Clark & Nadia's Blog: December 2010

Munich- 27 & 28 December 2010

The final leg of the Xmas tour was Munich for 2 nights. I am not sure many people go to Munich out of Beerfeast season but it was really enjoyable. There was plenty to see & do and we certainly had a memorable experience there.

Above- Staatskanzlei

Hofbrauhaus the biggest beer hall in Germany

Above- we tuck into a meal that we will never forget. The food was an eye opener, but that was nothing compared to the scenes that unfolded afterwards. We thought the fries were a bargain at 3 euros, but that was the cost per person so you are looking at about 12 euros or $25 NZ dollars worth of chips. The sausages were also interesting...

Like floating turds in a bowl, this was our dinner. As we were finishing up our local fare the table near us was starting to get pretty rowdy. Whilst my German speaking is not great, you didn't need to be an expert to know that they were very unhappy! There were 4 of them at the table a couple in there 30's and what looked to be the couples parents. Before you know it the group at the table were yelling at the manager and so she called the police. We thought the incident was over after they left the restaurant but low and behold we walked outside to see a full scale assault going on.

6 cop cars turned up, all of them with 2 policemen & they seriously took these people down. They were all man handled, arrested and then taken away literally kicking and screaming completing a classic evenings entertainment for us.

I pose in front of 1 of the 6 cop cars in front of the Spockmeier restaurant. If you are ever in Munich then check this bad boy out, its just off Marienplatz.

Above- Marienplatz

As if you needed another reason to visit Munich... yes its a giant stick man

Nadia, Bridget, Laura, Bex and Al enjoy some wiener schnitzel. We meet up with Bex and Al who were travelling around the area at this time. You will be pleased to know the food and the experience we had on this evening was quite normal.

Above- Al and I enjoy the local tipple.

Above- BMW headquarters- Its 4 cylinders (the Germans think of everything!)

Above- The Golden Angel

Above- Odeonsplatz

Above- Frauenkirche

Above- The Jewish Synagogue

Salzburg- Xmas & Boxing Day 2010

The hills are alive....... with the sound of music!

After having 9 degrees in Vienna we were welcomed to Salzburg for Christmas day with a temperature of -14 degrees, it was quite a wake up call & I think easily the coldest climate I had been to (even ahead of Invercargill). We caught the train from Vienna which took just over 2.5 hours, the train was clean, quiet, on time and not very expensive- all things that came quite foreign to us having got use to the services available in England! Salzburg is very picturesque but we couldn't help thinking it might be more pretty in summer as seeing white absolutely everywhere doesn't make for a great contrast.

Similar to Vienna, Salzburg was also not short on Xmas markets. You can really see the step change in clothing required to keep warm in these temperatures.

Hohensalzburg Castle looms above

Christmas morning ... it wasn't your every day NZ Xmas type lunch!

Just what Laura always wanted... a shower cap! Maybe she will have better luck with Secret Santa next year.

Just what I always wanted.... a voucher for something I haven't received :-)

What will Christmas Day 2010 be remembered for... not the mulled wine, not the Turkey, chicken, roast spuds and peas swimming in a sea of gravy, not even the Xmas markets... yes that's right the 'Sound of Music Tour'! Men reading this, don't do it, just don't.

These girls certainly aren't 16 going on 17 ..... Yes it is the famous band rotunda from the sound of music- I have got to tell you this was easily the highlight of my entire trip (and that says everything).

Its that famous fountain from the Sound of music, not as impressive frozen over.

This is the church where Maria and the Captain got married in the sound of music. What you didn't see in the movie which I was intrigued to find was the good people from the church selling 'holly water' in Jagermeister bottles for 4 euros a pop- obviously the sound of music tour donations are not quite paying all the bills.

Recognise this one you sound of music nerds? Entrance to the Mirabell Gardens

Christmas day dinner- Bridget, Laura, Clark and 2 friends who happened to be in Salzburg at the same time Hayden & Steph (Nadia kindly took the photo).

Above- Mozarts house

The view from below, looking up towards the Castle not sure what the dude on top of the giant gold ball is suppose to signify, but made for a good photo.

The view from above looking down on St Peters Church.

Above- Salzburg Cathedral.

They have no cars in Salzburg, everyone just gets around on a horse in carriage which makes for a lovely setting. Of course I am blatantly lying but there are a lot these things around, you could be forgiven for thinking they were the main mode of transportation.

Above- In the square in front of Salzburg Cathedral. The triangle thing is not the Austrians trying to plagiarise the Louve but is in fact a cover for the statue underneath which in summer is a water feature so not so practical in winter.

The girls / Eskimo's, from left - Bridget, Laura and Nadia

Vienna- December 2010

Our Xmas holiday actually started in Gatwick... We made our way to a hotel in Gatwick the night before we flew out to ensure we would be able to make it to the airport with no train disruptions from all the snow we had.
Vienna was the first stop on the journey for 2 nights (23rd & 24th of Dec). The Xmas lights in Vienna were amazing and there were more markets than you could possibly imagine! I think I saw more markets in 2 days than some people would see in a lifetime. The weather was unusually mild, on one day we got a barmy 9 degrees, but this was all about to change as there was a cold front on its way and the mercury dropped faster than prices on Xmas decorations post boxing day.

Hotel Austria was a great location, right in the middle of the town so a short walk from everything. They had all the mod cons and should also be commended on their heating system- it was so hot in the room we had to sleep with the window open.

Xmas market central- every sort of Xmas decoration you could imagine!

The Christmas decorations around the city were very impressive, you are also able to pick up Christmas trees in the main centre of town, they are of course not exactly bargain prices e.g. a 1m tall tree was about 60 Euros and then the price went up to 150 euros for a good 2.5m tree.

China town in Vienna

Above- The main sqaure in Vienna is Stephansplatz (with the Church St Stephens).

Above- Upper Bellvedere Palace (this place has nothing to do with the Vodka, apparently that's from Poland!) Huge grounds and pretty impressive structure.