One Woman so many blogs
  • Home
  • Animals
    • Animals Matter
  • Christmas
    • Get set for Christmas
    • Advent calendar of giving
  • Cookery
    • Cookery Matters
  • Gardening
    • Garden Matters
  • Events
    • Events and festivals
  • Health Matters
    • Good Health
  • How Tos
    • How do you do that
  • News
    • News and views
  • This and That
    • Bits and Bobs
  • Travel
    • Travel Matters 1
    • Travel Matters 2
  • About
  • Contact
  • Cookie policy
Visiting Gibraltar
Ferens art gallery Hull
York
Jewish trail York

Visiting Austria

2/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
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:-
  • Germany
  • Czech Republic
  • Slovakia
  • Hungary
  • Switzerland
  • Slovenia
  • Italy
  • Liechtenstein
In some parts Austria is a mountainous country; it has fresh clean air even in the towns and cities, beautiful scenery and a rather charming, old fashioned feel.

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 the cities and towns English is usually spoken, even if only slightly. If you know the odd German words, such as Danke for thank-you, it will be useful. Better still invest in an Austrian phrase book.
  • Austria is quite an expensive country. Soft drinks, especially tea, can be very pricey. It will probably be cheaper to drink the local beer or coffee.
  • As an exceptionally clean country Austria frowns on litter bugs. Make sure that you do not drop any litter and this includes cigarette stubs.
  • Even if you are visiting in Summer remember that it can be cool in the mountains. Pack a selection of clothes just in case. Other tourists, when we visited, found that they had packed too many sweaters, and the like, for cold weather, and nothing for if it was warm. This meant that some bought T Shirts on vacation paying an arm and a leg for them.
  • Austrian people are respectful and polite so it goes without saying that you should reciprocate. Remember to cover your head and shoulders if you visit any churches.
  • There are some wonderful areas to explore if you like walking.
  • Check out when the next Strauss concert will be.
  • Italy is close by and our holiday included a day trip to a market over the Italian border, in a small village. The purpose was to buy duty free wine and the like. The journey was worth the visit, as we saw some lovely scenery. However, the actual market was a waste of time and ended up more expensive than we all realised.

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
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    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!

    Archives

    March 2020
    May 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016

    Categories

    All
    After Sun
    Albufeira
    Algarve
    Attractions
    Austria
    Benito Mussolini
    Beverley
    Beverley Minster
    Binebecca
    Binebecca Beach
    Bridlington
    Cancel A Vacation
    Carbis Bay
    Cayton Bay
    City Of Culture 2017
    Ciutadella Market
    Clifford Tower
    Comino
    Cornish
    Cornish Riviera
    Cornwall
    Coronavirus Pandemic
    Crete
    Cyprus
    Day Trip
    English Heritage
    Exiled Homosexuals
    Ferens Art Gallery Hull
    Funchal
    Gardens Of Monte Palace
    Gibraltar
    Gibraltar Apes
    Goathland
    Godshill
    Godshill Isle Of Wight
    Godshill Model Village
    Gozo
    Greece
    Greek Islands
    Heartbeat Country
    Historic City Of York
    Hogmanay
    Hull
    Hull Museums
    Isle Of Wight
    Italy
    Jewish Trail York
    Kingston Upon Hull
    Leith Docks
    Madeira
    Mahon
    Mahon Market
    Mahon Organ Recitals
    Malta
    Marazion
    Maritime Museum Hull
    Marmaris Turkey
    Menorca
    Menorca Markets
    Menorca Rain
    Menorca Weather
    Menorca Windmills
    Model Village
    Monte Madeira
    North Yorkshire
    Open Exhibition
    Paphos
    Popeye Village
    Portugal
    Robin Hoods Bay
    Royal Yacht Britannia
    Santa Maria Mahon
    Santana
    Santana Houses
    Santana Madeira
    Scarborough
    Scarborough Castle
    Scotland
    Sicily
    Sicily Day Trip
    Sound Of Music Country
    Spain
    St Ives
    St Michaels Mount
    Street Life
    Summer Holidays
    Sun Creams
    Sun Lotions
    The Rock
    The Shambles York
    The Shambles Yotk
    Tourism Cornwall
    Travel Diary
    Travel Diary Cornwall
    Travel Plans
    Visit Beverley
    Visit Cyprus
    Visit Gozo
    Visiting Crete
    Visiting Turkey
    Visit Madeira
    Visit Malta
    Whitby
    Wilberforce House
    York
    York Minster
    Yorkshire
    Yorkshire Dales
    Yorkshire Museum

Picture
                  

British Pancake Day and recipe
How to care for a dying dog
Varifocal specs
PAT dogs

Featured:
​102 minutes that changed America
Kingston Upon Hull City of Culture 2017
Travel - Mahon the capital of Menorca
(C) 2020All Rights Reserved

NewTekWorld News Here

  • Home
  • Animals
    • Animals Matter
  • Christmas
    • Get set for Christmas
    • Advent calendar of giving
  • Cookery
    • Cookery Matters
  • Gardening
    • Garden Matters
  • Events
    • Events and festivals
  • Health Matters
    • Good Health
  • How Tos
    • How do you do that
  • News
    • News and views
  • This and That
    • Bits and Bobs
  • Travel
    • Travel Matters 1
    • Travel Matters 2
  • About
  • Contact
  • Cookie policy