Conclusions

I think this is my final blog about our holiday, a sort of conclusion. Would we go again? Are we any clearer about our ideal holiday?

Some things we are sure about. We would never try flying to Salzburg & the same day go on to a train to Vienna. It is just too tiring. The train journey wasn’t particularly interesting as we went through so many cuttings & tunnels there was little to see.

Vienna? Possibly. I don’t think we got the best out of Vienna. It was so hot (35º), & we were so tired, not helped by staying in a hotel without so much as a fan, let alone air-conditioning.

However, there is no denying there are so many fascinating places to go, so many galleries to visit, so many concerts to attend. Just going up many side streets you come across unexpected details of buildings that are worth looking at. As for the underground! It is wonderful. It was fully wheelchair accessible, making getting around the city, up & down the hills, a doddle. Lifts just went straight down from the pavement or a nearby square, down to the platforms.

We are even more tempted by the idea of Salzkammergut. The hotel we stayed in was a mere half an hour drive from Salzburg airport. The very evening we arrived we could just feel the tension pouring out of our bodies. The hotel was good though we would insist on a room with just a shower another time. We had a shower over a very high-sided bath. The Fox had a shower & found the bath became very slippery – no anti-slip mat - & with there being no grab rails he felt anxious for his own safety, let alone mine. After this I contented myself with a thorough wash at the sink.

The scenery around was fabulous.

 

Fuschlsee from the hotel dining room

A corner of Hallstatt

Just behind St Wolfgang

The mountains so green, the lakes blue, green, purple. The chalet style houses pretty with flowers on just about every terrace & outside every window. The people were friendly & helpful. And spoke reasonable English which was just as well for us. The food was generally good. There is still plenty of places we never got to & would like to explore. Yes, it is tempting to go again.

I think we’ve concluded that probably our ideal holiday accommodation is a comfortable hotel, that expects people to stay for a week or so rather than a couple of nights, so that they change the menu every day. It certainly was convenient, especially when I went down badly with my cold, not to have to go seeking a restaurant every day. It is also nice to have someone else to do all the cleaning & bed-making.

Would we go again next year? Possibly. However, we are a little put off seeing so many refugees flooding on to the continent of Europe. We did see a few in Vienna railway station. There did seem to be a fair number of beggars of Middle Eastern extraction around. I don’t blame anyone for wanting to flee from danger & starvation, but I do find the sight of the sheer numbers filling every corner of trains overwhelming & alarming. Some order has to be sorted out.

I suppose, too, I must say that much as we loved Austria, France remains our first choice of European destination. It’s home from home for us. It helps being able to speak the language & so meet the locals & share in their culture.

Still we’ll decide about next year once we’ve got over these colds, maybe after the New Year after we’ve seen the new brochures. I’m confident France will be one destination, though where in France I’m not sure. Alsace perhaps, or the south once more. Much, of course, will depend upon how our health is doing. Mentioning which the first thing is getting rid of the colds, & hopefully a little trip over to Yorkshire.