WoodWalkAbout

Wood Walkabout - September - Part 2

Germany (Augsburg, Fussen, Stuttgart )- 1 week
Austria (Vienna) - overnight
Greece (Athens & Olympia) - 1 week

Germany (Augsburg) - 1 week

OctoberFest in Munich, Neuschwanstein Disney Castle,
Car & Train Museums at Stuttgart & Marionette Puppet Shows



Augsburg Streetscape and central square

We chose to stay in Augsburg, another Bavarian city on the Romantic Road route through southern Germany, because of its proximity to Munich and other day trip destinations we had in mind with relative ease. Besides, Munich during peak Octoberfest we guessed, might be a little intense, and would definitely be pricey. Continuing on with the hotel mode of accommodation that we commenced back in Rothenburg, we stayed in the Hotel Ost am Ko which was conveniently located in the centre of town, near shops, department stores, an open-air fruit and veg. market, and the station.

For the majority of our stay we were all crowded into one room with a bathroom, (no kitchenette, couch or table.) Despite its generousity versus the standard room size, it was a little cosy once three kids got going on they're school work and we brought back the occassional takeaway. We certainly had got to know each other well on this trip, probably a little too well on this occassion.





Central Square & Decorative Augsburg streetscapes
The room where we all lived for nearly a week

Needless to say we tried to get out as much as possible in between the English, Maths and Spelling. Steve and Mitch went to Stuttgart to both the Porshe & Mercedes Museums and the Marklin Train Museum. One reliving his childhood dreams and the other realising them, the pair had a wow of a time.

Mercedes & Porsche Museums (Stuttgart):





Mercedes Museum- Stuttgart


Porsche Museum- Stuttgart


Marklin Train Museum:

Probably the highlight of our visit to Augsburg, for the girls and I,was the Augsburg Puppets at Augsburger Puppenkiste. The day the boys went to Stuttgart, the girls were divided as to whether we should go to the zoo or the puppet show we had learned about at the tourist office. Thankfully we chose the latter, and had no idea what an icon of Germanic culture it was. We took a 20min walk navigating our way there by foot. The theatre was filled, so it was fortunate we were able to acquire the last remaining seats at the door. Despite the pole to our right, we had an ok view, so we could still marvell at the intricate costumes. Only problem, it was in German, so the story was a mystery to us. All we knew was it was about a cat wearing boots. Not being familiar with the story of Puss In Boots (which we guessed to be the English equivalent,) was of no help. Once seated we got talking to the lady two up from us, as she overheard the kids asking me what was happening. Trauter Ricketts from Hanover, who had an English husband (must have taken pity on us, she proceeded to interpret each of the remaining scenes for us. It was ever so nice of her, and made all the difference to our enjoyment of the show. The girls loved it despite the language barrier because the props and puppets were like nothing we'd ever seen!

Cassi in a Dindl dress

Sheri and Cassi at the Augsburger Puppenkiste

When we wern't eating in, we frequented the Zeughaus Stuben (a brewery restaurant just a 100m walk from our hotel because of the reliably good food and lovely waitresses, all in traditional dress. We also got Germans were very patriotic it seemed as we saw Dindl's (Bavarian Beer maid dresses) along with lederhosen everywhere. We put the exhaustive range down to the fact we were right in the middle of the annual Octoberfest, but were surprised to hear that the department stores stocked German traditional dress for men, women and children year round. The kids got right into the act, and tried on loads of them for a bit of fun in various stores.

Fussen: Neuschwanstein (Disney Castle):

During our time in Augsburg we also made an obligatory visit to the most famous castle in the world - Neuschwanstein. Built by King Ludwig (the Swan King), and never finished to this day, it was an eccentric building built in honour of his friend Richard Wagner, mainly for the setting of concerts. We all enjoyed a carriage ride half way up the hill to reach it and a walk of the surrrounding forest to get the best vantage point at a nearby bridge, only to learn it was covered in scaffolding. Oh well...it was impressive none the less.

