to an end, but new adventures were just starting to appear on the horizon, and boy, the 'holiday attack' fleet looked absolutely stacked. I really had no idea.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Sydney: All the easy shots down the line - this one is for you dad

Sydney (Australia)
23 December 2014

Yesterday I saw your car parked outside of the house and for a split second, before my brain allowed me to truly remember, I got excited because I thought you were home, and then when I realised what I'd done, I tried to hold onto that feeling of you still being with us for a few seconds longer. I took those few seconds for all they were worth.

I still have the 2014 World Cup chart pinned up on the wall next to my desk, it gives me a chance to assign a day, time and place to the games that we watched. That was our thing. Waking up at 3am, making coffee, watching Australia play or watching any world cup match that we thought might be interesting. Sometimes I'd dose through the second half of games but I'd try and hide it from you, I'm sure that you knew I was sleeping, even when you would ask 'Henry, are you watching?'.

I hated hearing the racing channel blaring at anytime. I couldn't stand the sound of live race calls, but now I wish there was a reason for me to hear it again other than it allowing for me to remember you in my mind. I watch games of football and I know I lack the insight and intuition that you had to be able to analyse a game and see events before they happened. I never quite understood how you were able to do that, but you could do it, just as in the same manner you were able to read the character of a person so much faster than anyone else.

Now I look at photos and can't seem to reconcile the images of you smiling as you sailed on past Notre Dame, or the surprise on your face when I met you in Paris, with the memory of you. For now you exist for me in memory and in spirit, and whilst I'm thankful for all the great memories I have of you I would much rather be talking to you about them rather than thinking of them in order to give context to such a great person that was you, my dad.

So now, I leave this. Times that we shared whilst travelling. I was lucky enough to have had some fabulous moments with you in the last few years and they will stay with me for the rest of my life. This last journey however is one that you must do on your own and I hope that wherever your destination is that you have a chance to sit back, watch a game or two and back a winner. Let me just say that for right here and now, the space that you left is enormous and I miss you being in it, maybe we'll meet somewhere and sometime else, maybe not, but for the last 39yrs you were fantastic person and I feel more than lucky to have had a father like you.