Category: Austria

Italy / Austria Homeward

4 January 2025 / admin

OBB 1116-267 2.1.25

This actually covers three days after the action previously recorded. The first day was entirely free in Innsbruck and we largely stayed in our room reading and resting – we had a pizza one day when we were out and about but generally had seen nothing we wanted to revisit in the cold. However the opportunity existed.

The second day is traversing Austria and Germany. DB Rail is at the moment reckoned to be poorly performing and we are subjected to this. Our first train to Munich is not a problem although a little late if I recall correctly and we can watch the countryside pass by. In Munich the train is in the platform but like some UK operators getting passengers boarded gently and steadily is not accepted and we have a last minute dash – which with heavy suitcases is not welcome. The service onwards to Cologne is soon being undertaken in the dark (so reading and listening time) until we come to a halt. The driver on a previous train had seen something on the track and so we halt whilst an investigation is undertaken. Inevitably this takes quite a bit of time and as the report may have been a person the caution is understandable. There is no opportunity to recover the time.

The final day is a service from Cologne to Brussels which also runs late – so we are a little worried over our connection time given the Eurostar approach to travellers. No need to worry as the inward train to Brussels was also late and so we get through security and are penned up in an area without enough seats for those travelling for ages. The train is there but we are not allowed to board it. Then they undertake loading the priority passengers – understandable but we spend ages in a queue and it seems like they are already letting in passengers for the following service (at least so it is implied). I regret to say that once again this is not the way that anyone should be treating international rail passengers. These days I am not sure cattle would be allowed to travel like this. Eurostar really need to take a step back and find a better way of ensuring that passengers are respected.

Inevitably a late departure means a late arrival and I thought that we would have a nice simple connection into the service home from Waterloo (which is only hourly because of the poor service on our local line). I make my way to the right entrance at Kings Cross for the Underground – this means going right to the front of the old station entrance which was swept away a couple of decades ago and taking the lift down (plus a few steps). The escalator delivers us to the right platform and it is across on the level from Victoria line to Bakerloo at Oxford Circus. The watch is ticking.

We head up the escalators at Waterloo and although it is almost on the hour our train is on the other side of the barrier with the doors open – we dive through and onto the first coach. The train departs about three late. The guard comes through and I thank him and explain that we are lucky to catch it. He had to deal with a late arriving disabled passenger further forward and so was loading a wheelchair when he should have been signalling departure. Our driver however is up to the challenge and observing limits is able to recover the time dropped at Waterloo by the time we roll into Woking. Once we are at Guildford It is then a normal wander across to another platform for the meander home. Another holiday completed.

Brochure descriptions:

Day 11:

After a delicious hotel breakfast, enjoy a day at leisure to explore Innsbruck, perhaps taking a walk beside the Inn river or past the fountains and pavilion of the Innsbrucker Hofgarten, landscaped royal palace gardens which date from the early 15th century.

Innsbruck is a city of many delightful churches, including the baroque cathedral with its famous Madonna and Child painting by Lukas Cranach the Elder, as well as the gothic Hofkirche.

Another notable architectural wonder in Innsbruck’s Altstadt is the Golden Roof, a glorious copper-tiled roof built in 1500 to mark the occasion of the marriage of Maximilian I to Bianca Maria Sforza.

Day 12:

This morning, we board the train down the Inn valley to Munich, where we change trains and continue to Cologne.

Passing through the historic cities of Augsburg and Ulm, and fairy-tale towns such as Schwäbisch Gmünd and Limberg and der Lahn, we then arrive at our Rhine-side destination of Cologne, dominated by its imposing, twin-spired Gothic cathedral.

Day 13:

After breakfast today our wonderful festive tour concludes as we travel from Cologne to Brussels, before catching our final train, the Eurostar, to London St Pancras.

On arrival at St Pancras we say farewell to our travelling companions and recall the winter wonders we have witnessed in Italy and Austria.

