Sound of Music country, Austria.
We were late coming to foreign travel. When hubby and I finally made it out of the UK it was on a eight-day visit to both Austria and Switzerland, by coach! The journey was a story in itself but what follows is what we made of our brief visit to Austria way back when - in 1989. Where on earth in this world is Austria? Well I guess there may be some people who have no idea where Austria is, so here goes. Austria is a landlocked European country; its neighbours are:-
Did I like Austria? Yes I loved it. Visiting Austria I did not travel abroad until in my late thirties. Although this was not unusual when I was a young child, by the time I was this age most people were travelling here, there and everywhere by quite a young age. Our first holiday abroad was an eight-day coach trip which would take in Austria and Switzerland, with a brief visit to the principality of Liechtenstein. Looking back now this seems a ridiculously short amount of time for a vacation. I am amazed though at how much we saw considering that the coach journey took 36 hours outgoing and about 24 hours for the return. Still on the whole it was a great holiday and the weather was kind. We travelled in early September and experienced a slight heatwave. This meant that even in the mountains the weather was pleasantly warm and the air was clear. We had been warned that often great views were obscured by fog, cloud and mist but not so for our vacation. We viewed these beautiful countries in all of their glory. The second part of our visit was Austria which is where I shall begin. AUSTRIA Having already experienced the breathtaking scenery of Switzerland it was hard to imagine anything could be more beautiful. However, Austria has a more rugged, natural style and the views are just as special. Our base was to be the village of St Anton, which is a popular destination during the winter months with the ski-ing fraternity. As it was late summer all of the pensions (guest houses) had plenty of rooms vacant. This meant that we actually had quite a luxurious small suite of rooms. For the price we paid it was fabulous. Consider visiting off season for a great bargain break. Although the weather had been kind our entrance into this pretty village was met with torrential rain. It lasted briefly but helped cool the unusually hot Austrian weather. Standing on our balcony, and looking at the view, we saw that we were surrounded by mountains. The heavy rain had given life to summer dry waterfalls which now flushed their way down the green mountain slopes; simply stunning. St Anton is made up of small wooden pensions, a few shops, some lovely cake shops and the odd bar. A group of us experienced the highly intoxicating Austrian beer, one evening, at one such establishment. The beer, served in huge glasses, was very potent. Our holiday included an excursion to Innsbruck which we thoroughly enjoyed. Innsbruck has rather up market shops and plenty of wonderful architecture, such as a palace. Set on the River Inn, Innsbruck too is surrounded by mountains. There was a lovely park here and it was strange to see almost tropical plants thriving outdoors with snow topped mountains nearby. On a warm day this park is perfect for a picnic. If you visit Austria try and also check out Vienna. GENERAL ADVICE
In Austria you can almost hear Julie Andrews warbling "The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music." Those 'hills' are definitely a wonder to behold. Tourism Austria News from Austria 2017: https://news.vice.com/story/austria-moves-to-ban-the-burqa-to-counter-surging-support-for-the-far-right https://news.artnet.com/art-world/hitler-birth-house-expropriation-841397
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Returning to Lefkas after a day trip to Ithaca and Kefalonia The Greek Islands With over 160 Greek Islands that are inhabited, and hundreds of smaller Islands that are not, there is certainly plenty of choice, when you are thinking about visiting the Greek Islands. In fact, there are more like 6000 islands in total. That is some figure, isn't it? Some Islands are quite close to mainland Greece or Turkey, whilst others sit in the Aegean with only other Greek Islands for neighbours. However, never think of the Greek Islands as all simply just being Greece. This is definitely not the case. The Greek mainland has a different feel to the Islands and some Greek Islands are very special and unique. Consider the Greek Island of Santorini Legend would have us believe that this volcanic Island was pushed up out of the sea and has links to Atlantis and more. It is certainly a beautiful Island with terrific sunsets, sunrises and clean, crisp, blue and white houses. If you have admired one of those images of Greece that shows brilliant white and blue houses and churches, high in the sky, then it will no doubt have been snapped on Santorini. So never mind which are the best Greek Islands to