Ten Months In Germany:
A Erasmus student's notebook
Austria / Österreich
Tuebingen --> Munich --> Salzburg --> Vienna --> Bratislava --> Munich --> Tuebingen
29th July 2020 - 4th August 2020
Through this journey, I took the train service from Tübingen to Munich to transit to Salzburg. The travel took me 4 hours from the South of Baden-Wurttemberg to the East of Austria. The only time I actually go on a Flixbus is when I am going my way back from Linz which transferred from Munich and back to Tübingen. this is actually my last big trip (other than my small trips to Dresden and Frankfurt) before my return to the Uk.
My trip to Austria/Bratislava will be listed as my third favourite trip (just behind my earlier Prague trip and the Alsace-Lorraine trip) as I got to experience the artistic and romantic atmosphere Austrian cities provided me.
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Salzburg (29th July 2020- 31st July 2020)
Attractions that I have went:
For the Arts and architectures:
- (Castles and palaces) Fortress Hohensalzburg, Mirabell Palace, Scloss Hellbrunn, Residenzgalerie
- (Historical sites) Mozart's Geburtshaus (Birthplace of Mozart), Stift St. Peter Salzburg, Salzburg Quater, Getreidegasse, Old market street, Residenzplatz
- (Churches and Cathedrals) Salzburg Cathedral, Margarethenkapelle, Kollegienkirche
For Foods: Coming to Austria, a Wiener Schnitzel is the national dish I sort to try out in every town/city I travelled so far...and this is where I found them in:
- Bärenwirt (Müllner Hauptstraße 8, 5020 Salzburg, Austria)
The restaurant opens from 11am to 11 pm. When I asked for their most recommended dish, they promoted their
For accommodation: A few days before my eventful travel to Austria, I went to the internet and searched for the cheapest hostel around the city area and I would recommend
- YoHo (Paracelsusstraße 9, 5020 Salzburg, Austria)
I would say that the cost of the travel from Munich to Salzburg is about €16.40 (the cheapest that I found)
A look into the city centre.
The Austrian city in of Salzburg which the most famous European musician and composer, Amadeus Mozart, was born here offers a lot of sightings to be visited; from the Mirabell palace to the main attraction of the Hohensalzburg fortress. The city dazzle the most with its summer/spring vibes it gave. Do climb up to the fortress as the view is splendid and it is worth your time and leg power to go up. The most memorable site for this trip is the Salzach river just between the old city area at the right and new city place at the left. the river is surrounded by stones and pebbles which is considered one of a good place to chill and have a picnic there if you don't mind the butt pain later.
The bridge that connected to the old Salzburg city to the new is locked with many love lockets along the railings.
A photo of the narrow streets of the oldtown area of Salzburg
The bloomy garden of the Mirabel Palace.
The bridge that connected to the old Salzburg city to the new is locked with many love lockets along the railings.
Fortress HohenSalzburg
The fortress is easy to see from afar. Lay upon the hill, Fortress Hohensalzburg looks elegant with a white outlook which suits the pure aesthetic of the old town. It took me a whole 15 mins to walk to the fortress from the old town to the hill. I promise you, its a worthy climb for the photo.
Underrated attraction: Schloss Hellbrunn
This one trip was an interesting one. I did not know this castle was a surprise until I get there. In fact, I only went there because I got a free pass as I paid for the Salzburg card. The travelling was a bit of a turn off as the castle is situated further from other Salzburg attractions that are in the city center. I took a bus ride for 20 mins to reach to that Hellbrunn. However, it is surprisingly enjoyable and the trip managed to impress me with the water garden display and tricks around.
Cathedral and churches in Salzburg
Like what I expect, the interior of the city cathedral is grand and extravagant! The cathedral is two stories high and you can only enter the second level via the Domquatier museum. The image around the cathedral walls are actual murals/paintings. Its very fascinating as many cathedrals I visited in Germany are gothic and are decorated with ornaments and gold. This is white, marbles and grand. I really recommend people to look around the cathedral carefully (actually, all tourists come here anyway.) There are also smaller churches around the oldtown areas. I took a few photos of different churches (and cemeteries) I visited in Salzburg.
The beautiful tapestry of the Cathedral. Decorated with Rococo aesthetics and marble structure.
The ceiling are also filled with different colourful paintings, like the cathedral is a open gallery itself.
The corridor of the cemetery
The beautiful tapestry of the Cathedral. Decorated with Rococo aesthetics and marble structure.
Salzburg city dessert: Salzburger Nockerl
I tried the famous Nockerl that Salzburg pride itself in making. I went to a restaurant near to the entrance of the oldtown called Wirtshaus Elefant (situated at Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 4). The dessert looks cute, drizzled with strawberry syrup and icing on top of the puff. I ordered a small one as I had lunch beforehand and just want a small snack to try. So, what is my opinion of it, I didn't finished it unfortunately. Its too airy. By the time I'm on my seven scoop, I was already full. The taste is fluffy and not that spongey. Even though its not of my taste, i still recommend it.
Vienna (31st July 2020 - 3nd August 2020)
Attractions that I have went:
For Arts and architectures: Vienna has many hotspots of historical places to visit. As the capital of European arts and sciences, it have modern buildings blended with 18th century Rococo-styled architecture which made the city very delicate and majestic.
