Graz

Don't throw that baby down the well!

A bench for one

The clock tower atop the Schlossberg -- the symbol of Graz

The alien building in the background is the contemporary art museum.

Clowning around

After two nights in Linz, we took a bus a couple hours south through the Alps to Graz, a city on the swift-moving Mur river with a fortress-topped hill that dominates the old town. Schön!

JR now knows the word funicular. I think was like the sixth one we took on this trip. In addition to the castle-topped hill overlooking the city, Graz has a beautifully preserved old town and has a small town feel despite actually being Austria's second-largest city.

Linz, Austria

Profile sticker of Jill and JR at the museum

Petting a therapeutic seal robot at the museum.  These are used in Japan to help people with dementia. 

Street performer festival

At the Porsche exhibit..  I asked JR which one he wanted and he picked this Carrera GT (MSRP $440,000)

So, now for the bonus portion of our trip!

Linz was first up, because it wasn't too far from Vienna. It's a interesting city -- a little off the tourist radar, but worth a visit. The city was formerly primarily an industrial center, but has developed a thriving technology economy and has a vibrant, up-to-date feel. It was named a European capital of culture in 2009.

Perhaps the coolest sight was the Ars Electronica Museum, which is basically a very hands-on technology museum. Very cool -- among other things I saw 3D printing for the first time. Wow.

There was also a street performer festival that weekend throughout the downtown and a Porsche exhibit at one of the local museums. Linz is a happening place!

Vienna in summertime

At Prater amusement park

Schoenbrunn zoo

Monkey family

"Cheeeeeeese!"

Another picture at Schoenbrunn Palace

We spent three nights in Vienna. Since the last time we were there was in December, we wanted to visit several outdoor sights that are better suited to summertime sightseeing.

The first day we went to Prater, an amusement park on the east side of the Danube. JR really liked this car ride. He specifically requested the car that looked like Fin McMissile. The next day we went to the zoo at Schönbrunnen -- the oldest zoo in the world, so they say, founded in 1752. And very pretty to boot, being located on the imperial palace grounds and all. The last two pictures are also from Schönbrunnen, the summer residence of the Hapsburgs. It's as big as the principality of Monaco. How 'bout that fun fact?

Salzburg (aka, The Sound of Music tour)

The lake where the scenes behind the house were shot

The gazebo from the movie

In Mirabellgarten -- the steps from do-ray-mi

Another movie location in Mirabellgarten

And another movie location..  You get the idea.  :)

So, I survived. It wasn't as bad as I had feared. I don't think there'll be any long term psychological damage..

Of course I'm talking about the Sound of Music tour. Four hours on a bus with 60 other people singing "Do-re-mi". Every fighter pilot's worst nightmare, right?

In all seriousness, Salzburg was fun. And the Tour we took was a good tour. Here are some pictures from the locations that were in the movie. Captions will follow later. Enjoy!

Lake Bled

At the castle overlooking Lake Bled

Rowing out to the island in Lake Bled

The navigators

Getting around at Lake Bled

The beautifully manicured grounds that surround the lake

Continuing on, we drove back north from Croatia to Ljubljana, and left the car at our friends', Scott and Carolyn's house while Scott drove us up to Lake Bled. We're doing the Lake Bled and Austria parts by rail now. One, 'cause it's fun, and two, because, well, we're waiting on getting the brakes fixed on the car. Big adventure, right?

Lake Bled might be the most beautiful place on the face of the Earth. I haven't been to all the lakes in the world, but so far this is number one in my book. Sorry, Higgins Lake..

We rented bikes to get around, which worked out great except for getting up that first hill between our pension and the lake. I made it up the first day, but after that it was walking up..

At the lake, we biked around on the trail that circles the lake, we rowed out to the island in the middle of the lake one day, and we hiked up to the castle overlooking the lake another day. The weather was rainy one day so we spent the morning at an indoor pool in one of the big hotels on the lake. All in all it worked out great. Thank you, Slovenia, and thank you again, General Olmsted!

Punat, Croatia

Seafood dinner (for two)

Can you spot our car?

Swimming in the Adriatic -- it was pretty warm in the bay

All suited up

Sunset in Punat

The next stop on our trip was the small seaside village of Punat on the Croatian island of Krk. The seafood was great and the people were very nice.

There were a lot of German tourists there, probably spending six weeks there by the look of them. Lobster red being the look. We were spoken to in German about as often as English. Good practice!

The beaches were typical for Croatia -- pebbly and/or a concrete slab. No white sandy beaches like Florida. But, on the plus side the water was crystal clear and the surrounding hillsides just stunning. The best part of the apartment we rented was its balcony, which overlooked the water. Oh, and it was right next door to a gelato shop. What a place!

Ljubljana

Looking out from the castle in Ljubljana

Postojna caves

After taking the rail into the caves, we had a 45 min walking tour

The Pot -- a memorial trail marking where the occupying Italian Fascists fenced off the city from the countryside during WWII

After Budapest we spent two nights in Ljubljana, Slovenia, staying with our friends the Johnson's, fellow Olmsteders. They were cool enough to give us a tour of the city, including the lovely old town and the castle.

Slovenia is a beautiful country. We highly recommend it. Ljubljana is a relatively small city (quarter million or so), but is very pretty. And, like the rest of Slovenia that we've seen, it seems to be nestled in amongst scenic hills and mountains. On our way from Ljubljana to Croatia we visited the Postojna caves -- very cool. It has 5km of caves that you can tour, via a rail and on foot. A huge win -- thanks to Paweł, one of my Polish friends, for the suggestion.