Rhapsody in idle

Three years ago, Corinne, myself and my parents were enjoying a Mediterranean cruise from Venice to Croatia and Greece aboard Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of the Seas.

As of last week, the same vessel sits idle (along with at least two other Royal Caribbean ships) at the dock in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten: a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic's devastating effect on the cruise industry.

I'll have more about my recent trip to Saint Martin (including why I am never again traveling internationally during a pandemic) soon. 

Slovenia: Goriška Brda Wine Region

Located in far western Slovenia near its border with Italy is the Goriška Brda region, which is one of the country's main wine producing areas. We spent a few hours there as we made our way back to Venice on the last day of our 2018 Eurotrip.

First, we had to get out of Ljubljana. Luckily, this bit of traffic congestion was short-lived, and about an hour and a half later we were in Goriška Brda. Slovenia's motorways are tolled, but there are no tollbooths: the country uses a convenient vignette system similar to what Austria uses.

Our first stop was this observation tower in the village of Gonjače, which was built in 1961. It takes 144 steps to climb to the top of the tower, which is 23 meters (75 feet) high and offers amazing views of the entire Goriška Brda region.

The view from the top of the tower. If the skies are completely clear, you're supposedly able to see all the way to the Gulf of Trieste. There was a bit of haze in the distance when we visited, however.

The region is dotted with hilltop villages such as Šmartno. It was just a short distance away from the observation tower. Clearly visible is the clock tower of St. Martin's church: it looks like a turret atop a castle because it was once used used for defensive purposes.

Another view of vineyards and villages in Goriška Brda from the top of the tower. The only drawback to the Yugoslav-era tower is that it swayed with the wind, which was a bit frightening!

Outside of the village of Dobrovo is the Klet Brda winery. As luck would have it, we arrived right before their daily tour of their wine cellars.

Casks of wine in the cellar. The region produces several varieties, including the local white varietal known as rebula.

Another view from within the cellars. Check out those massive wooden casks on the right!

One more shot of the casks in the cellar (which was huge!). In addition to grapes, the Brda region grows other types of produce, including figs, grapes and plums. Honey is produced as well.

An afternoon shower in Dobrovo. The rain was just fine with us, as it meant we got to spend more time in Klet Brda's wine tasting room at the end of the tour. The wine-growing region that includes Goriška Brda is split between Slovenia and Italy.

Mom and Corinne sample Klet Brda's products. We were encouraged to stick around and drink as much as we wanted! Unfortunately, as good as the wine was I could only have a few sips: I still had to drive us back to Venice!

The winery staff also gave me some information about their distributors in the United States; however, I haven't had much luck tracking down their wines so far.

We only spent a couple of hours in Goriška Brda, but there's much more there to explore, including a recently-renovated Renaissance villa on the site of an old castle in Vipolže, a church featuring a Gothic-style altar built in 1515 in Kojsko, and the world's largest stone arch railway bridge. If you're traveling through Slovenia or even far eastern Italy (e.g. Trieste, Udine, Palmanova), this place is definitely worth checking out.

Our final stop was the Mercator grocery store in Dobrovo so mom could get some forest fruit preserves to take back to the States (she really liked it). Then it was on to Venice, where we checked in to our hotel, returned the rental car, had a final meal at a pizzeria, got a few hours sleep and then flew back to the United States. Thus ended the amazing 2018 EuroTrip.

Slovenia: Vintgar Gorge, Lake Bled and Ljubljana

Back-to-back Eurotrip posts, because it was exactly one year ago today that we made our way from Austria to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana, stopping along the way to enjoy the natural beauty of Vintgar Gorge.

Vintgar Gorge is a ravine cut over the ages by the Radovna River. It was not accessible until the late 1800s, when a local mayor and a cartographer came up with the idea of building a wooden walkway along the ravine's sheer walls. The walkway was completed in 1893 and the gorge has been a tourist attraction ever since.

The wooden walkway follows the canyon walls just above the river, providing amazing scenery at every turn.