Stubaitalbahn 31 December 2024

1 January 2025 / admin

Church from Stubaitalbahn 31.12.24

We are nearing the end of the holiday today and we are going to travel on the Stubaitalbahn which these days is an 18km tram trip into rural areas. The first section now uses local tram tracks but as we leave the town and commence climbing it is then branch line status running to Fulpmes. The line was opened in 1904 so has seen service now for over 120 years and seems well used with modern stock as it winds its way round and through villages – we see at least three sides on one particular church spire as we travel. The service frequency on the last part of the line is relatively low with some trams turning around at an intermediate stop.

Reaching the destination it looks cold outside and so we choose to sit in the tram until the return journey commences – but there is ice and falls are not a good idea.

Bergisel ski jump 31.12.24

Also visible is the Bergisel ski jump which is the latest of a series of ski jumps – this one was completed in 2003 replacing the version used for the 1976 Winter Olympics. It is one of the major ski jumps in the World being part of the “Four Hills Tournament”.

The best bit of the return journey which I work out as we descend it is that in Innsbruck the trams appear to operate around a one way loop, so that we can leave the tram not very far at all from the hotel and whilst it takes a few minutes to establish bearings (so much easier with maps on mobile phones these days) we can visit a café just across the road from the hotel and consume some warming vittels and then dive straight back into the hotel.

By and large I think we have come to the conclusion that holidays with snow and ice and not suitable for us – the risk / reward ratio does not seem to work well and I am glad that our time in Italy on this trip was not (for us) particularly cold – indeed in Sirmione out of the wind it was pleasant and (unlike the summer) not overcrowded.

And the brochure extract says:

Our New Year celebrations begin with a journey through the wintry scenery of the Stubai Valley aboard the narrow-gauge Stubaitalbahn.

From Innsbruck, it winds up through gentle meadows, providing great views of the city below. Passing sleepy villages, the route then plunges into a landscape of icy forests and alpine meadows laden with snow, before winding its way down to the peaceful valley town of Fulpmes.

The Stubai Valley Railway – Stubaitalbahn, in the native tongue – was opened in 1904 and has grown in passenger numbers ever since, no doubt owed to the beautiful scenery it enjoys on its one hour trip from Fulpmes to Innsbruck. Along the journey, the train passes many spectacular sights including the Mutters and Kreither viaduct.

Innsbruck 30 December 2024

31 December 2024 / admin

Golden Roof Innsbruck 30.12.24

A walking tour of Innsbruck this morning. As with the majority of our trip the sun is shining and therefore it is not as cold as we feared it might be. Indeed it is pleasant weather to be wandering around although equally glad to return to the warm if somewhat small hotel room at the end of the morning.

Innsbruck, essentially due to the Brenner pass immediately to the south, has always been the gateway between northern and southern Europe and was therefore a key point to control over long periods as it was possible to extract money from those passing with goods for trading in both directions.

Originally at the heart of Habsburg Empire the city then came under the Archdukes of Austria. A period as part of Bavaria followed until return to Austria in 1814. However being such an important trade route has led to the city always been prosperous even if owing allegiance to new rulers.

A key sight in the city and indeed its symbol is the “Golden Roof” which was completed to mark the wedding of the Emperor Maximilian I to Bianca Maria Stroza in 1500 with the balcony being used by the Emperor and his new wife to observe the festivals, tournaments and activities in the square below. The Emperor was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was a particularly able warlord. This was a period when the ruler has sway over much of what is now Italy and Germany whilst marriages led to his grandson taking the thrones of Castile and Aragon – showing just how far the tentacles of the Hapsburg empire stretched.

Innsbruck Cathedral 30.12.24

We are also able to go inside the Cathedral which was constructed following some earthquakes between 1716 and 1724 when it was dedicated. In December 1944 Innsbruck suffered significant bomb damage which caused destruction of parts of the Cathedral and was restored by 1950 becoming a Cathedral in 1964. Further repair and reconstruction work was undertaken between 1991 and 1993 with a new dedication service in October 1993.