visit by boat, just deciding which one to visit, full stop, is a hard choice. The Ionian Islands for example This group of Islands is found of the western side of Greece These are:- GREEK NAME ALTERNATE NAME POPULATION ISLAND AREA Ithaki Ithaca 5,000 96 Kefallonia Cephalonia 32,314 (1991) 935 Kerkyra Corfu 105,043 (1991) 641 Kythira Cerigo 2,500 284 Lefkada Lefkas 20,900 (2001) 325 Paxi Paxos 2,000 25 Zakynthos Zante 38,957 (2001) 410 Returning to Lefkas after a day trip to Ithaca and Kefalonia Note:- Cerigo is not always classed as an Ionian Island The Ionian Islands illustrate how diverse the Islands can be. The extremes of population and land mass show perfectly just how tiny some Islands can be, and there are only 7 islands shown here. At one time all Greek Islands would have been accessed via the sea Yes, Lefkas had an old link to the mainland, in its causeway, but the Island still was mainly accessed via the sea. Assessing which Islands are the best to visit by ship, yacht, ferry and boat needs careful consideration. Take into account:-
If an Island has a very busy harbour, that has daily traffic in it which consists of commercial boats, ferries, hydrofoils and the like, then perhaps it will not be the best place for a small yacht to dock. It does also depend the vessel you use to sail to your Greek Island or Islands. Are you sailing on your own small yacht? Will you be travelling on a commercial ferry? Will your boat be a huge tourist boat made for cruising? All of the above will have some bearing on which Greek Islands are the best for you to visit by boat. So which are the best Greek Islands to visit by boat? Island hopping was one of the first main ways that tourists travelled around the Greek Islands. It is not that long ago many of the Islands still did not have direct access via an airport. Landing on the Greek mainland or another island meant that a ferry trip was essential just to get to your Greek island destination. There are still a few islands where this happens such as Thassos when we visited. Greek Islanders use boats, ferries and the sea constantly; it is very much a part of their lives. So here is some information for those considering visiting the Greek Islands via boat, whether it is:-
It does also depend on whether your visit will be fleeting or not, and what you want to find when you get there. Are you just looking for beautiful sandy beaches? Do you prefer bustling harbours and shopping? Then again perhaps you would like to discover ancient Greece? Finding the perfect Greek Islands to visit by boat will also need you to research the perfect destinations for you, such as choosing lively Islands or peaceful havens. Whatever floats your boat really, all puns intended; the choice is yours. However, most Greek Islands offer you spectacular views, atmosphere and harbour side tavernas. If this is all your heart desires try exploring an island group at a time or at least part of a group. Ferry Services Now that so many people visit the Greek Islands ferry services are improving. Not only that but the vessels are much cleaner and often have tourists in mind, as well as local travellers. You can pick an island as a base and visit as many or as few other Islands by sea, as you want to. Pre-planning is possible. You should be able to roughly schedule your route and even book your ferry tickets in advance. Of course delays due to adverse weather conditions are always a possibility. Alternatively book your ferry tickets once you arrive in the Greek Islands, either for individual sailings or for a period of time. Established cruises There are established Greek Island cruises which take in Crete, Patmos, Mykonos, Piraeus, Rhodes, Santorini and Kusadasi. The best Greek Islands to visit by boat I have shied away from naming any specific Greek Islands, which could be the best to visit by boat, and hopefully you now understand why. With so much diversity I believe that there would be many such perfect Greek Islands for any traveller's requirements, but it is up to you. The Ionian Islands have a slightly wetter climate and are much greener Islands. Crete and the Dodecanese Islands are further south and hotter. Islands in the Eastern Aegean such as Kos and Samos can be hot, dry and lively. The time of year you visit may also affect your choice unless you are happy sailing in all weathers. The Greek Island Groups Apart from the IONIAN group of Islands most of the other Greek Islands are to be found in the Aegean Sea. There are seven main groups which are, and include:-
Map: Cyprus tends to be classed alone because of its location and the fact that currently half of the Island is Turkish. We won't go into that whole can of worms just now though. The map above shows the reader which Islands are ideal for Island hopping as they are relatively close to each other. It is also plain to see that The Cyclades is a great place to visit by boat with so many islands in close proximity.