Along certain sections of the ravine, the wooden walkway crosses from one side of the canyon to the other. Below, the river passes through multiple rapids, waterfalls and whirlpools. The water is crystal clear; I even saw a trout swimming in it.

As the ravine continues, it widens a bit and the wooden walkway becomes a concrete path. The entire length of the walk is 1,600 meters, or one mile, and ends at the Šum Waterfall.

One of the smaller waterfalls along the gorge's walkway. Vintgar Gorge is open from April through November and the admission fee is currently €10 for adults (it was €5 when we visited a year ago). The pathway is narrow and can get very crowded, so visitors are advised to get there early.

After we left Vintgar Gorge, we drove around nearby Lake Bled, which is perhaps Slovenia's most famous tourist landmark. The lake's focal point is its island, upon which sits the Church of the Assumption. The 17th-century church is accessible by boats which dock at the bottom of a 99-step staircase to the church. The lake is also overlooked by Bled Castle, which is perched atop a cliff on the north side of the lake and today is a museum. We didn't visit either the church or he castle because we were in a hurry to get to our hotel in Ljubljana. That just means that we'll have to go back one day!

The Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana, which dates to 1901. Although the outskirts of the city are dominated by large, Yugoslav-era apartment blocks, the center of Ljubljana is charming and comfortably walkable. The dragon is a symbol of the city.

A view of Stritarjeva Ulica (street) in central Ljubljana, with the  street, with Fountain of the Three Rivers in the foreground and the pink, baroque Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in the distance. The church is one of Ljubljana's better-known landmarks; its location in front of Prešeren Square and the Triple Bridge is visible from much of the old town and helps to orient visitors.

Ljubljana Castle, with the 1891 Philharmonic Hall in the foreground. (Apparently they were setting up for a concert in Congress Square when I took this picture.) A funicular takes you to up to the castle, which has a delightful courtyard as well as multiple exhibits (including a history of Slovenia through its Napoleonic, Austrian and Yugoslav eras to independence).

A portion of Ljubljana, as seen from the top of the tower of its castle looking west. Congress Square, from where I took the previous picture, is clearly visible to the center right. The gray-and-cream building with the green roofs adjacent to it is the headquarters of the University of Ljubljana. The building at the far end of the square is the Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, which was completed in 1726. Behind that are the 1960s-era buildings of Republic Square.

Another view of Ljubljana, from the same location looking northwest. A portion of the castle itself (which has existed in some form at the top of this hill since at least the 11th century) can be seen to the lower right, and the green-capped towers and dome of Ljubljana Cathedral are visible just below the center of picture. The Franciscan Church of the Annunciation is to the left.

A close-up of the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation and Prešeren Square, which is the psychological center of Ljubljana. A portion of the Triple Bridge, which crosses the Ljubljanica River in front of the square, can also be seen. We took a boat tour of the Ljubljanica, which was a fantastic way to see the city from a different perspective.

We spent two nights in Ljubljana and tried to see a much of the city as possible. However, there was still a lot of the city - the University District, Tivoli Park, everything outside of Ljubljana's historic center and several museums - that we did not have time to explore. Again, it just means that we'll have to go back one day!

The people of Ljubljana were generally very friendly; we did not have a problem finding people who spoke or understood English or otherwise finding our way around. The food was excellent.

If you're planning a trip to this part of Europe, put this city (as well as Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge) on your list.

Berchtesgaden and Königssee, Germany

We've reached the one-year anniversary of the big 2018 Eurotrip, and I have just a few more posts regarding the adventure. It was one year ago today, in fact, that we made the second of two trips to the Bavarian town of Berchtesgaden and environs.

Berchtesgaden is located in the very corner of Bavaria, near Germany's border with Austria. It is about 20 miles southwest of Salzburg, and was less than an hour from our timeshare in Schladming, which made it an easy place for a day trip. It is a popular tourist destination due to nearby attractions such as the lake Königssee and Berchtesgaden National Park.