We decide that a trip up in the local ski lift holds little attraction following the heights achieved yesterday. Prior to arrival much has been made of the light show in the gardens but when we pass it on the walking tour we see that it appears mainly geared towards children and so decide against going out in the evening. During the day the snow is melting slightly but after dark it freezes and again and one of the party has a fall when they do visit the illuminations and that proves to us it is better to be safe than sorry – we thought that it might be slightly slippery and bound to be worse if it freezes slightly having thawed during the day. We did not want to come back from the holiday bruised and bandaged. I have no doubt that it is worth seeing – but we would prefer to avoid any accidents.

And for reference here is the brochure description:

We wake up with the wintry mountains looking on to festive Innsbruck. The gentle bustle of picture-perfect streets and the seasonal weather combine to charming effect on this enchanting day full of anticipation.

After breakfast, we enjoy a guided walking tour of beautiful Innsbruck, followed by a leisurely afternoon during which we can explore further.

With a remarkably picturesque medieval centre, the town is dotted with impressive buildings, including Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Here, a shimmering golden Habsburg roof, the ornate Hölbling house and the imposing 14th-century watchtower look out over buildings with arched arcaded frontages.

When it goes dark, LUMAGICA Innsbruck invites you to take a literally illuminating walk in the Hofgarten – for the fifth time in a row. Rainbow (colours), flowers and butterflies as well as abstract elements and interactive light installations line the approximately one kilometre long circular path.

Zillertalbahn 29 December 2024

30 December 2024 / admin

Zillertalbahn train 29.12.24

There is a decent breakfast available so that gets the day off to a good start. Innsbruck is quiet this morning with few people around. We have a reasonable walk to the station, slightly uphill and carefully identifying landmarks to ensure we can achieve the return journey without getting lost. The walk takes us through the main town centre and at the station we catch a train to Jenbach.

Here we can cross under the tracks to the separate Zillertalbahn which departs from an adjacent platform. Having read the time table I know that they now only run one steam return trip a day, for about three months, in high summer and it is no surprise to me that our journey today on the outward trip is behind a diesel locomotive. The return was with a self-powered diesel unit. There is a wait before departure which luckily enables a toilet stop. Our guide thought we would go immediately but in fact the timetable appears to have been amended since he was given the timings.

In the light of the haulage I am pleased therefore to be able to record that I travelled behind a Zillertal locomotive when we visited the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway back in June 2024 on our North Wales extravaganza. However the chances of steam haulage in Austria on this line is now heavily limited and far more is it a conveyance for local residents – the entire area seems to have far more modern adjacent buildings than older ones and no doubt the line has had to adapt to meet the demand.

The line winds through a white landscape as snow has fallen recently and it makes it a pleasant journey through the wintry wonderland. There are quite a few stops along the way with reasonable numbers joining to go skiing or for other purposes – so it is well used – at least at this time of year.

The far end of the Zillertalbahn line is Mayrhofen. Here we leave the train behind and walk up through the village gently. Obviously it is slightly more slippery than at times due to the recent snow, although the walking routes are generally well gritted, the previous falls are thawing as we are above zero when in the sun (which continues to shine brightly as it has generally throughout the holiday).

Near the top of the town is a cable car which exists primarily to take the many skiers up to the ski area (which is above the snow line and can therefore be used throughout the year) but also enables us to ascend to appreciate the views and the sunshine. Once at the top xx we can see that the various ski slopes are heavily populated and we can see the surrounding white tops of the mountain ranges.

The main building at the top has a sun deck which catches the sun nicely and I walk up to it to take some photos of the people actually skiing and use various ski lifts – there is another lift to a much higher point. We then return to the town below.

On the upwards walk through Mayrhofen a sign for apfelstrudel had been seen and that guaranteed a stop on the return journey; I chose the local soup with cheese scone within it, simple but warming given that there is snow everywhere outside.

The return train journeys are a reverse of the outward trip and the walk back down to the hotel remembering to turn left at the cannabis shop. Luckily with the sun shining it has not felt that cold apart from the wait at Mayrhofen for the train to arrive.

The brochure text is linked to a photo of a steam locomotive – hence the comments above:

Travelling on the Zillertalbahn today, we step aboard heritage carriages for an atmospheric journey through the delightful Ziller Valley.

