SZOMBATHELY
On May 3rd
we left from Budapest to Szombathely, 2 ½ hours west on the M1 and M86. We
arrived a bit after one to the Park Hotel Pelikán. It is quirky property, a
modern glass entrance stuck onto a 1900’s building; the rooms were in need of
refurbishment.
We had been
to this north-western city in the past. It has a Roman history from 43 CE as an
important staging area for the amber trade from the Baltics to Italy. After World War I and the Treaty of
Trianon, Hungary lost much of its western territories to Austria. This placed
Szombathely only ten kilometers from the new state border, so it ceased to be
the center of Western Hungary. To make matters worse, during World War II, the
city had strategic value because of its rail infrastructure and aerodrome. It
was thus bombed heavily by the Allied forces, seriously damaged and slow to
recover.
Still, we visited the very picturesque
Szombathely Cathedral and Fó ter, the main square of the city. But our main
reason for this re-visit was to further investigate my wife Judith’s short
history
with this place – she lived here when she was two years old, perhaps
for a year or a bit more. Judith also returned for a month after the Hungarian
Revolution in the summer of 1957.
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| St Márton's Cemetery |
Our scouting found the house that she
lived in on Hunyadi János ut. Miraculously, we also discovered the grave site
of her grandfather and grandmother on her father’s side, as well as a great
uncle and an aunt in the historic St. Márton’s Cemetery. These were emotional days
to say the least; many more mysteries remain in her intricate family puzzle.
So it was a productive two days, and after
breakfast we checked out of the Park Hotel Pelikán and were off to Graz.
GRAZ, AUSTRIA
Graz, the capital of the Styria region, is
two hours and 125 kilometers west of Szombathely. We checked into Hotel
Schlossberg, a well situated, nice property facing the River Mur which bisects
the city on a north-south axis. Like
most European cities with roots in the Middle Ages, Graz is dominated by an
easily defended promontory. Known here as the Schlossburg; its steep hillsides
rise 400 meters above the Mur and the old town, the Altstadt.
After
unpacking we took the modern funicular, the Schlossbergbahn, to the leafy
Schlossberg, with its pleasant pathways and wonderful views. A nice lunch was
had at Restaurant Schlossberg – tuna carpaccio with Asian spiced vegetable
rolls. It was then off to explore; visiting the 1588 Bell
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| Clock Tower |
Dinner was
at Gasthhaus Stainzerbauer on Bürgergasse, 4; well prepared veal with white
asparagus – perfectly in season. A leisurely stroll home, a nightcap at the bar
and we were to sleep.
Up to a
sunny morning, it was out to see the rest of the city. Graz’s old town spreads
south
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| Graz's Town Hall |
Hauptplatz
empties south onto the wide boulevard of Herrengasse. Turning right one enters
Landhausgasse and the Landhaus, a masterpiece Italian Renaissance building that
hosts the regional parliament. The inner courtyards, open to the public, are a
tranquil oasis of round arches and arcades. Lunch was here at the Café Sacher
Graz – very relaxed.
After lunch
we continued touring by backtracking through Hauptplatz and heading uphill on
Sporgasse to another wide pedestrian street, Hofgasse. Right at its entrance
there is a splendid wooden shop façade housing a delicious confectionary,
Hofbäkerei Edegger-Tax. Further on is the
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| Cathedral |
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| Double Spiral Staircase |
The
timeless beauty of the eastern bank of the Mur is starkly in contrast to the west. Two postmodern structures, in my opinion, jolt the cityscape. I’m sure
city planners and their architects had the best intensions. The first, Murinsel,
installed in the river in 2003, is the work of New Yorker Vito Acconci. It is
like a
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| Murinsel |
Dinner was
at Welscher Stubn, Schmiedgasse, 5-7; good food but so-so service. We strolled
back to the hotel on the now quiet streets, had a quick glass of wine at the bar
and were off to bed.
SALZKAMMERGUT LAKES
We were up
to a pleasant morning for our 2 ½ hours’ drive northwest to the Salzkammergut
Lakes region, about 20 kilometres east of Salzberg. It is a picturesque area
with over 70 lakes, quaint
villages and breath taking scenery. Our home for the next few days is at Schloss
Fuschl on the southern shore of Fuschlsee. This hotel castle is an exquisite
property consisting of 110 rooms, suites and guest cottages with a full range
of amenities, including an excellent spa. The walls are adorned with old
masters that would make any museum jealous. We settled into our room, number
111, and afterwards had a relaxing lunch on the terrace.
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| Terrace - Schloss Fuschl |
After lunch
we were back in the car to explore along route 158; our first stop was St.
Gilgen on the south eastern shore of the St. Wolfgangsee. A quick visit and we
were off to the northern shore and St. Wolfgang. This village is known for its
beautiful 15th century pilgrimage church of its
namesake St.
Wolfgang. Michael Pacher’s high altar is acclaimed as one of the most stunning
works of the late Gothic era. The town is delightful.