Berchtesgaden is also near the location of the Berghof, which was Hitler's Alpine headquarters, as well as the Eagle's Nest. The compound was destroyed after World War II, and today the site is the location of the Dokumentation Obersalzburg museum, which contains information about the area's use by Nazi officials and about the history of the Nazi Party in general. (We did not visit Dokumentation Obersalzburg or the Eagle's Nest on this trip - too depressing - although we probably should see it some day.)

The first area attraction we experienced was the Rossfeldpanoramastrasse (Panoramic Road), a privately-maintained toll road which reaches altitudes of 1,570 meters (5,151 feet) and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding Alpine countryside.

There are several places along the Rossfeld Panoramic Road where people can stop, get out and walk along pathways. One such path straddles the Germany-Austria border and provides amazing views of the peaks in the distance and the valleys below.

It was just a little bit hazy the day we visited, but the Alpine scenery was nevertheless stunning. The toll to drive along the roadway is €8.50 for passenger cars; just watch out for cyclists while you drive.

The town of Berchtesgaden is a typical Bavarian town, with the requisite market squares and biergartens. Today it is a major tourist center due to all the attractions in the area as well as its proximity to Salzburg and Munich.

The Marktbrunnen (Market Fountain) in Berchtesgaden's market square. Berchtesgaden was occupied by Allied Forces after World War II and had a United States military presence as late as 1995.

The Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. John the Baptist and the adjacent Berchtesgaden Palace, as seen from the Schlossplatz. The church has existed since at least the 12th century but has been rebuilt several times; the current twin-tower, neo-Romaseque façade dates from the 1800s. The Palace was originally a medieval monetary but in 1810 became the summer residence of the Bavarian royal family. The green-domed spire of St. Andrew's Church can be seen in the background to the left.

The Haus der Berge (House of the Mountains) is the Visitors' Center for Berchtesgaden National Park. Visitors to Berchtesgaden should put this venue at the top of their to-see list. 

Mom and dad explore the Haus der Berge. The museum's interactive "Vertical Wilderness" exhibit, in English as well as German, explains the four main habitats of Berchtesgaden National Park: water, forest, mountain pasture (Alm) and rocky terrain. As you climb up the exhibit pathway, you also "climb" through these four habitats.

The flora and fauna of the Bavarian Alps are exhibited an explained here, as well as the history of tis people. Unlike most museums, at Haus der Berge you are encouraged to touch the taxidermied animals and other items on display.

The exhibit's lights and sounds change to mimic the passing of the day or the seasons. The designers of the Haus der Berge clearly had a lot of fun putting these exhibits together.


The Haus der Berge offers a fantastic view of the Watzmann, which is the third-highest peak in Germany. The Watzmann is a key geological feature of Berchtesgaden National Park.

Another key geological feature of Berchtesgaden National Park is lake Königssee, which we visited a couple of days after our first visit to the area. A fleet of electric boats ferry passengers to a handful of destinations along the narrow lake. The boats depart from Schönau am Königssee, at the northern end of the lake, are used both by sightseers wanting to see the lake as well as hikers wanting to access hiking trails within the park.

Nestled between the lake and the Watzmann is St. Bartholomew's Church (St. Bartholomä). A church has been at this location since 1134, the current Baroque structure was completed in 1698. This is a popular attraction and the Königssee boats make a stop here.

The boats also stop at Salet, on the southern tip of Königssee. Several hiking trails begin here, as this display indicates. One trail leads to Obersee, another smaller lake just south of Königssee.

Sightseers admire and cool their feet in the Obersee. Corinne and I spent several minutes here, relaxing and taking in the scenery, before returning to Salet, where mom and dad decided to stay.

A view of the Königssee's Salet dock, looking north. From here we took the boat ride back to Schönau am Königssee, admiring the beauty of the Bertchesgaden Alps one final time before returning to Schladming. The following day we moved on to Slovenia, which will be the subject of my next post.

