shuttlebuggy

I just returned from Austria and was completely amazed with the beauty and grace in and around both Salzburg and Vienna - it was just awesome!
I wish to thank all on this site who helped me conquer the fear of the transatlantic flight - my first!
The day we flew out it was a miracle that I even made it to DC - my domestic little flight was horrible and hair raising to say the least - I feared what would come on the long haul leg of my trip over.
Even the pilot said we should have been grounded due to winds - it was not turbulent but it was a sideways and up and down roller coaster ride with lots of drop offs that plummeted - just terrifying....
Needless to say it was a relief to board the larger craft - and I only held on to the hope it just had to be better than what had just happened.
It was the most pleasant of surprises - smooth the entire time -I also feared claustrophobia - I did not have this. I also took a low dose Xanax prior that did not knock me out but helped keep me calmer.
I did drink alot of water the entire flight they kept offering it. And the food was VERY good - far better than I would have thought!
I thought it would come in disposable everything - but it actually had glass plates and side dishes with real silverware.
The breakfast was quite strange - though good - smoked salmon with I think cream cheese and a roll, some brie cheese and I think some kind of cold cut slices, muesili and yogurt, fruit juices and such - but after 10 days in Austria we found it the norm for breakfast fare.

The dinners going and coming were really nice - a curried chicken dish with asparagus, and then salmon with pasta. Hot rolls, salad and chocolate mousse.

The trip was just phenomenal - we started in a small village where my daughters school has a campus and then headed to another village in the mountains called Mariazell - breathtaking roads and scenery and the village was a traditional country Alps village.
We then went on to Melk, and then to Durnstein and hiked the castle ruins that overlook the Danube. The apricot brandy the town makes there was delicious with their "schokolade"

Then it was off to Salzburg where we did a hokey Sound of Music tour which ended up being really good - Mondsee and the Lakes region were great.
We saw the Hohensalzburg Fortress, and went to St. Peterskeller for a Mozart concert/operetta with dinner - featured arias from Don Giovanni. Salzburg was filled with old world charm.
From there it was Vienna - the archetecture here I could spend days on - the beauty fills the city.
I met an online friend in Demel coffee house which was filled with pastries and sweets! A wonderful meeting!
Then we went to an Oster Market (Easter) and found handmade things to take home.
We DID make it by train to Bratislava!!! I am going to tell about that in seperate message - I am glad we went and it ended up being the highlight of what my dh and dd talk about but we WERE foreigners in this city - we felt that impact like we had not in Austria. It was an adventure to be sure and I am glad we did it...
So again thank you ALL who wrote encouragements about taking the transatlantic - all your advice about plane travel really helped me.
I did take a "goodie" bag of things to do including an ipod which lasted the whole way. I cannot express how the preparation I made here with connecting with you all helped - I am most grateful!

Shuttlebuggy

ira

Glad you enjoyed your visit, S.

LCBoniti

Shuttlebuggy, thanks for the information. I am wondering what airline you took from DC and did you fly into Salzburg or Vienna?

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip.

LoveItaly

Hello shuttebuggy, I so remember your original thread and your concern about your flight to Europe.

How lovely to read your trip report and to know how well you did with your transatlantic flight. Good for you! Isn't that life, your short domestic flight was not a comfortable flight..but imagine it made you enjoy your long flight even more than you normally might have..comparisons can be a good thing!

I enjoyed reading with interest your activities and thoughts while you were in Austria. Thank you for taking the time to report back and for sharing your experiences. I wish you many more future trips shuttlebuggy.

shuttlebuggy

Dear LCBoniti -
We took a local carrier into DC (United) and then for the trip from DC to Vienna - we took Austrian Airlines

ira and LoveItaly - it was just awesome and hope you read my Brastislava post too!

A few things I forgot to mention - we went to Augustiner Brewary in Salzburg - they make the Lenten Brew from Ash Wed to Good Friday and though it is less alcohol it is good flavored beer.

The white wine (Reisling) was superb both in Vienna and Salzburg -we bought a bottle in Durnstein but as I said the Apricot or Marillenlikkor was just amazing - it was not clear but has pureed apricots in it and we brought some home to put over Vanilla Ice Cream as they did for a desert - too good!

Bought many things - especially the beautiful silken scarves everyone wears with gold thread embroidered in it - at the outside markets - in the boutiques and small stores they were 30 - 50€ and in the outside markets they were 7-10€ - huge difference on everything. I figured if the American dollar was not good I'd have to find ways around that!

We did a church tour in Vienna that was stunning - the organ music and the art inside these places was education in it self.

Lastly - the Jet Lag pills from Magellans DID work! I was not a believer but I took them going and my dh refused. I took as directed every 2 - 3 hours with lots of water and was able to stay up till about 8:30 the day we landed - so all day until I was real tired and then when I got up the next day - no problem at all.

Forgot to do it on the way home and paid - was jet lagged for about 2 days.

On long trips I will be taking them religiously.

bettyk

shuttlebuggy, isn't Mariazell lovely? I have many fond memories of going there on weekends when we lived in Vienna years ago. It was one of our favorite outings. The pilgrimage church is lovely and there was a great little place across from the church where we use to get ice cream! I remember we lived there during the time Pope John Paul II visited both Vienna and Mariazell.

Sounds like you had a great trip. We loved our time in Austria and visit often.

lincasanova

sounds like a great trip and to do it with your daughter, what memories!

shuttlebuggy

bettyk - I adored Mariazell - and there was an older man and his elderly wife that lived at the top of a high hill where the stations of the cross are literally in the back yard of his home. We saw that there was a sign leading to his house in order to see what we believed would be little scenes of the life of Christ.
Well we hiked the hill up from the village which was paved and windy - and out of breath at the top realized the shutters to the house were closed and it was the afternoon 2 hour period where everyone shuts down...
We were so disappointed - and figured what the heck - we will ring the doorbell and just see if they happen to be in -
Well they opened the shutters wide and the older women said in German - You come - You are welcome in - please wait...
The man let us in the bottom of his traditional Austrian home and it was filled with handcarved biblical figurines from wood and hand painted and places in this enormous diarama scene in real rock of all the scenes of the life and death of Christ - fascinating and some of them he had set in motion. This man explained with great pride that his father and his grandfather before him had carved the figures and they were passed down to show any and and all who pass by - they turn no one away...isn't that amazing?
All the people we met in this village were just charming- and if I could move and live in Austria - hands down that would be the town~ a plus - the ski lift cable car picks up in the very center of town to take you to the mountain - gotta love that too!

You visit there often - how lucky are you??????? WOW

lincasanova - it was filled with happy memories that I will forever cherish!