2011 - Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, and London

vienna 1st night pizza and sausage, walk and redbus tour, y2nd night drinks at do co/oynx bar, dinner at sports bar at marriott, 3rd night comida, 4th day/nite - flanagens irish pub -fish and chips, dinner goulash academy.
4th day started out with a visit to karlsplatz and the church. amazing audio tour and being able to take a lift up to the fresco ceiling was amazing, Butterfly house was very steamy hot, sortof fun but I could have lived without it. Mike got the most shots and made friends easily enough the fast flying beauties. Tried again with some difficulties to followe Frommers backstreet walk 3 -We started it off by visiting where our original apartment was located. Nice area right by Ruperts church but I prefer where we ended up. Walk was nice and we saw a different aspect Vienna. Ice cream was good too. Stopped by the authentically demolished and imported Flanagans where we split a good if not slightly soggy fish and chips before finishing the walk. We did pick up what we believe may be a perfect gift for Candy and Andy to thank them for watching our home while we are here. Funny that it came from a Costume shop just outside of Mozarts Flat (which was boring to look at) but I did overhear a tour guide say that the streets of Vienna were delibertly laid out curvy to break the wind flow and that Mozarts was able to afford this entire lower floor in the middle of town as he was at his most popular time of his career. We tried to come back to the apartment to rest up the go back to the albertina and some roo but ended up just staying in and getting ready for our next step in our trip cesky krumlov then prague.

3rd day Belvedere. Easy to get to using the ubahn.bought the combi ticket to see the stables and museum. (not really worth it if one thinks they are going to see a working stable. doh) Still it was one fancy place for horses. The gardens with fountains as everything else is lavish in display. Audio guides were extra and not always easy to follow without signs or a map to mark the individual rooms. The museum at Belvedeer is quite nice with detailed and often interesting details to certain paintings on the painting and artist as well. outside the palace we hat a gyro from a greek cafe before coming back to the apartment to unwind before heading down the road about 10 steps to Comida, a cuban restaurant. Best meal yet which started out great with a Latin Lover for me and a flaming zombie for Mike followed by fillet medallions and planatins for me and a big juicy perfectly cooked steak for Mike with potatoes.

1st day and we started off with the wrong walk which not only took a long time to follow was difficult to navigate. We made it thru 18 of the sights then picked up the rest on another day. Seeing the royal crypt did add to the time. Had a Snakebite (cider/beer mix) at Crossfields Austrailian pub next to the Albertina. Made plans to return for a bite of Roo on Museum nite. (never made it) Had pizza at il contro - not bad.

2nd day Shonbrunn Palace. Purchased the combi ticket as we were doing the Sisi later.............. anyway. Loved the interior but the fountains were spectacular and we got done fast enough to go do the Sisi, Hapsburg (sp) tour in town next. It was a bit confusing as they kept talking about the people from different centuries. Knowing more about the key players in history would have been beneficial. The silver collection was interesting but at times a bit boring. Sisi story was good. After eating at Schonbrunn earlier we came home through the park, strolled the Danube canal, then grabbed a sausage roll from a corner vendor outside our park.

Busy day. Did the fortress 1st. nice tour and great views. wish they had rooms set up like they would have been back then though. Most items had descriptions in English on the wall but not in the cases. Took 2 hours including the 15-20 minute wait time to do the 30 minute tour and we skipped the munitions and arsenal sections. Followed our walking guide which at times was confusing but overall we managed to see just about everything. Mirabell gardens are very nice and I loved, loved the staircase. We ate at Dema by the Mozart Statue. Very good food and people watching place. Toured inside the rock caverns which turned out to be a garage, then saw the cemetary where Mozarts relatives are buried. Their catacombs are up the stairs and set into the rock. Crossed back into new town and toured mozarts 2nd home. That is a nice tour once you figure out the audio guide only uses the numbers clearly marked on the wall and not in the display cases. Funny thing is at the end of the tour there was a videomedia room depicting the life of Mozart and his family in English. Enjoyed that but not the loud squeaking of the floorboards as people walked by. Got my first tasted of the world famous sachre torte and viennese coffee. The cake was dry and a waste of calories. Dark clouds, lightening and thunder. Light rain while returning to the apartment but it did not even last 20 minutes. Packed up, steamed, showered and general preps made for train trip to Vienna. Watched 127 Days via galaxy tab and jtv. Hit the sack around midnight and up at 7am. Yet more packing, prepping and now we are off.