Neuschwanstein Castle covered in scaffolding at the time of our visit
Steve showing the route of our carriage ride up the hill and our intended walk back down to Fussen

AUSFAHRT - the Exit sign that amused the kids on Germanic Freeways

(Unlike the French, Italian, Austrian and Swiss roads, they were free like in the UK)
View from the castle to the picturesque plains below

Kids in the forest on the walk up to the bridge opposite Neuschwanstein

Church set amongst the village of Schwangau in Fussen

Munich Oktoberfest:

We saved our visit into Munich until the Tuesday, the "Family Day" of the Oktoberfest. Boarding the train nice and early we noted we were amongst the few not in traditional dress. There were groups of young girls, groups of older women, and men of all ages all proudly sporting the festive costume - and why not, what fun! The kids were excited, and didn't seem to mind the 45 min train ride, marvelling at all the different characters on the seats surrounding them.

Having the kids with us, we decided to head straight for the beer halls so as to get in before things had the potential to get ugly. We came across Fischer Vroni Beer Hall, which had plenty of tables and a really nice atmosphere. Before long the tables filled, the oompa band played on, and we enjoyed the Augustiner beer and the pretzels and in the case of the kids, the half litre steins of lemonade. A sugar hit of mammoth proportions!

The music got louder and audience participation got more lively. We stayed on to enjoy a good German meal of schweinhaxe, smoked fish, sauercraut and salads, before heading to the centre of town. Once there we watched the famous glockenspiel which put on quite a show of knights jousting and investigated the shops. The boys soon left us for a higher calling... the BMW Museum, what else...

Beer Hall - Fischer Vroni - On "Family Day" at Oktoberfest

Oompa Band in full swing


Beer, Lemonade and Pretzels all round........

Kids with Bavarian Waitress who came from Ireland to work at the festival

Traditional Germanic Gingerbread stall

Kids in the spirit of things in front of the Glockenspeil in Marian Platz - Munchen

Kids and I with Klaus, from Switzerland who was eager to make some friends

BMW Museum - Munich:

Mitch and the original BMW M3

The "Bubble Car" - Isetta 250

We enjoyed our time in Augsburg, which seemed to race by. After a thorough re-pack for our upcoming trip to Greece with its summer weather, we headed on to Vienna, where we were to stay at the airport NH Hotel before flying out to Athens. Not wanting to pass a point of interest, we stopped in at the Hitler's very own, Eagles Nest on our way to Vienna. The road leading up to the first carpark was breathtaking with its view. The even steeper stretch of road leading up to the tunnel and adjoining lift, we took by bus. It was frighteningly narrow and full of bends. I think Madge would have been all the more reassuring. The building itself was nothing special, however the trip up to it including the tunnel and elevator (both of which were 124m through the rock face, and the view at the top, once you'd scaled the 1834m, was simply incredible. Given the significance of this place in Germany's history I personally felt the experience was kind of earrie......

Hitler's - Eagles Nest:

Eagle's Nest - Hitler's strategic meeting place, given to him as a 40th Birthday present
Cassi and Mitch at the furthest point on the cliff

Kids all walking out through the tunnel having taken the elevator down through the rock face

Greece (Athens):

Temps. 16 - 30 deg. C Dusk 8 pm

Ruins, Post Olympic infrastructure, Ruins,
Museums, Flea Markets, & more ruins...

We left the NH Hotel bright and early after our late arrival the night before, we crossed the road with our bags and checked in with Aegen Airlines for our flights to Athens. This was the summer holiday we'd waited for all year. The rain of Ireland and the cooler weather of England and Scotland had us well and truely ready for a bit of sunshine, before we entered into our second European winter. I had always wanted to come to Greece having had to choose between Egypt and Greece over 20 years ago on the back of my rushed bus trip around Europe - Egypt won out. Whilst Mitch was equally excited as he'd bought an Athen's & Olympia book back in Sydney in readiness for this leg of the trip due to his excitement about the ruins of both places.