We made two day trips to Berchtesgaden and really only scratched the surface of everything there is to do there. If you have some time to spare while you're in Bavaria or Salzburg, be sure to visit this amazingly beautiful corner of Germany.

Graz, Austria

We're approaching the summer of 2019, but I'm still not done with my series of posts about our trip to Europe during the summer of 2018. Which is fine, considering that time and budget constraints mean that no vacation this coming summer will be anywhere as amazing as last summer's.

Austria's capital of Vienna was just a little too far out of range for a day trip from our timeshare in Schladming. Austria's second-largest city, however, was not. So one morning we all loaded into the rental car and drove to Graz.

In addition to being Austria's second-largest city, Graz is also the capital of the Styria state. And while it might not be as well-known as places like Vienna or Salzburg, there's still plenty worth visiting there, including some rather quirky features.

Like many European cities, Graz developed around a large hill, atop of which was a fortress. However, the fortress is no longer there; some guy from France had it demolished in 1809. A few things remain, including a clock tower. The Urhturm took its present shape sometime in the 1500s and is an icon of Graz:


From the top of the Schlossberg there is an excellent view of the city (as well as a really cool Biergarten). The Uhrturm is to the left. and that weird black thing to the right is the Kunsthaus Graz, a modern art museum built in 2003:


Here's my father standing in front of the Kunsthaus, which is also known as the "Friendly Alien:"




Near the Kunsthaus is another piece of modern architecture floating in the Mur River. The Murinsel also dates to 2003 (the year Graz served as the European Capital of Culture) and contains an outdoor amphitheater as well as an indoor cafe:


Here's what the Murinsel looks like on the inside. The cafe contains a bar as well as a stage:




Graz Cathedral was built between 1438 and 1462 by the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III:


The interior of the cathedral is built in a gothic architectural style and is ornately beautiful:

Across the street from the cathedral is an old municipal building notable for its double spiral staircase with two separate flights that diverge and then converge back upon one another at each floor. Corinne and I climbed it and decided that it was interesting, but probably caused a lot of people bumping into each other as they went up and down it back in the day:


The Grazer Landhaus was built in 1527 by Italian Renaissance architect Domenico dell'Allio and features a delightful arcaded courtyard. The Styrian state parliament still meets in this complex; the Styrian Armory is located here as well:

Adjacent to the Landhaus is the Rathaus, or city hall, of Graz. It was completed in 1893 and faces the Hauptplatz, which is the city's main square:

Herrengasse (literally, "Street of the Lords") is Graz's historic main street. It passes by the Hauptplatz, Rathaus and Landhaus, and is lined by stores. Several streetcar lines run along it. (Interesting fact: "next station" announcements on Graz's streetcars are in German and American English, rather than the British accent you would normally expect to hear in Europe. Maybe it's Graz's way of throwing shade at Britain because of Brexit?) One point of interest along Herrengasse is the Painted House, seen to the left:

Heading back to the train station on the edge of the town center, there is a monument erected to commmorate the hundredth anniversary of Esperanto in 1987. It reads "the hope for world communication in piece and freedom." (Next to the monument is cafe Das Esperanto; sadly, the menu is not actually printed in Esperanto, which I found to be a huge disappointment):

All in all, an interesting trip to an interesting city. We spent a full day there and still didn't see anything close to everything Graz has to offer. Because it is off the beaten path, so to speak, there were not crushing numbers of tourists in Graz. We found this a welcome respite from Venice, Dubrovnik, Athens and even Salzburg.

Graz has an airport served by short-haul flights, a major train station and is accessible via autobahns A-2 and A-9 (if you're only visiting by car for the day, park close to the train station; it's not the cheapest parking in town but there's plenty of it and it's very convenient). While you're there, take advantage of their excellent public transportation network to get around. A 24-hour pass is €5.30 while a three-day ticket is €12.40. Graz is also bicycle-friendly. Knowledge of basic German helps, of course, but we found that a decent number of people that we came across in Graz spoke English.