The Boomer and the Gen-Zer: A trip of firsts
Jan 8th, 2020, 08:38 AM
#41
Thanks Macross.
No, I didn't buy anything from the markets. I've been visiting Germany at Christmas for years so I have a box full of ornaments in the basement. We never put up trees anymore since we tend to travel at Christmas so I'm thinking about unloading my collection, but some are just too hard to part with. I used to collect gluhwein mugs too, but it got to be too much. We only have two left in the cupboard, some really cute ones from a visit to Schneeberg one year.
My niece, however did make a few purchases. She was really taken with some wool sheep pins a market vendor was selling in Rothenburg and bought a votive holder.
Yes, the ski ticket is a good deal. I'd done quite a bit of research as one year my spouse and I bought the wrong ticket and had trouble getting back down.
And yes, that cake was wunderbar!
Thanks for tuning in.
No, I didn't buy anything from the markets. I've been visiting Germany at Christmas for years so I have a box full of ornaments in the basement. We never put up trees anymore since we tend to travel at Christmas so I'm thinking about unloading my collection, but some are just too hard to part with. I used to collect gluhwein mugs too, but it got to be too much. We only have two left in the cupboard, some really cute ones from a visit to Schneeberg one year.
My niece, however did make a few purchases. She was really taken with some wool sheep pins a market vendor was selling in Rothenburg and bought a votive holder.
Yes, the ski ticket is a good deal. I'd done quite a bit of research as one year my spouse and I bought the wrong ticket and had trouble getting back down.
And yes, that cake was wunderbar!
Thanks for tuning in.
Jan 8th, 2020, 09:43 AM
#42
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I may just fly to Germany for that cake. Just kidding, but only a little. 
The walk of the town walls seems like a great way to get a lay of the land and see a lot. I did something similar in Oberwesel and it was very enjoyable.
The walk of the town walls seems like a great way to get a lay of the land and see a lot. I did something similar in Oberwesel and it was very enjoyable.
Jan 8th, 2020, 11:01 AM
#44
Dec 21 – Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Innsbruck
We walked across the parking lot to reception, leaving our luggage outside while we went in for breakfast, which began promptly at 8. Soon thereafter we said goodbye to our host and rolled our luggage across the cobblestones of Rothenburg one last time.
We reached the Bahnhof with plenty of time to spare before our 9:06 am train to Innsbruck. Once again we traveled via Steinach with its four minute change and two sets of stairs, everyone in a mad rush to make the connecting train to Treuchtingen, which was all for naught as the train wasn’t yet there.
The ride to Treuchtingen took about an hour - there were a couple of guys on our train eating pretzels and drinking beer, one of them clutching a beer in each hand, we must be in Bavaria!
We had a 25 minute layover in Munich Pasing where we connected with our train to Innsbruck.
This would be another train that split; the train diagram on the platform indicted that Section C went to Innsbruck so we waited there. As our train approached, the sign announcing our train’s arrival indicated that those going to Innsbruck should board at Section B, so we moved there.
The train arrived; I checked the train number on the side of the carriage and boarded. It was packed! I mean packed! No place to sit, baby carriages and luggage everywhere. As the train pulled out I noticed the sign overhead - Reutte in Tirol. Hmmmm. No announcements for upcoming stops. Uh-oh.
I looked at the map above the carriage door. Double uh-oh. We were on the wrong end of the train. The conductor came through, I verified, yep, wrong end, we needed to get off in Garmisch and skedaddle on up to the front of the train. How the hell did that happen? I checked!
The conductor was annoyed that so many of us were standing up while inconsiderate passengers were using seats for their luggage. She made several of them move, freeing seats for actual people. She told us there were plenty of seats further on, so we gathered our luggage and moved down a few carriages, eventually finding a couple of seats. There were still no announcements, so we counted the stops to Garmisch, got off and hightailed it to the front of the train. Crisis averted.
I told K it was all part of the adventure.
Note: Bayern tickets are only good within Bavaria, which covered us to Mittenwald aboard regional trains.
Before leaving the US, I’d purchased a Flexpass Europa ticket as well, which covered us from Mittenwald to Innsburck (€22.60). I wasn’t sure if I could purchase a Flexpass Europa ticket at the Rothenburg ob der Tauber station, so I chose to play it safe.
We arrived in Innsbruck some six hours after leaving Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
The GPS led us to our Air BNB, our luggage rumbling behind us through the cobblestone streets of Old Town, through the Christmas Market and across the bridge over the Inn River, some 25 minutes from the train station and about 10 minutes from Old Town. And of course there were hills involved, as I seem incapable of finding Air BNBs that don’t involve hills.