The flight was a mere two and a half hours- just like going from Sydney to Adelaide. Everything was just so close once you were in Europe, it never ceased to amaze us. Taxi's in Athens seemed to use smaller makes of cars. Instead of having to take two of them with the five of us, we decided to take the metro system built for the 2004 Olympics to the Evangelismos train station which was close to our hotel. That was the good news. The bad news was that whilst close as the crow flies, the walk to the hotel was pretty much straight up hill. With the kids all complaining, due to the heat and weight of the luggage, (thankfully all on wheels,) memories of our arrival into Venice flashed before our eyes. Not a taxi in sight, we got there in the end, but only just. A taxi from the station, would have been great had we known, but it's the unknown that creates the journey of travelling I guess...

The City:

Despite the absence of the odd motor bike helmet, we found Athens to be modern, exciting and very cosmopolitan. Every second shop keeper had either been to Australia or lived in Melbourne, so we felt right at home and very safe despite my earlier preconceptions. It was a busy, and exciting city where English was spoken just about everywhere. It was filled with ruins, museums, great shops, and very friendly locals.

The white urban sprawl of greater Athens right up to the surrounding hills

The busy streets of the city centre, boasting many motorcyclists without helmets

Our Hotel:

The view from our breakfast table (at St George Labetticus Hotel) each morning,

with the Acropolis in the background

Closer view of the Parthenon on the Acropolis plateau from our table

Sunset over the urban skyline

The St George Lycabeticus Hotel was set up on Lycbeticus Hill with a wonderful view all over Athens, including the plateau of the Acropolis. The view from both the pool on the roof and the breakfast terrace was amazing. It gave you the feeling you were looking over the entire city. Apart from our interconnected room not being available until night two of our three night stay, the hotel was a real find. The kids loved the pool which was a relief after a long hot day of walking the tourist trail.

Once we'd been introduced to the metro system we found getting around very easy. Our first stop was the ruins of the Acropolis, having marvelled at it from a distance over breakfast our first morning. Besides, we couldn't contain Mitchell any longer....

The Ruins:

We got the metro to Monastariki station, near the Flea Markets, at the foot of the hill up to the Ancient Agora. After a quick sticky beak in all the various souvenir shops and sandal shops, we headed for the top. Noting the ruins of Hadrian's Library and the poor, hot, dog that had snuck in through the fencing to take refuge in the shade afforded by the remaining coloumns. The appearance of dogs at many sites became a regular feature of Athens. Upwards we went despite the 30 degree heat and our inappropriate footware, until we came to the Parthenon and the Temple of Athena Nike. Obligatory photos taken despite the presence of cranes and scaffolding, we also took in the Odeum of Herodes and The Theatre of Dionyosis and the Erachtheion, under the direction of our Tour Director Mitchell, armed with his book.

Tour Guide Mitch is on the case with his "Now and Then Book"

The Parthenon at the Acropolis, that apparently is under scaffolding year round
in an attempt to maintain it

Odeum of Herodes

Mitch in front of Erachtheion

Cassi turning rocks to further her school Ant's Project above the Temple of Dyonosis
Steve and the kids at the Parthenon. As with Neuschwanstein it was covered in scaffolding

Mitch at the Theatre of Dyonosis
Night view of the Parthenon from our hotel

Flea Market:

Cassidy trying a giant sandal on for size.....
Sandals stores abound

Museums:

We visited the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, which was a short bus ride up town. We chose to use the Red "Hop On and Off Bus" taking in the sights under cover in the rain on the way. We enjoyed seeing all kinds of treasures, but were more than a little put off by the officious museum staff. Any time our children looked slightly interested in a particular display, they'd pounce on them, before they'd even had a chance to get up close to something safe behind a glass cabinet. This did dampen their enthusiasm eventually, so we decided to give it away prematurely despite the wide variety of the exhibitions. Highlights of our stay included the bronze statue of Poseiden, (they think,) Argamemnon's Death Mask and the many artefacts from Minoan Crete which dated back to 2500 BC. This was a special treat for me, having studied many of the pieces for my HSC all those years ago. We didn't get to the New Acropolis Museum, but talking to people that did afterwards, we should have. Maybe they would have been more encouraging of furthering a childs interest in history....