The railway’s distinctive red engine stands out against the snow-clad landscapes as we marvel at sights such as rushing Ziller river, enchanting Tyrolean towns that look as if they belong on a Christmas card and meadows blanketed in thick, fresh snow.

Our outstanding journey on the Zillertalbahn (or the Ziller Valley Railway) takes us on a 19-mile route from Jenbach through the grandiose mountain scenery to Mayrhofen at the other end of the valley.

In the heart of the breath taking Tyrol region of Austria, the Zillertalbahn wends its way across the shimmering meadows, along the valleys and under the mountains. Cheerful red carriages and engine are easy to spot, as the Zillertalbahn crawls like a bright caterpillar across the Ziller valley floor offering a glimpse into the distinct charm of Austria’s verdant countryside.

The train line was officially opened in 1902, mainly operating as a passenger service for residents of the Ziller valley and the rest of the Tyrol region. The line has expanded to take on freight services, and the line actually owns a series of steam engines which are put on occasionally to take passengers and tourists back in time. Beginning at the jolly market town of Jenbach near the shimmering Achen Lake, the Zillertalbahn snakes its way through the enchanting small Tyrolean towns and villages on its way to the ski resort of Mayrhofen.

We arrive in Mayrhofen where you have free time to ride to the summit of Penken via a gondola cable car, walk the cobbled streets or visit the Ahorn Eagle’s Stage, an observation point for alpine birds of prey.

Verona and onto Innsbruck 28 December 2024

29 December 2024 / admin

Juliet Balcony Verona 28.12.24

With our luggage on its way to Austria we still have another trip in Italy. Our coach takes us to Verona and again the weather is bright and certainly not cold. The coach takes about an hour before we have a few minutes going round in a circle to find the local guide. The coach then perambulates around the outer part of the town showing us the walls before dropping us alongside the river Adige which we cross into the town centre.

The centre of Verona is small and has a some attractive architecture with a main market square which is very busy and an adjacent square in the centre of which is a statue of Dante. The entire town appears quite attractive to wander around. It seems pretty busy today.

The main purpose for us to visit Verona (and likewise for many large numbers) is the balcony attributed to Juliet. Of course the reality is vastly different with the balcony itself only dating back to the early 20th Century. Shakespeare’s story appears to derive from a poem published in 1562 written by Arthur Brooke which was using stories from Italian writers who used the enmity between the Cappelletti and Montecchi families. The house dates back to the 13th century and has been long known as Juliet’s house. However there is no truth in the stories – or is there?

From Verona we catch a train which will ascend over the Brenner pass and take us to Innsbruck. One day (and I am not sure it will be in my lifetime) there will be a huge tunnel under the Alps which will take the trains but until then our ascent is not particularly rapid as it is steep and although electrified the other services dictate the pace. Similar restrictions apply to the descent. Given the time of year the latter part of the journey is in the dark but even we can tell that there has been a significant snow fall in the recent past and the hills at least will be white when we can see them on the morrow.

Our new hotel is situated in the centre of Innsbruck adjacent to the market and the river. Hotel reception is however not briefed. The receptionist asks us to hand over our passports – fair enough – and then asks us to select our dinner – and yet we did that some time ago and it has been sent through already. Then she sends us away from the desk and refuses to hand over the room keys – which is mismanagement of the highest order – they have our names on the passports and should exchange one for the other. Eventually sense is seen and we ascend to our room where our cases have safely arrived but the room itself is regrettably less impressive – no view and one of those rooms where I sit still whilst Jackie unpacks and vice versa. The quality of dinner is an improvement despite the need to make choices and so we are on the swings and roundabouts again.

The brochure description of the day:

Leaving Lake Garda behind, we take the coach to Verona, where we enjoy a guided tour of a city filled with Roman ruins, medieval buildings, Italian culture and romance, and famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

In a UNESCO World Heritage-listed city centre, we visit Juliet’s iconic balcony and the Roman arena, an open-air venue still used for performances today, where some free time could lend itself to indulging in lunch in one of the many restaurants around Piazza Brà.