Fantastic day. After staying til midnight cleaning the apartment we woke at 7am and had no problems when the owner came by to return our deposit. Made it to the train with time to spare and the 2 hour trip flew by as I researched Salzburg.
The apartment owner almost met us at the Train Station. It took a couple of calls but we finally met up. Lucky for us he was able to show us where we would catch the 25 bus to Hellbrun Castle before showing us the apartment. One thing the website does not show is the open views from the windows. It isn't a tourist view of the castle but still expands the space. The wood floors are devine and the tv has german commercials but the audio can be changed on movies to English. Again small by American standards but the space has been set up perfectly and the steam shower is a slice of heaven. Close to everything tho once again we waited until too late to hit the store before it closed.
We veered slightly off course but eventually found the bus station for 25 and as the skies were fairly clear and the weather warm we headed for Hellbrun Castle which is known for its trick water fountains. Loved, loved, loved it. One of those places that you would take friends to if they were visiting. I thought I was so clever at figuring out the Archbishops seat at the outdoor dinner table and did at the outset avoid the water sprays but then one shot out right onto my unmentionable zone. The guide seemed to take pleasure in giving Mike a douse which in my opionion was the equivalent to a shower at one of the other trick spots. We hiked up the hill to see the oldest stonetheatre in Bavaria. It was a really hard trek but well worth it just for wandering thru the forest. We came back thru town and saw some beautiful sights. I am gving Salzburg a thumbs up over Munich for pedestrian zone and easier to decipher tourists sights.
We stopped for dinner at (starts with a Z) Mike got the bacon, cheese sausage, with fries - tasted like a hotdog to me. I got the asparagus filled ravioli in brown butter. It tasted oily and healthy at the same time. I got a vienna red wine which was ok and Mike the house beer which was just okay too. We were going to split a sacher torte but the wind picked up so we decided to head home. Did I mention the skeleton in the cellar? Stopped for another beer in front of the kabob stand. It was nice just to sit back and enjoy the people walking by.

Arrived at the studio apartment and it is exactly as described. Great neighborhood. Bright, clean and efficent. Sofa bed is firm but comfortable. Love having enough hangers and rainhead shower.
Spent the first night in Munich exploring Marienplatz. Tried to follow walk and succeeded. well..sort of. Many buildings such as the Frauenkirche are being renovated so we missed it the 1st two times. Did climb the 302 steps of Peterskirche for the view and clock show.
2nd day we changed plans due to weather and visited dachau which took much longer than expeected. the audio is great but figuring out which exhibit goes to what was time consuming. I am glad we went though. Got to Nynphenburg too late to do more than visit the gardens. Saw a wedding party. Gardens a bit drab without any flower plantings but did get some great pics and a video of a short thunder shower. Afterward we went to the Hirschgarten. Not to crowded as on a sunny day but still busy. Loved the ribs from the concession stand and yes a giant dunkle to wash them down with. It began to rain and I loved how the patrons at first just put up their umbrellas and ignored it, but soon everyone began to give up and we did to. We took the long way (not on purpose) back to the bus line and came home.
getting orientated has taken its toll and we are a bit grumpy.

New day, cloudy with some showers. Did West of Marienplatz walk in morning then visited the Residenz which also took longer than expected. Had to go back the next day for the treasure section. Loved visit to Hofbrauhaus but food not so great.

Cloudy but warm - visited sights such as the Frauenkirche which we had missed previously then walked thru the English Garden. Very pretty - had a beer at the seehaus but very quiet, small crowd. Did see the surfers from the bridge. Another visit to the hofbrauhouse for more beer for Mike and an herbal liquor for me as well as some strudel. this time we sat in the pationarea.

Finished off Residenz Treasure tour. So much beautiful stuff, then did the Schwabing walk. no rain but cloudy and cold. cut short the walk and came back to apartment to watch a movie.


sunny day so started it off with a visit to alte pinthoteck museum then out of town to Andechs Monastery. Loved the trip and found our own hofbrauhaus. Lovely day.

Ended our stay by taking a tour to Neuschwanstein Castle. Did not have a printed ticket but did manage to get on the bus last which meant we did not get to sit together. At least my seatmate spoke basic English. Great weather and stunning sights. Wish we had more time at Linderhoff as no time to see Blue Grotto. Enoyed see where the Passion Play is performed and it was a nice beer break. Finally picked up a xmas ornament for the tree and some holyliquar. Ended the day with a final stroll thru Marianplatz - wine for me, beer for him and packing up for our trip to Salzburg. That also took longer than I expected.

Favs -
asamkirche, st michaels, the castle tour, soup at the vikualmarkt, surfing at the Englischer Garten, and andechs.

What I learned is that I should journal every day while my memory is clear and the weather can make a difference. Every shop closes on Sundays and Mondays are dull.
did