- (Castles and Palaces) Belvedere Palace, The Hofburg, Schönbrunn Palace, Gloriette,
- (Historical sites) Column of Pest (Column of The Trinity), Wien Rathaus, Anker Clock, Vienna State Opera, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Secession, Graben, Heldenplatz, Gran Sala de la Biblioteca Nacional de Austria
-- (Churshes and Cathedral) Votivkirche, St. Peter's Catholic Church, St Stephen's Cathedral, Karlskirche, Jesuit Church, Kirche Deutschordenskirche, Wiener Minoritenkirche
For Food: Like in Salzburg, I went to Vienna to find the best offered Wiener Schnitzel. I got to have a dinner in two restaurants that I highly recommended:
- 7Stern Bräu (Siebensterngasse 19, 1070 Wien, Austria)
- Café Cantral (Ecke Herrengasse, Strauchgasse, 1010 Wien, Austria)
For accommodation:
If you are okay with interacting with other backpackers or tourists, I found Labyrinth hostel a good one to stay a night in. A two-star hoetl but it did made me comfortable during my two nights stay there. The reception areas, however, is a bit further down the road and it got me confuse for a few minutes on its location. The hostel is located in one of the apartments.
- Labyrinth Hostels Seven (Lindengasse 4, 1070 Wien, Austria)
The Hofburg
The Hofburg is an iconic area to visit as it was once the main central and imperial office of the capital city of the Austrian Empire (and the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty) during the 18th century. The Hofburg building is spread in a semi circle shape with the statue of Archduke Charles situated in front of the place. The Hofburg was once the imperial seat of important government document of the Holy Roman empire (later Austrian empire) ever sine from the 13th century onwards. Currently, Hofburg housed many different museums and galleries inside. A famous tourist spot to know the history of the imperial capital and Hapsburg records, the Heldenplatz (the space in front of the Hofburg) is a favorite place for horse and the carriages to be at to pick up tourists who are interested in the round about tour of the main imperial center of Vienna.
Vienna is know for its historic museums and galleries around the main city area. Being fascinated with its reach Rococo-styled aesthetics, I decided to take a trip to the Vienna art museum. Kunsthistorisches Museum is situated at Maria Theresien Platz (the building just at the left of Empress Maria Theresa's statue). It looks majestic at the outside and yet plainly decorated. Contrasted to the exterior, the interior is marvelous with richly decorated black marbles and gold and white plaster surrounding the museum. In fact, after the trip, I found the interior of the museum to be more astounding than the oil paintings, sculptures and artworks in it. A normal adult ticket would be €16, but I managed to get a student discount of €12 to enter the museum. It is worth the price if you are very interested with the majestic interior design of the historical site of Viennese history.
This is the link to buy the ticket of the Kunsthistorisches Museum: https://shop.khm.at/en/tickets/detail/?shop%5BshowItem%5D=200000000001132-T003-01
Another historic area I would recommend is the National library (German: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) located just in between of the Spanish riding school and the Albertina. I took a few photos of the library but after looking at them, I felt disappointed that my photos does not capture and emulate the splendid beauty of the imperial library. The historical library entrance fee is €3 per pax.
Schloss Schönbrunn
The most famous palace to visit in Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace was formerly the summer palace for the Hapsburg dynasty. It was first built by the orders of the Empress Maria Theresa by comissioning Viennese-born Italian, Nicolò Pacassi, to architect the palace in 1700. The Schönbrunn Palace houses many delicate porclein sculptures and decorations around. It even have smaller hidden rooms that place many Chinese lacquer art around the wall. Outside of the palace are many smaller different gardens at the side of the palace, one of such is the French Garden. The back of the palace is iconic with the Gloriette monument and the Poseiden fountain are situated. It was enjoyable and it took me at least 6 hours to finish my walk around and in the palace. For normal student, I recommend buying the reduced Classic pass (without the zoo) as it is priced as €24,50.
A café that I would highly encourage people to go; a classic and classy old building with rich history and architect design of the late 19th century. The café is located at Herrengasse 14 in the Innere Stadt first district of Vienna. Fun fact: many Viennese intellectuals and academics would come here for a debate and chat here. Famous people include Sigmund Freud, Leon Trotsky, Egon Friedell and the infamous Adolf Hitler.
7Stern Bräu Restaurant
A restaurant situated just along the tram lines and above the hostel I stayed for two nights. I really love their breaded chicken xD
Linz (3nd August 2020 - 4th August 2020)
Attractions that I have went:
For Arts architectures: I believed that Linz id one of the underrated cities in Austria. Although it did not have a grand aesthetics like Vienna or its historical significance like Salzburg, this city is surprisingly pleasant and pretty with lots of areas to shop and explore in.
- (Castles and Palaces): Schlossmuseum Linz
- (Historical sites): Linzer Hauptplatz,
- (Cathedral and churches): Mariendom, Carmelite Convent Linz, Ursuline Church of St. Michael, Old Cathedral.
For Food: As usual, I decided to taste Linz's version of their Wiener schnitzel from this restaurant
- Wirtshaus Keintzel (Rathausgasse 8, 4020 Linz, Austria)
For accommodation: Linz is a small city compared to the previous two. I did not book a hostel this time around because of that.
I stopped by to the city of Linz as I do not want to take an expensive ride back to Tübingen via train. I'm a bit stubborn and insisted to travel with coaches as it is cheaper. The Austrian city may not be as grand and splendour as Vienna or unique and charming as Salzburg but it has its perks. Linz has many smaller churches situated around the tramlines and each of them are decorated with rococo aesthetics decorations and ornaments. Unfortunately, I was only able to salvage a few photos as I accidentally deleted a few while transferring them into my laptop.
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The biggest cathedral I could find in Linz and the one which is considered different than the rest of the smaller churches as it is gothic-styled with simple interior design. Like every tourist attracts, its under construction. It seems to be that way every time I travel to different tourist spots; their buildings are always under constructions. I think it may surpass the cathedral in Barcelona for the longest time to construct.
Linz city is pleasant as it is a area to shop and enjoy local cuisines and German draft beer. I really appreciate that I got the chance to come to this historical town for a day before I have to catch my coach at 3am to Munich.