The 2013 spat between Spain and the UK over Gibraltar reminded this writer of a day trip she took to The Rock, while she was enjoying a two-week vacation in the Algarve. At that time, even without a disagreement between the two countries, entering Gib took a little time. Nothing I imagine compared to the hold ups experienced by visitors during the 2013 dispute. The location of Gibraltar, one of the UK's last bastions of our colonial past, means that any peace is always uneasy. With the United Kingdom set to leave the European Union in the near future who really knows what will happen to Gibraltar? Gibraltar may still appeal to you as a travel destination, be it for a day, a long weekend or a full blown vacation and with BRexit in mind now may be a good time to visit. Here is a review of our visit. Location of Gibraltar Gibraltar is to be found at the entrance to the Mediterranean sea. It is a headland overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. On a clear day you can see the coast of Africa with Tangiers in the distance. Over the years there has been some dispute over who Gibraltar belongs to. As it is on mainland Spain you may think that ownership would be a simple matter. However you would be wrong. Currently Gibraltar is British and is very much so. This means that when you enter the tiny province you have to go through passport control. However this is by no means the only strange thing that you will find if you visit Gibraltar. We visited Gibraltar from The Algarve, on Portugal's Southern Coast. It was a long tiring journey but ultimately worth the effort. However visiting for only a day just gives you a taster of Gibraltar and that is what I will try to offer here. For all that travelling we only had four or five hours in Gibraltar but it was enough to get a feel for the place. There were other brief visitors, such as passengers from cruises, that had docked at Gibraltar to take advantage of the duty free purchases available. We arrived by coach and had to disembark and walk across the frontier and through passport control. As our guide told us, we could wait and drive across but it would take ages. This was obviously so, and there was a huge line of traffic attempting to cross the frontier. We had booked our excursion in Albufeira and our travel rep had also booked tickets for a tour of the Rock for those keen to see this wonder. We walked through passport control and headed for our parked mini van, which would take us up the Rock. Not everyone had chosen to take part and so there were about a dozen of us on board. As we set off we were curious to see that we had crossed over the airport's runway. If a plane is due to land or take off gates, similar to those at railway crossings, close and the traffic has to wait before it can move again. No wonder there are such long traffic queues. The Rock Our driver headed toward the base of the Rock and started to wind his way upward. The roads are in good order but there are times when they are a little narrow. As you head upwards you pass the old British Naval bases which are no longer in operation. There are many optional sights to see. Our rep had booked a tour of St Michael's Caves for us. These caves have stalactites and stalagmites which are all lit for great viewing. The tour ends in a huge part of the caves that has been made into an auditorium. There were rows of seats stacked high and a concert had been held here the night before. I imagine the acoustics are phenomenal but the setting must be strangely eerie. As you leave the caves there is the regulation tourist shop. This tour was interesting but may not be suitable for those with mobility issues. We continued our upward journey which soon brought us to the main viewing point of the Barbary Macaques. These are often referred to as Apes but apparently are wild monkeys. There are different stories about how this colony of monkeys ended up on Gibraltar as they are native to Africa. However no-one could give us a conclusive reason for their presence. There is an old British saying that goes along the lines of, if and when the Apes leave Gibraltar Britain will no longer rule the Rock. For many including me these monkeys were one of the main reasons to visit Gibraltar. I wanted to see the Rock and its views, but was looking forward to seeing these monkeys. I was not disappointed. The tour guide advised everyone not to touch the monkeys. Overall they are wild animals and can bite and infect you. However there were many tourists and guides who did not obey these rules. We did. My Hubby was a little unsure of the monkeys and did not want to get too close, anyway. I got close but in an observational sort of way. There were older monkeys, tiny babies and whole families. They dart about and swing precariously from walls that overhang steep drops to the town below. All too soon we were to move on and we walked along the road to the mini van. From here we could see the cable car which also takes visitors up the Rock. I quite fancied this but others did not. The guide didn't. Probably because it could make him unemployed but as he quite rightly said there was only the "huge cable supporting it and, if it were to snap, a terrifying drop down". The views from here were terrific, and still we climbed a little further. Our final stop was near the Mosque where there are spectacular views over the water toward Africa and Tangier. On the whole Gibraltar is a Christian community but it does have such a multicultural population that many religions are practised here. There were many ships anchored out in the bay, which they use as a tax dodge. The day we visited the sky was clear and we could make out Africa clearly. Our trip did not take us to the highest tip of the Rock but far enough to enjoy the scenery and the fresh clean air. Gibraltar The rest of our visit was spent in the town lunching and shopping. The main street was strange as it was full of bunting made up of Union Jacks. At first glance it was as if you were in a market town in England. After all there are traditional English red telephone boxes scattered around. However we do not have these in England anymore. The flags it seemed were from the previous days celebrations. We purchased some cigarettes for hubby and some whiskey for a relative at home, and that was about it. However others shopped until they dropped. Here are a few hints and tips, learned from our visit:
Just a few Gibraltar facts
Overall Gibraltar is definitely worth seeing. I would not like to spend a whole vacation here but a long weekend would be lovely. There is plenty to see and do for a short break. Gibraltar has a fascinating history but this blog is about my brief visit and whether or not such a visit would interest you. I would have to say that it probably would as Gibraltar is such a unique place, it is definitely worth seeing, at least once. (Information correct at time of visit) |
Where in the world do you want to go today? One Woman uses personal experiences to show you some of the best places to visit in the United Kingdom and beyond. Enjoy!
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