My mother used to rave about Innsbruck so we decided to go there on our way back from Croatia last year. Our hotel was up on a hill and close enough to the centre to walk or cycle down. The magnificent view from our Gasthof balcony, the famous Golden Roof, the Palace chapel with its incredibly intricate bronze statues, the façades of the houses on our street, the main street with the Alps in the background and the river views were definitely worth the visit. It also turned out to be one of our favourite cycling experiences which I’ve described in another post.
We spent 5 days in Seville in February 2011 and loved it. The weather was sunny (except for the last day) and warm enough not to need gloves and to be able to sit outside to eat. The trees will also full of oranges! We stayed in a wonderful hotel called Las casas de la Juderia (the Jewish houses), full of labyrinths and surprises that I highly recommend. It’s always difficult to choose six photos but I think these are presentative of “my” Seville.
Last summer, we spent three days in Germany and Switzerland cycling along part of the Eurovelo 6 bike route. The highlight was definitely the natural waterfalls on the Rhine river near Schaffhausen in Switzerland, the largest in Europe – 150 m wide and 23 metres high. When they came into view on our cycle path, the effect was stunning. It was a little overcast but when we came back again after lunch, the sun had come out, making the water dance and sparkle. We didn’t take the boat out to the falls because it looked as though you could get pretty wet!
I loved everything about Ljubljana – the city itself, the atmosphere, the people, the restaurants, the countryside – but I found it hard to photograph successfully. The weather wasn’t particularly good either which probably didn’t help. We had a wonderful bike ride through the suburbs and out into the country which I have described in another post.
The gothic cathedral in Orvieto in Umbria, built between 1290 and 1330, is my all-time favourite. The first time we went there in 2003, it was surrounded by vintage cars and I found it absolutely stunning, both inside and out. We returned two years’ later but unfortunately, I still didn’t have a very good camera. When we went back last year, I found it just as fascinating. However, although I had upgraded my camera, the ordinary visitor can’t stand far back enough to take very good photos, particularly as it’s so tall. The weather wasn’t the best either time – we were caught in a downpour as we left. Orvieto is also an excellent white wine (either sweet or dry).
Porec is on the peninsula of Istria, which lies in three countries: Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. Having visited all three countries, I would say that the cultural dominance is Italian. Porec itself is built on a peninsula and is famous for its 5th century basilica, Eufrazijana. It also has several Renaissance buildings.
Zadar is a fascinating mixture of old and new, including the Church of Saint Donat built in the 9th century, the remains of a Roman forum from the 1st century, modern shopping streets and the famous sea organ. The sea organ is a musical instrument consisting of tubes located under a set of large marble steps along the waterfront. As boats go by, the waves rush into the pipes and create random but harmonic sounds. It was made by the architect Nikola Bašić as part of a project to rehabilitate the waterfront and was inaugurated on 15th April 2005. It’s a very popular venue for the locals at sunset.
I described our visit to Mostar in Part 4 of My Croatian Itinerary series. It was a terribly hot murky day and it felt as though we had reached the end of the earth, but the little cobbled street leading up to the famous arch bridge and over the other side was absolutely full of tourists. It was so wonderful when we finally reached the shady inner courtyard of the Ottoman house and had it to ourselves.
Prague is one of my very favourite cities. I love the architecture, the atmosphere, the mixture of old and new, the fact that you can find wonderful places on the river to eat, the buskers, the people in general. Our hotel was slightly outside the main area, which meant we had to take a tram to get reach the centre. I think it’s better to be able to walk everywhere. Perhaps you have some suggestions? We were there early September which was just perfect.