In mid-afternoon, we board the train for a direct journey to Innsbruck in Austria. This spectacular route through the Alps reveals some magical wintry scenes as we leave Italy by the Brenner Pass.

Located in the Inn Valley, beneath the unique backdrop of the Alps, Innsbruck is known for its Imperial buildings and quaint Old Town, which reflects the city’s historic and cultural past through its wonderful Renaissance, Baroque and traditional Tyrolean architecture. At this time of year though, it’s a winter wonderland of snow-frosted mountains, cosy cafés and sugar-dusted trees.

Our hotel in central Innsbruck looks out to the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Austrian Alps. We will be staying at The Hotel Innsbruck, situated in the heart of the Old Town, within walking distance of many of the sights and attractions of Innsbruck.

Euro Tour 8 – Vienna to Budapest

8 August 2017 / admin

Sunday 30 July 2017

We have some spare time this morning but decide to take it very easy as we covered some ground around Vienna yesterday. We have a lunchtime departure from the same new station at which we arrived and we can see it looks very new with clean track, nicely ballasted. I manage to take some photos of trains but these are not brilliant.

Now we head east south east (roughly) to Budapest and as we go it is obvious that it is getting warmer, indeed much warmer. As with all of our other trips the crossing of borders is unobserved without passport checks.

Budapest is in the grip of a heatwave. It is a relatively short walk (of 600-700 yards) from station to our hotel but it certainly feels further as we adjust to the heat. The oddity here is that we were originally told we would be at another hotel yet our guide assures us this is the facility which is normally used. We are pleased the air conditioning works well and is noticeably quiet in our bedroom so we can sleep. It is particularly welcome after the heat outside.

The Hotel Bristol may be convenient for the station (and be relatively attractive internally) but is surrounded by a less attractive selection of rough sleepers and what Jackie assures me are drug dealers. Never having met one of either group to my knowledge I cannot be sure about the latter; the former are self evident! During our stay here there is one individual sleeping on the same bench in both the morning, afternoon and evening when we pass. By the last time we pass him, he did appear to have moved so was presumably still alive. Another was sleeping on top of a wall, if he rolled to his left he would not just fall to the ground but all to the bottom of the steps down into the underground station – a long way down.

In normal circumstances the 600 yard walk to the Underground station would not be a barrier to moving around easily – but the high temperature (around 38 deg C) and the pain Jackie is suffering from her sciatica made the walk less than enthralling. Luckily the nearest supermarket is very close by and we can get water with ease.

Budapest, as is well known, is actually two cities: Buda and Pest, separated by the same Danube river last seen in Vienna; I wonder if we are seeing the same water pass by?

Our group dinner tonight is just around the block at a very convenient local restaurant. Good simple food. Very nice.

Euro Tour 7 – Vienna

7 August 2017 / admin

Saturday 29 July 2017

Today is a free day according to the Rail Discoveries itinerary so our plan is to visit the Vienna Ringstrasse and get much better photographs than were possible yesterday. Also we are celebrating 28 years of marriage and a special dinner is planned.

We walk down the hill to the local tobacconist and obtain some tickets to roam the public transport network for not very much money and then a little further down the hill to the inbound tram stop (some of the roads are one way so the return journey will be on a different line – more confusion). This takes us to a little short of the Ringstrasse in the Museum Quarter. We can walk out to the Ringstrasse and walk quite a distance as far as Shottentor. It is flat and we are going at a gentle pace as it is turning pretty warm this morning!

Shottentor is a great interchange and after studying the map I find that we can take a tram service direct to one end of the park which then requires a (perhaps too long) walk to the famous Ferris wheel at Prater, as seen in the Third Man film. The walk is level, but further than anticipated. Indeed so well landscaped is the area that we simply cannot see the wheel until we pretty close to it, like the observation tower in Prague it is hiding behind a bank of trees! Around the Ferris wheel is a fun fair including another wheel – but we only want the Ferris wheel.

Half of the original cabins on the wheel have been removed and some are now used for little historical displays of the history of Vienna in the waiting area, to occupy people if the place is busy. Today however we are able to join a short queue and join the third cabin to come round. It is a bright clear day and we have a good view across to the end of the Alps- they end here as they run into the Danube river.

