PART 1-
Time for another adventure. Back in our car, Black Betty (Bam-a-lam), on a train, in a tunnel, under the Channel and this time wearing winter tyres (Betty, not us) and jumpers, woolly hats and warm boots (us, not Betty) with snow chains and anoraks stowed, we set off for a festive season trip to pre-Brexit Europe. put together an itinerary of places that I wanted to see, combined with places I have visited before and really wanted Ian to experience. Taking a car from the UK to the continent, especially when your route takes you through eight countries can be a bit of a bureaucratic nightmare. Every country has different requirements for the equipment you need to carry and the toll and emission stickers you need to apply for. Ian researched and applied for and ordered what we needed so we were well prepared. After a very early start we emerged into a French dawn (not to be confused with a Dawn French) and headed east across France.
Our first stop was the very pretty town of Colmar in the Alsace region of north-east France. Our accommodation was on the edge of the old town and what a pretty old town it is, with cobbled streets lined with half-timbered medieval and early Renaissance buildings. The whole old town looks like an illustration from a book of fairy tales. Ian and I have seen other old towns but the thing that is special about Colmar is the consistency and sheer number of really old buildings.
There is nary a straight line or plumb wall to be seen. The leans and bulges would be disturbing except that you have to remind yourself that they have stood for over six to eight centuries and so chances are they will remain upright for at least a little longer. The impressive, Gothic 13th century Eglise Saint Martin church stands on the central Place de la Cathédrale and several canals run through the town. It was the week before Christmas and so, like many of the places we visited on this trip, there was a Christmas market with local Alsace craft and food specialties and of course Vin Chaud. Colmar is close to the German border and its cuisine is influenced by that proximity. Some stalls sold both Vin Chaud and Glühwein and both are perfect hot and spicy wine winter warmers. On a sombre note, a Christmas market in Strasbourg less than an hour’s drive north, had been the subject of a deadly terrorist attack only a week or two before our visit to Colmar. There was a large and very visible armed police and security presence patrolling the Colmar Christmas Market but to avoid it was to avoid the town and you can’t let the bastards win so we enjoyed the experience and let the machine gun toting, flak jacket wearing fellows do the worrying for us.
We drove south-east through Switzerland along the southern shore of Lake Zürich, stopping at the small lake-side town of Thalwil for a late breakfast. The coffee house/bakery we chose incorporated a fresh food market and I had to be dragged, salivating from the cheese counter. Ah, Switzerland, Land of Cheese and Chocolate! Continuing east we arrived in Vaduz, the capital of the mountain principality of Liechtenstein.
Dominating the town is the 12th century Vaduz Castle. You cannot visit the castle as it is the residence of the royal family but we drove up the hill to get a closer look at it and waved just in case Prince Hans-Adam II was at one of his windows. Sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein is doubly land locked, German speaking and has the highest photovoltaic power per capita ratio in the world, keeping in mind however that it is just 160 km² and has a population of just over 38,000. In fact Liechtenstein has more registered companies than citizens. It is a great skiing destination and we took a short drive up the road behind our hotel to some of the ski fields. The mountains were very pretty dotted with alpine ski lodges under a thick blanket of snow that was still swirling. There were just a few hardy souls braving the slopes and we watched on from our heated car.
A walk through Vaduz town took us to the Cathedral of St. Florin, and a large civic centre. Our hotel, half way up one of the mountains that surround the town, had stunning views of the entire valley cut through by the Rhine River. We ate a splendid meal in a glass fronted restaurant overlooking the spectacular view. The next morning we breakfasted before sunup and watched as the snow-topped mountains appeared out of the darkness as the dawn broke.
Our next destination was Salzburg in Austria but getting there opened up several navigational possibilities. We decided on a minor detour into Bavaria, Germany and a stop at the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle, Neuschwanstein.
A short bus ride from the carpark takes you to a path leading to a pedestrian suspension bridge across a narrow valley. From this vantage point you get the most wonderful view of the castle perched upon a rocky outcrop with the valley opening out behind it.
