GRAZ, AUSTRIA
Week One.
Tuesday May 16
Breakfast was delivered at 5.30 am. on our overnight train from FLorence to Graz.
We changed trains at Bruck Am Mur for the short trip to Graz Airport. Then we took a taxi to Herta and Richard's house where we were welcomed with a very delicious breakfast and the key to our gorgeous apartment.
We unpacked and then went exploring. First thing was to master the transport system so we bought a weekly ticket for the very efficient tram system ( €14.90), and took ourselves into the city centre to the information centre for maps etc.
We had a typical Vienna schnitzel and beer, and a wander around the immediate area, trying to get our bearings. On the way home we shopped for basic groceries to supplement what Herta had provided for us.
First impressions:
User friendly bike lanes everywhere ( no helmets), and people on scooters too.
No cars in many of the streets but trams moving people efficiently, regularly, quickly, quietly, cheaply and without air pollution.
Almost no graffiti.
Clean, modern mixed with heritage buildings. Pedestrian focused. Pavement restaurants.
After functioning on empty for too long, we hit the sack and slept for 14 hours straight.
Wednesday 17 May.
After our very late start, we caught the tram into town and went to the Schlossberg.
We took the funicular railway to the mountain top and walked "around, around" ( Glenn), looking at the panoramic views of Graz and reading about the history of the castle/fortress. The gardens are beautiful. We stopped to rest with a beer and a salt-encrusted bagel and soaked up the history of the place.
We headed home, stopping to buy flowers for Herta.
After a short rest we negotiated the way to Herta and Richards's adjoining apartment, ( in the same block as ours, built over the underground corridors of a previous castle), for dinner.
Other guests were their son Mickey, friend Barbara and notable John Kundereri Moriarty, (OA), Indigenous Australian artist, famous as founder of the Balarinji Design Studio, responsible for the painting two Qantas jets with Aboriginal motifs. We were privileged to meet and spend time with John over the next few days.
The evening was entertaining and very enjoyable And we thank Herta and Richard for their generous hospitality.
Bed now at 11.45.
Thursday 18 May.
As arranged the previous night at dinner, we, together with John Moriarty, had a fabulous day out with Herta, who drove and took us to many lovely places. Before we left Graz we stopped at the Kaan factory bays to see Richard'c car restoration business. He has a particular interest/passion for porches and their restoration.
He took John for a ride in one of his favourites old cars, a 1920 Chevrolet, which he was very proud of.
We headed for the famous wine country, stopping at a particularly richly decorated church in Gamlitz on the way. We had a traditional lunch with dishes recommended by Herta, at a nearby winery, where our 85 year old host joined us at the table. We chatted to the Slovenian waiter, who said wages in Austria were double those in Slovenia ( which explained why he was in Austria), but he'd been to Melbourne, loved it and was trying for a visa for his family so he could live and work there.
The winery also was a wedding venue and a young couple there were checking final details for their wedding in the tunnels below. .. a phenomenal setting!
From there we drove into Slovenia and meandered back and forth over the border through the steepest and most beautiful wine-growing country you could ever imagine. We got out and walked beside the grape vines and soaked up the beauty surrounding us. It was like something out of a fairy-tale, especially with Herta wearing the traditional-dirndl.
Then there was more food and wine at a guesthouse, perched high with the valley falling away below. We ate local cured meats, horseradish, pickled vegetables and ended with a local sweet, a bit like a donut. (€16 for the four of us, and a beautifully wrapped 'doggie bag' of leftovers, enough for our dinner)!!!!
It was a particularly memorable day, made possible by the home-exchange system which connects us with local people and breeds tolerance and understanding and develops new friendships.
Friday 19 May.
Schloss Eggenberg.
It was a leisurely start to the day, planned over breakfast. We caught the tram to the castle stop and immediately walked in the wrong direction, expecting it to be up the hill ( because castles are always on the top of the hill). Eventually, with the help of Mr. Google, we retraced our steps, downhill and found what we were looking for.
We started with beer and cake in the beautiful cafe and then entered the palace where the second floor housed special exhibitions of furniture and art works. Libby and Eric later explored that area of the palace and were very impressed with the treasures there.
Somewhat sated in the 'treasures' department after Venice and Florence, we opted to wandered through the extensive, budding gardens, enjoying the early roses, the orchard planted with heritage fruit trees, the children's play area, pond and maze. There were peacocks and squirrels and magnificent old trees, and babies in prams. It really was a beautiful place.
Next stop was the local Spar supermarket to shop for ingredients for a dinner of smoked salmon, mushrooms, curry and fettuccine and salad. Yum! Oh... And wine.
Saturday 20 May.
Glenn drove Richard and Herta's VW Golf for the first time in Austria and we met Libby and Eric at the small Graz airport, when they arrived on the 1.15 flight from Munich. It was great to see them, although they were very tired after their 32 hr flight from Darwin.
After they unpacked and revived a bit, we all walked down to the Spar grocery shop for supplies for dinner.
Sunday 21 May.
We did a return visit to the Schlossberg with Eric and Libby to show them the trams and how to buy tickets. They chose to walk up to the top and we met there for a delicious, huge lunch of roast veal with stuffing and veggies, washed down with a beer. It was very pleasant in the sun with a panoramic view overlooking the city from such a height. We walked down the steep stairs enjoying the rooftop vistas of the city below.
We had enjoyed Gamlitz and the vineyards so much that we revisited them with Libby and Eric too.
Luckily, there was a crowd of people coming out of the church, milling around drinking wine and eating cake. Many of the men and boys were wearing traditional leder-hose and the women wore the decorative dirndl. We waited around enjoying the festive occasion and then realised it was a First Communion when the children appeared in white dresses and shirts. It was quite a different celebration from those of my childhood.
Monday 22 May.
The rapidly flowing river Mur is a dominant feature of the city, creating movement and green space and even the opportunity for an avid surfer to ride the pressure wave under the Hauptbrucke. The unusual and beautiful 'Murinssel' footbridge, which was designed by New York artist Vito Acconci, is a floating shell, which houses a cafe and amphitheatre, and is linked by footbridges to the banks on either side of the river Mur.
Map in hand, we strolled through the outstanding, historic city centre, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
The walk was full of surprises and wound around corners into hidden alleys, romantic inner courtyards, past the ornate facades of magnificent Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings . We poked in and out of tiny shops, ate ice cream and lunched in tiny squares at sunny tables.
Some highlights were The Landaus Courtyard, a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, where the Styrian regional parliament convenes. The round arched windows dominate the space below where, at Advent, the celebrated ice nativity scene is staged.
We admired the facade of 'Painted House' and stood in Hauptplatz, the main square, facing the town hall building with the Archduke fountain at our backs.
Another of the superb buildings around Hauptplatz is Leugghaus, The Swarovski Store, which has an elaborate stucco facade with fruit and flower garlands and arcades.
We continued our walk following our excellent guide of the day, Eric, to the Burg and crossed the first courtyard to the double, spiral staircase (1499), which is a mastery of stone masonry from the end of the Gothic period. We walked to the top changing from the right to the left spiral at will. It was a fascinating concept, beautiful, and the curved marble handrail, cool and smooth to the touch. I really loved it.
We passed the Cathedral and Mausoleum and then had lunch sitting in Glockenspielplatz Square. At 11am, 3 and 6pm, two windows open and a pair of carved wooden figures in traditional costume dance around to the sound of the Glockenspeil.
We admired the Opera house from the corner of City Park and Libby and Eric went to get a SIM card for their phones and we headed for home, picking up essentials at our local Spar grocer.