Mitch we later found out was breaking Museum rules by posing in front of a statue of The Poseidon

Brass statue of The Horse and Jockey from Artemsion

News from Home:

At 1am the night before leaving Athens for Olympia, we received the call everyone dreads when away from family on the other side of the world. Dad had, had a bleed to the brain and was in ICU back in the Gold Coast. The next twelve hours were really difficult as we tried to sort out what to do in between all the emotion. With our car & extra luggage back in Vienna, bulk belongings still in Melanie's attic in the UK and no long term address for a time, this heartbreaking news had come at a difficult time for us to respond to quickly. The choice was for all five of us to go back or me to go leaving my family between stops in Greece, not a comforting thought.

It was also Sunday in Greece which would have made things difficult either way. We decided to spend the next 24 hours in Olympia giving us time to contact Judy (our travel agent back home,) on Monday morning Sydney time. This proved to be the right decision as she was quickly able to secure flights for Cassidy and I to fly from Athens, leaving Steve, Sheri and Mitch to go onto Santorini as planned.

We saw Olympia in the end, much to Mitchell's appreciation, but through a kind of veil as our minds were elsewhere.

(Dad,6 weeks and two operations later, is now thankfully at home and recovering well.)

Ancient Olympia:

We arrived into Olympia more than a little jaded. We got lost getting there, as the SAT NAV took us on an unused road, getting into our hotel just on dinner time. Next morning we were up early planning to do our run around the ruins and clear out as quickly as we could for the drive back to Athens. Apart from the American Tour group that had left early that morning, we were now the only people left in the hotel. We were mostly packed up which was a blessing because it meant we were ready to react to the crisis that unfolded.

Things were quiet downstairs until I heard the staff all running around and shouting in Greek. Seeing one of them with a fire extinguisher, I went upstairs to see what all the commotion was about only to see smoke bellowing in through the windows in the foyer outside our room. I yelled for Steve and the kids to get out. We grabbed our luggage and literally ran out of the hotel, packing our bags by the car out front. The firetrucks came and attended the fire which apparently had started in the kitchen below our room. The thing that really got me was that although it was a small fire no one had told us what was going on in English. The good news was that all was well in the end but, on the back of Dad's news, it was all pretty stressful to say the least - we were running on adrenalin.

One of two fire trucks
Packing the car out front next to the firetrucks

Ruins at Ancient Olympia:

With a car packed full (which wasn't the plan,) we arrived at Ancient Olympia, in the heat, in order to see what we'd come to see. There were quite a lot of other tourists there, most of them with guides. We didn't have this, but we did have Mitchell and his book - a real edge in our opinion. We saw the remains of the Temple of Zeus, the Gymnasium, the first Olympic Stadium, the Bath Houses, Echo Hall, the Palestra and the site where they light the flame to begin the Olympic torch relay.

Part of the remaining coloumns of the Palestra (area where athletes gathered)

The original Olympic Stadium where we all raced each other -

(Mitch took on the gate of Forest Gump, under our shouts of "Run, Forest Run!")
Kids at the arch of the Olympic Stadium

Remains of the Temple of Zeus

Hillside town on the way back to Athens

We left Olympia and headed back to Athens to prepare for us all going our seperate ways for the first time in ten months....

One of the many religious shrines adorning the road between Athens and Olympia
Stopping Traffic! One of the many hazards adorning the road - Goat herder on the move...

It's all Greek to me?

Next Blog Update - October

Week 1:

-Australian Gold Coast (Julie and Cassidy)

-Santorini (Steve, Sheri & Mitch)

Week 2: Santorini (all)

Week 3: Vienna (Austria)

Week 4: Lake Como (Italy)