I had glimpsed the castle from a distance many years before but it is an amazing sight when you get closer. We chose not to go inside as our time was limited but walking around and into the courtyard was fun with its many cone-topped towers setting off the whole fairy tale vibe. King Ludwig II commissioned the castle in the early 1830s and it is built in the style known as ‘Castle Romanticism’, which is essentially Ludwig saying “I want this mansion to look very, very castle-y.” Well he got his wish and it is extremely picturesque. We ate Quarkbällchen (delicious donut balls that have quark cheese in the batter for extra moisture and flavour!) and drank Glühwein and then were on or way back into Austria.
Now I have “frolicked” my way through all ‘The Sound of Music’ sites in Salzburg and felt no need to repeat them. Ian on the other hand, when I asked him which ones he most wanted to see, informed me that he hates the film and I said “hate” is a very strong word and how were we even married!
So we visited the ‘Stern Advent’ (Christmas Market of course) where I bought a handmade Mozart Doll to hang on next year’s Christmas tree because nothing says Salzburg like a little, handmade Mozart doll. Oh and of course…gluhwein. The following day we took the earliest funicular up to Hohensalzbug Fortress aka Salzburg Castle. Perched atop the hill it affords awesome views of the city and surrounding mountains. The state apartments feature the magnificent Golden Hall and Golden Chamber, which, as their name suggests are richly ornate and golden. The coffered ceiling is beautiful, painted a deep aqua blue and studded with gold buttons symbolising the stars in the night sky. Back at the market we ate strudel and drank coffee.
I at least talked Ian into a trip to Mondsee which is a beautiful town on a swan filled lake and just so happens to be the home of Basilica St Michael where Maria and the Captain marry in the film. In the little town square in front of the church there was, you’ve probably guessed, a Christmas market. This time I had a Walderbeer Zimt Punsch which is a berry and cinnamon flavoured hot and alcoholic drink and very good too. We ate Krapfel and Kaspressnudel with sauerkraut and strolled around the lake while I sang “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?’ endlessly.
So then it was on to our actual Christmas destination, Hallstatt, Austria. It’s a bit hard to describe Hallstatt without going into swoon mode. It’s tiny and set on a small tract of land between mountains and a lake, Lake Hallstatt actually, and ridiculously pretty.
We went for a walk as the sun was setting and the sky was deep, bright azure and the swans were gliding along beside us and the church bells rang and oh my god, it was heaven. On our first night we went into a restaurant and were met with one of the oddest responses from a maître de, I’ve ever encountered. It was early and when we told him we did not have a reservation, he waived his hand around the very pleasant looking but almost empty restaurant and said, “We are fully booked. We have no room.” And then added, seemingly as an afterthought, “You can have this table only.” It was a very nice table and we took it. The food was excellent, I had a deer goulash and Ian had a pork fillet. The pre-dinner local Hallstatt beer was also very nice.
In Austria and Germany, the main Christmas celebration takes place on Christmas Eve and so we had booked a Christmas feast for the evening of the 24th. During the day we wandered in the town in flurries of snow and watched the weather changing the landscape as the clouds and snow played hide and seek with the mountains. Then it was time to gird our loins for a six course extravaganza. We had assumed that it was a tasting menu but no, two courses were entrée size, three main size and a dessert. We gave it our best shot, there was (in no particular order – I’m just remembering tastes and images) goose and pork and fish and berries and beetroot and rice and pate and soup and terrine and chestnuts and ravioli and red cabbage and tofu and sweet potato and something called a dessert symphony to round it off and a local Sauvignon Blanc to wash it all down. There was a lot of excellent food and it was a superb way to spend Christmas Eve. We walked, nay waddled about the town for a while after dinner, window shopping and admiring the graceful swans before retiring to sink into a food coma.
The next morning it was SNOWING! Yes, SNOWING on 25th December.
I finally got the white Christmas I had given up on ever experiencing. We walked through the town before anybody else climbed out of their beds then went up the funicular to the mountain that overlooks the town.
