Although it was filmed in 1965, when you walk through Salzburg’s Old Town it’s as if The Sound of Music has just been released. There are Sound of Music tours, Sound of Music landmarks, even Sound of Music “myths debunked.” The city has a familiar feel, too, as if you’ve been there before, even though … Read More
They’re perched along the Danube River like bookends of the Wachau Valley. The powder blue church tower of Dürnstein peeks out at the beginning of this stretch of the Danube, just beyond the town of Krems, official start of the 24-mile Wachau Valley. At the other end sits the apricot-colored abbey of Melk, majestically marking … Read More
“Sometimes there’s just no way to hold back the river.” ~Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist For the past several months, our conversations would inevitably turn to the Danube River. Specifically, we were slightly obsessed with the Danube’s water levels and how they could impact our upcoming cruise. We monitored water level reports the way people planning … Read More
I’m not sure what I loved most about Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum. The art itself – paintings by Raphael, Rembrandt, Vermeer – the museum’s lavishly beautiful architecture or the way the art was displayed. As we walked from room to room, I kept thinking that this was what an art museum should look like. Colorful, impeccable … Read More
Summer’s lingering warmth and unabashedly blue skies were continuing to color our September days in Vienna. It was an intoxicating mix of air that carried a twinge of autumn with leaves beginning to dust the ground, all wrapped up in a blanket of seemingly endless sunshine. As we walked out our hotel door, I wanted … Read More
“Slow down, you crazy child And take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while. It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two. When will you realize, Vienna waits for you?” ~Billy Joel, Vienna Vienna is a city that doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. Pedestrians patiently … Read More
At the time, it sounded like a good idea. And it was. Sort of. We would take the train from Prague to Vienna – about a four-hour journey – and then take a taxi from Hauptbahnhof Station to our hotel. The only catch was our luggage, that is to say our too much luggage. As … Read More