Easter 2024

Seven Years Ago we were in Austria and we Climbed a Mountain.

There were many others on the Path that day.  It was not an easy climb and sometimes the path was not obvious. Once I was called back by another traveller as I had strayed onto an unsafe route.  

There were places to Rest or to go off to see other things, each one distracting us from our goal of reaching The Cross on the Summit.

I wondered how many of those travellers knew the Story of Pilgrims Progress.

The Spiritual Significance of Placing our Backpacks (Burdens) at the Foot of the Cross and Resting there was not lost on us that day.

Neither was the fact that the Journey Home was going to be easy.  (We did see someone slip and fall on the way back).

But IF we place our Hand into the Hand of God

It will be Better than a Light and Safer than a Known Way.

So as we Celebrate a Time with Chocolate and Hot Cross Buns, 

Let us not loose Sight of that "Old Rugged Cross"

Where else did you Go - and you did WHAT ?

Continuing on from my last Post with a Photo a Day . . . .

HELLBRUNN PALACE

Famous for it's connection to the 'Sound of Music' movie it is somewhere you can have a Beautiful Day out.

But be Warned -
Make Sure you stand on Dry Ground
because Otherwise you WILL get Wet.

Hellbrunn Palace is also known for it's Trick Fountains that spurt water on the unwary!


EIS REISENWELT

That Circular hole in the side of the Mountain is the Opening to The Biggest Ice Cave in the World!

We climbed for 45 minutes to get there and then 70 minutes INSIDE.

700 steps in to explore just 1 km of the 40 km Cave then 800 steps out again! - AWESOME.


After testing my Stamina and Phobias in The Ice Cave, our next day was much more restful.

Five and a Half Hours in a Train.
Travelling from Salzburg to Zurich

The next day it was back on the train.
This time a trip to BRUNNEN and Home to the Swiss Army Knife.

I love the Ominous Mountain Peak behind the Victorinox Factory.

Another Day -
Another Mountain

And a Cable Car ride to FELSENEGG Lookout
and Chocolate Cake - Yum !

Exploring Zurich

Inside BEYER Watch and Jewellery Store is a Clock Museum.

From Stone water jars to the latest Wrist watch for a Racing Driver.

And this beautiful Crystal and Gold Pocket watch made in 1855.

We wandered though even more Museums and marvelled at intricate work done without modern equipment.

And then, It is always a "Special Moment" when you see something you actually own!

A little Thumbelina Doll at the Toy Museum which in itself is quite small, but packed with 300 years of Toy History.


Back to Strasbourg

Our time away is almost at an end - so it is back to Strasbourg to have one last weekend with our DD and fulfilling a Promise to see
the Astronomical Clock.

A marvel of Modern technology?

NO - Built in 1574 and renovated in 1669 it is still precisely accurate today!

Just one more excursion left -
DD wanted to take us to BASEL Switzerland
Where she showed us places she had 'discovered' when she had visited on her own.

But her Ulterior Motive became known when she challenged us to Climb the Church Tower!
This is a feat for those of .. Slim build and no Fear of enclosed spaces.

That is no Gargoyle on the rooftop- It is Our DD and she ended up INSIDE the Spire!

As they say...
All Good Things Must come to an End
and so it is time to head home.

Just How far away is it?
Well, according to the signpost, Sydney is just 14,000 km and Melbourne is a few Clicks further on
By Air it will take us 24 hours to get home.

And with that we leave our DD to finish her work in Strasbourg and wait for her to return home -

This year, I can't wait for Christmas!

Where did we Go - and What did we See?

Our Return trip to France was to visit our DD for her Birthday, and something we had planned before she left home.  But it is a VERY long way to go 'just for Dinner', so we decided to see as much as we could while we were there!

If you would like to read a more detailed 

Account of Our Adventures it is over on "Myrtle and Me" 

- There is a link on the sidebar ⇘ 

Now that I have been able to get my Photos sorted
Here are just The Highlights - with a 'Photo of the Day'.

Frankfurt Zoo


This Beauty and I 'faced off' through the Camera
and I was very glad there was thick Glass between us - especially when She took exception to having her Photo taken!