The snow had been dumping all night up there. We walked through the new powdery white winter wonderland (corny I know but believe us when we tell you it was delightful!) while the snow fell on our nose and eyelashes and I made a snowman and a snow angel. Ian was a snow angel virgin but I finally got him to make one. We walked up a trail covered in new snow to the entrance to the salt mine and enjoyed wonderful views of the snowy, forest covered mountain. You can tour the salt mine at Hallstatt but not in the winter. We ventured into the tiny bar/restaurant on the mountain and ate awesome, rich goulash soup and drank gluhwein which was perfect fare to follow a walk along a snowy trail. That night we ate the most scrumptious pizza in a bar filled with locals playing chess and drinking beer (the locals played chess and drank beer, we just did the beer bit). The town is so quiet at night as the day trippers recede to where ever they day trip from.
The next day dawned clear and sunny and we went for another early stroll through the town. We walked onto a small jetty to commune closer with the inquisitive swans and to take some photos. Out of nowhere an elderly local lady appeared in a very agitated state, arms gesturing wildly. We don’t speak any German but have watched enough Hogan’s Heroes to understand “Raus! Raus! Verboten!” Apparently we were on a private jetty but someone had neglected to close the gate and we hadn’t noticed the gate or the tiny sign. She left just as abruptly muttering something that I guess translated along the lines of “Effing tourists!!!”
We ascended the mountain again and enjoyed the splendid vistas but this time with bright blue skies which just enhanced the snow covered landscape. Hallstatt was a perfect choice for our Christmas destination. Have I conveyed the perfect-ness? I hope so. Driving to the next point on our itinerary we passed some very pretty Austrian scenery of mountainside villages, church spires and lakes but then it was on to a motorway which at 140km/hour gets you to Point B in good time, but it’s pretty uninspired travelling. I was constantly surprised at the large number of driverless cars until I realised that I’m an idiot and even though my driver was in the right hand seat, everyone else drove from a left hand drive position.
Next stop Vienna. I wanted to find the Austrian National Library, so that was our first point of call after we had settled in our digs. We passed the Albertina Museum and the towering St Stephen’s Cathedral with a large, real Christmas tree beside it in the square. We found the library and entered into a book lover’s paradise. Words don’t do it justice. Pictures don’t do it justice. It is simply stunning.
Gorgeous painted ceilings, walls lined with shelves of leather-bound books accessed by tall wooden ladders and a mezzanine level reached by several spiral stone staircases. With carved wooden embellishment and gilt lettering. I felt a bit overwhelmed to be honest. I actually went back the next day as I needed to soak in the bookish atmosphere one more time.
Vienna is stylish and grand. We visited the Albertina which was having a Monet exhibition. So many Monet! From very early works to some of his last, it was so interesting watching his style evolve as the exhibition progressed, room full after room full, 100 paintings to be exact. We were very lucky as the exhibition closed soon after we were there. There was also a Chagall, Munch and Picasso exhibition and the stunning State Rooms to see. We rounded off the evening with Wiener schnitzel, local beer and Sacher Torte, cliché maybe but hey, when in Vienna…
The next day we revisited the Cathedral Square to find several burly men in hi-viz with chainsaws. They had cut down the Christmas tree and wood-chipped it into a truck. They were wresting the stump from its very tightly wedged position deep amongst the pavers. The whole exercise looked like a sign saying “Christmas is Closed. Go Home Please.
So, Vienna - a Christmas Market (of course), the Opera House, the impressive Rathaus (or Town Hall) and a wander along the main shopping streets still strung with lovely festive lights.
We took a train to Schonbrunn Palace where the hill behind affords amazing views of the city and the forecourt has a Christmas Market.
Can you get sick of Christmas Markets? Well we didn’t. Apart from anything else they are a great place to try yummy local food. At Schonbrunn we tried, among other things gnocchi with chestnut and apple sauce and fresh made spiral potato chips (Prague’s were better) and then hot alcoholic beverages never cease in their cockle warming capabilities.
It was time to leave Vienna and Austria and we headed south into a travelling calamity of stupid proportions. The whole stuff up deserves its own recount so if your interest is piqued please read on here…Border Tears and Pumpkin
Then Hot Wines and Clementines continues in Part 2.