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| Michael Pacher's Altar - St. Wolfgang |
We were
back to the hotel late afternoon and settled on the courtyard terrace for a
glass of wine. As we were finishing, a fast moving storm barrelled through;
typical of this area. Dinner was in the inside restaurant but still facing the
lake. The food was typically Austrian and not too inspiring; we were annoyed by
a very spoiled and misbehaved Russian girl a nearby table; grumbling parents
oblivious. After a nightcap in the bar, we were off to sleep.
On our
second day we drove again on Route 158 south and then east on 145 to reach the
village of Hallstätt on Hallstättersee; the Dashstein massif providing a
beautiful backdrop. The blue sky and cumulus
clouds presented us a postcard
view. Our first stop was to the funicular that travels up over 500 meters to
perhaps the oldest known salt mine in the world, dating to 3000 BCE. There have
been many Iron Age finds here, so much so that this Celtic period (800 – 400
BCE) is sometimes referred to as the Hallstatt civilization.
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| Hallstätt |
The town
below grips tenuously to the cliff side, some streets are only accessible from the lakeside. We walked the pretty web of lanes, visiting the Pfarrkirche, a 15th century church with a wonderful altarpiece sometimes compared to Pacher’s in
St. Wolfgang. After a quick break, we were off to Bad Ischl.
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| Pfarrkirche - Hallstätt |
Bad Ischl
is known for its saltwater springs. The rivers Traun and Ischl come together
here; the riverbanks blend seamlessly into the town. In the 1800s Archduchess
Sophie seemingly cured her infertility because of the treatments at Bad Ischl;
her most famous offspring was Franz Joseph I. He spent holidays with this wife
Elizabeth at their residence here, Kaiservilla, now a museum.
Juxtaposed
against the healing powers of its spas, Bad Ischl is also where the declaration
of war against Serbia was signed on August 1, 1914 – thus unleashing the death
and destruction of World War One; a strange historical footnote.
After some
cakes at Café Pfarrgrasse we were back off to Schloss Fuschl, arriving late
afternoon. We reviewed our day over a bottle of wine on the sunny courtyard
terrace. Dinner was at the hotel; tonight largely abandoned except for
ourselves.
LINZ, AUSTRIA – ČESKÝ
KRUMLOV, CZECH REPUBLIC
We were up to a nice day and got an early
start to Linz, 1 ½ hours northeast of Fuschlsee, and checked into Park Inn –
Radisson. After a quick unpack, we were out to explore. In a few words, Linz
isn’t worth the trip. We were a short walk to Landstrasse and the city’s main
square, Hauptplatz. Everything here seemed bland and tired; the churches,
monuments; even the city hall. The Baroque Plague Column center stage in the
Hautplatz was an appropriate image for the state of Linz.
We had a nondescript lunch and continued
our walk to the Danube, and then returned to the hotel late afternoon. Dinner
was at the Radisson.
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| Český Krumlov Castle |
The following morning after a proletariat breakfast of which Lenin would be pround, were out and on our way to Český Krumlov, a short hour’s drive north into the Czech Republic. This well preserved Medieval town was founded in the 13th century under the Rožmberk Dynasty, which ruled here until the 1600s.
A UNESCO site since 1992, the town is
knotted inside the snaking path of the Vltava River, with the castle set upon
the promitory. The second largest in the Republic
after Prague, it consists of
five main complexes that tier upward from the main gate to the castle gardens.
The architecture veers between flashy and gloomy, etched in typical Bohemian
sgraffito, but the overall effect is pleasing. There are even bears wandering
in the moat. Unfortunately, many of the rooms were closed for a film shoot.
Leaving the castle, we stopped at the nearby Latrán area and the Minorite
Monastery.
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| Český Krumlov |
It was then over one of the many wooden
bridges to the old town, Vnitřni Mĕsto, and its
immense market square, Námĕsti Svornosti.
It is ringed with Gothic and Renaissance façades and in its the center, the
“mandatory” plague column with fountain. Neighboring the square is the Church
of St. Vitus, whose lofty towers seem to counterbalance the Krumlov Castle
above. A triple-aisled Gothic edifice of imposing height, it is one of the
oldest examples of net vaulting in Europe.
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| Námĕsti Svornosti |
After a late lunch on the balcony of Hotel
Ruže, originally a 16th century Jesuit college, we dragged ourselves
back to the car and to Linz. At dinner we decided to cut our stay in Linz by a
day and head back to Budapest.
ST. FLORIAN
We checked out early from the Radisson and
resolved to make one more stop on the way home. St. Florian is only 30 minutes
south of Linz and not much out of our way. A magnificent
Augustine abbey and
church were built on this site in the 11th century to honor the
martyrdom of St. Florian in 304. A complex of buildings, each a Baroque masterpiece,
surround a large courtyard. Highlights of our well-presented tour were the
library, with its collection of 140,000 volumes; designed by the renowned Jakob
Prandtauer, the Marble Hall, and the abbey church with its Anton Bruckner organ
and airy stained glass. Words cannot begin to describe the beauty here.
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| Anton Bruckner Organ |
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| Marble Hall Ceiling |
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| Library |
By early afternoon we were back to the car. It was an uneventful four hour drive back to Budapest as we savored our week of memories.