Birthday Dinner

The Reason for the Visit
Because we always need a reason!

Strawberry Parfait
with Raspberry Sorbet
and a Candle!

Evening Walks

Strolling back to our Hotel along the Ill River seeing the Cathedrals in a very different Light.

European Parliament 

A Stunning Complex of Modern Buildings sitting on the edge of an Ancient City.

Petite France

The Heart of the Tourist Precinct
- Petite France is Picture Perfect every Day

Notre Dame - The Climb

Climbing the Cathedral was a highlight
Finding the Stonemasons
("I was here") Marks was an unexpected treat.

Sunday Excursion - 3 in 1 Day Trip


The Castle - Haut-Koenigsbourg

Fully rebuilt from Ruins in 1900 as a Tourist Attraction

was our First Stop in our Alsace Adventure.

La Montagne des Singes

Monkey Mountain -
A Sanctuary for the Barbary Macaque Monkeys

I wondered exactly who was entertaining whom!

The Volerie des Aigles

Beautiful BIG Birds of Prey put on a spectacular aerial show.

So many awesome photographs it was hard to find the best one!

This one shows just HOW BIG these Birds are.




Moving On ... to MUNICH

and OKTOBERFEST

An Unexpected and Certainly Unplanned Bonus when we decided to break our trip in Munich.

A wonderful Family event for everyone!






Taking the Tourist Bus was the best way to see the City when you don't have a lot of time -

The BMW Centre and Museum was a very futuristic Building that has been used as a Movie set.



Next Stop - SALZBURG 

That is AUSTRIA

not 

AUSTRALIA

"No Kangaroos in Austria"

I got the feeling the locals were a little 'tired' of being asked where they can see Kangaroos.

The Hoensalzburg Fortress

It has Dominated the Skyline above Salzburg since 1077.
The Fortress now accessible by Funicular has a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside.
It also houses what I considered the BEST Museum display ever.

Untersberg

We Climbed a Mountain to stand at the foot of a Cross 

and see this Breathtaking View.  

(Bumping into two groups of Aussies while we were there!)

It was truly incredible

And all we could say was

Oh WOW!

* * * * * * * *

If you want to 'read ahead' - there is more over on Myrtle & Me
If not - I will conclude our Photo a Day Post - Tomorrow.

Did we have a relaxing trip?

Well, that IS the question most people ask once you get home, but in our case Holidays/Vacation/Time Away from Home are rarely relaxing!

We have always preferred to pack as much as possible into our trips away and this month was no exception.
The reason for the trip was to take our DD out for her Birthday (yes, we have told her it is the most expensive Birthday Present she will ever get!)

But that does not mean we couldn't have some fun while we were there!

Digital Cameras have made taking Holiday Photos so much easier now you no longer have that "Oh I have to make every shot count because I only have 3 rolls of film" issue.

But once I added a second camera - ie: my iPhone into the mix things started to get complicated.

Even though I made sure I changed the Time Zone on Both devices so that my photos were not 8 hours ahead of when they were actually taken, they refuse to sort into anything that resembles our day.
So now - Instead of writing about our Trip - I am getting very distracted by sorting and painstakingly renaming Photos.

* * * * *

If anyone is interested in what I have written to date -
checkout my Travelogue Posts on my other Blog
On the Road with Myrtle and Me

I have been a bit Quiet lately. . .

But WOW - 

What can I say?

I am sitting on top of a mountain in Switzerland

Eating Chocolate Cake!

The reason for the visit

Was to bring a Mum Hug and some much needed and wished for supplies (that can't be bought in France) to our beautiful Girl.

She now has a coveted stash of her favourite Shampoo, Tea, Vegemite and Tim Tams.

A downpour during one of our excursions led to the chance discovery of a bright new Rainbow Umbrella which brought a smile to her eyes on a grey day (she left hers at home in Melbourne).

And of course we had to get a photo of her in front of her Lab at the University

(Note to self - next time take a wide angle lens so I can get ALL the building's title in the shot!)