Jackie enjoys the trip and we hopefully have some decent pictures. At this end of the park it is a short walk to the metro/underground and we find our way onto the line in the right direction (signposting is not as clear as we might like) but when we reach Opera station we nearly come out of the wrong exit. Once we have the right exit we are only a short walk, now in a very warm environment to Sacher hotel where at Café Sacher we join a very short queue for a table.

I choose some wieners for lunch and get two as I have to avoid the inevitable sugar in the torte! Jackie has ice cream cake and not the torte as it looks slightly dry when served to others. The ice cream cake looked like this:

All goes down rather well so it makes for a nice light lunch.

We wander to the nearest fiacre stand but Jackie does not like the look of the ponies (or perhaps their drivers), so we have a longer walk in the heat back to the St Stephens Church and take a pair of greys for a little trip of 20 minutes.

Jackie and I get serenaded on as we travel around! Both photos from Jackie’s collection!

We have walked a lot today and we end up quite a way from the Museum quarter to be able to take a return tram to our hotel – so have another lengthy walk which requires several stops in the heat. Once back we can have a nap before going out again.

In the evening we have about a 30 minute downhill walk to Restaurant Mini as there is no easy direct transport. And taking the metro would probably have taken about the same length of time. On our walk we noted that high end stereo systems are obviously selling well as we see a well stocked shop with no visible prices (so more than we can afford) including valve amplifiers. Some fellow travellers also saw similar places. HiFi is alive and well in Austria!

As ever Jackie recorded our stunning meal so with her photos and descriptions here we go:

On the left: “Tempura prawns with an amazing orange dressed salad! Gorgeous!”.
On the right: “Tuna ummm with wasabi apple! Was fab!” Her words – my starter!

For main course: “We both had duck with Beetroot and mushroom. Risotto! Divine!”

At the end of the meal: “We both had chilli chocolate soufflé with sour cherries! I want to move in!”.

We then had a 30 minute stroll back to our hotel but it was a bright warm evening; just slightly uphill rather than downhill.

Euro Tour 6 – Prague to Vienna

6 August 2017 / admin

Friday 28 July 2017

An earlier start today as our train leaves before 9, so we packed up the night before almost ready to go. Once again the train not only has our booked party but also a large number of back packers. My journey is occupied with listening to podcasts and catching up with The Archers. Not sure if our fellow travellers have managed to catch up with getting podcasts but it seems unlikely. We are in a “quiet” coach so I can merely sing along to Barwick Green so only Jackie can hear me.

At points we are also rolling along at a decent speed as this on board display makes clear (with apologies for the quality):

In Vienna we arrive at the brand new Hauptbahnhof. After 15 years of planning and building the railway lines have been connected across Vienna (no doubt at some cost to older buildings) and there are now through services and not just a ring of stations on the various sides of the city. Our local guide is waiting and leads us down the escalator to the waiting coach as we are straight into a city tour.

Jackie does not get a window seat on the coach and so we decide to return in the morning for some better photographs of the magnificent buildings on Ringstrasse. The coach then drops us, not far I note from Sacher hotel, and we are taken by foot to the central Cathedral. At the suggestion of our guide we choose to visit the inside St Peter’s church which is very elegantly and wonderfully decorated.

After a break we walk through the City passing through by Hofburg Palace; we also pass the home of the Spanish Riding School (there are no scheduled training sessions we can attend in our short time here unfortunately); and some hugely impressive architecture. A mixture of photos can be found here.

Our coach journey also provides some orientation of the entire city as we are also taken over to the newer part of the City on the other side of the Danube. Our hotel is a little way out of town and we are given some guidance on the local buses and trams as well as how to buy tickets to permit travel as it is only just walking distance.

The dinner tonight for all tour participants is in our hotel and can be best described as a little plain. The main course of wiener schnitzel is of course typical Viennese fare; however compared with a similar item seen on a plate when passing through central Vienna earlier it seems a little small! This does not inspire us as far as breakfast is concerned!