We walked for miles - as my Fit bit will attest to

and crossed many Bridges, many times - none more stirring than when we came across a Pro-European Movement rally on the bridge across the Rhine.
When we drew close to the centre of the group they all began to sing "Song of Joy" and in 3 different languages. It was inspirational!

And this brings us to the point when we have to say not Goodbye but Au Revoir to Strasbourg
and like my friend here that sits in the square beside Notre Dame always looking up to the heavens and the beautiful Cathedral Spire
we are reluctant to leave and have left part of our hearts behind in this incredible city.

* * * * *

There is a saying ...

"That in Strasbourg, your eye will never tire."

They are not wrong

Here are just a few of the views and treasures we found.

We just called him "The Bubble Man"

Delighting the children in the City Square.

Lycee International les Pontonniers

a very seriously beautiful looking High School

(It would make a great movie set - Harry Potter goes to France?)

Picture Postcard Perfect View of the Ille River 

and a few of the bridges that cross it

Notre Dame from the Old City Wall

Is that a Dragon on the rooftop?

No - Just a very artistic waterspout!

and in a shop window - Fabric

What kind of Quilter am I, if I don't keep an eye out for Fabric?

Yep - found some and, What is it displayed on? Aussie boomerang Fabric!

maybe someone is telling me it is time to go home?

Cakes, and other delicious things

I must admit that a travelogue is not complete without showing off some of the local cuisine.  But being a Cake Decorator I was drawn to the wonderful Sweet things around.

IN my defence - a lot of these goodies only gave my camera calories!! ;)

Breakfast:

The perfect way to start a day is having Breakfast appear on the table and not making it yourself!

I learnt to order a petit déjeuner and then to order just A Croissant and Tea - with milk

The little bakery around the corner soon became our favourite spot.


Morning Tea

Ohhhh Strawberries!
So beautifully sweet

I wanted to buy a bucket of these and go home and bake - but...
With beautiful light cakes to try
I didn't need to !


Things in windows...

Nougat and Gingerbread Cakes by the kilogram in Market stalls

A Cake with my Name on it - entreating me to buy
 (I didn't succumb).

Eclairs and Macarons to die for!



And to finish off - There must, of course be Dessert!

Best ever Creme Brulee - I stopped looking once I found it!
Hot Chocolate Fondant and Vanilla Ice cream

A masterpiece of an Apple Crumble in a Restaurant only open a week.
And Black Forest Parfait
- Oh My!! Oh Wow !!


And the best bit?
With all the walking we did
I actually LOST 3 kg!

Street Life

Street Photography is an interesting hobby for a lot of photographers and wandering through someone else's town gives an opportunity to practice taking some 'out of the ordinary' photographs.

BEGGARS -
The scriptures say
"The poor we have with us always" (Mark 14:7)

The thing we noticed was, like the town's Buskers, the beggars had "their spot" and were rarely seen elsewhere in town.

BUSKERS -

Now THESE guys were GOOD -
all the Buskers were very talented from the haunting sounds of a solo Vintage Tenor Saxophone played by an elderly Gent...

And the melody of a Squeeze box that picked out a polka and lightened our steps

to an Organ Grinder with an incredible voice
(no monkeys here!)

And then there was the Trio

They sang rousing Russian tunes and well known popular songs (in French) in the sunshine
and in the rain.
(We even bumped into them in Offenburg - Germany)

The only thing they seemed to miss was what was going on around them on Easter Sunday morning -
As they belted out
"The Carnival is Over",

this young man dropped to his knee
- ring in hand.


She said "Yes" and for them the Carnival is definitely NOT over!

BICYCLES -

Strasbourg is a city that certainly has embraced the Bicycle!

They are everywhere!
we saw them chained to fences and trees and each other
we dodged them in the lane ways and on the main roads

We even found a nest of them outside the Train Station...

And I don't think I heard a bell ring in anger the whole week.

And I must not finish this post without making reference to the (to us) BIZARRE Parking practices seen around town.

We best described it as ...
"If I fits - I sits"

(yes, this car IS parked diagonally across the corner of an intersection.)