I’d selected this apartment in a 400 year old Tyrolean building hoping to give K a taste of old world Austria and because it was in a quiet location, away from the noise of the city. It was comfortable, well equipped and a bit quirky with more space than we’d had previously. K loved it. ($418 for four nights).
We immediately ran back out to the nearest grocery store to pick up breakfast provisions and snacks...tomorrow was Sunday…this was Austria…grocery stores would be closed (although we did see an open grocery store in Old Town).
There were two Indian restaurants near our apartment, one of which was on my short list. We were hungry, we headed there, but it was closed, so on to the second option - Rama Indian - where we had an early, but rather disappointing meal. Well, disappointing for me, K said she enjoyed it (or maybe she was just being nice). We shared Butter Chicken (which was sweet, ick) and a so-so Dahl Makhani, garlic naan, and sparkling water, €27. It did the trick.
We didn’t dally, as we had a date with Escape9876 (from Trip Advisor) and her daughter, who is close in age to K. They live in Australia and we’d planned to meet up at Invinum, a tiny wine bar in the Markethalle near Old Town.
I was surprised to find the Markethalle deserted and dark, everything closed except for a few cafes. We were the only customers in the wine bar, which seemed odd as this was a Saturday. The last time I was here every table in the six table establishment was occupied.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Escape9876 and her daughter and we had a nice, albeit short, evening as we were knackered from our long travel day.
To be continued...
We walked across the parking lot to reception, leaving our luggage outside while we went in for breakfast, which began promptly at 8. Soon thereafter we said goodbye to our host and rolled our luggage across the cobblestones of Rothenburg one last time.
We reached the Bahnhof with plenty of time to spare before our 9:06 am train to Innsbruck. Once again we traveled via Steinach with its four minute change and two sets of stairs, everyone in a mad rush to make the connecting train to Treuchtingen, which was all for naught as the train wasn’t yet there.
The ride to Treuchtingen took about an hour - there were a couple of guys on our train eating pretzels and drinking beer, one of them clutching a beer in each hand, we must be in Bavaria!
We had a 25 minute layover in Munich Pasing where we connected with our train to Innsbruck.
This would be another train that split; the train diagram on the platform indicted that Section C went to Innsbruck so we waited there. As our train approached, the sign announcing our train’s arrival indicated that those going to Innsbruck should board at Section B, so we moved there.
The train arrived; I checked the train number on the side of the carriage and boarded. It was packed! I mean packed! No place to sit, baby carriages and luggage everywhere. As the train pulled out I noticed the sign overhead - Reutte in Tirol. Hmmmm. No announcements for upcoming stops. Uh-oh.
I looked at the map above the carriage door. Double uh-oh. We were on the wrong end of the train. The conductor came through, I verified, yep, wrong end, we needed to get off in Garmisch and skedaddle on up to the front of the train. How the hell did that happen? I checked!
The conductor was annoyed that so many of us were standing up while inconsiderate passengers were using seats for their luggage. She made several of them move, freeing seats for actual people. She told us there were plenty of seats further on, so we gathered our luggage and moved down a few carriages, eventually finding a couple of seats. There were still no announcements, so we counted the stops to Garmisch, got off and hightailed it to the front of the train. Crisis averted.
I told K it was all part of the adventure.
Note: Bayern tickets are only good within Bavaria, which covered us to Mittenwald aboard regional trains.
Before leaving the US, I’d purchased a Flexpass Europa ticket as well, which covered us from Mittenwald to Innsburck (€22.60). I wasn’t sure if I could purchase a Flexpass Europa ticket at the Rothenburg ob der Tauber station, so I chose to play it safe.
We arrived in Innsbruck some six hours after leaving Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
The GPS led us to our Air BNB, our luggage rumbling behind us through the cobblestone streets of Old Town, through the Christmas Market and across the bridge over the Inn River, some 25 minutes from the train station and about 10 minutes from Old Town. And of course there were hills involved, as I seem incapable of finding Air BNBs that don’t involve hills.
I’d selected this apartment in a 400 year old Tyrolean building hoping to give K a taste of old world Austria and because it was in a quiet location, away from the noise of the city. It was comfortable, well equipped and a bit quirky with more space than we’d had previously. K loved it. ($418 for four nights).
We immediately ran back out to the nearest grocery store to pick up breakfast provisions and snacks...tomorrow was Sunday…this was Austria…grocery stores would be closed (although we did see an open grocery store in Old Town).
There were two Indian restaurants near our apartment, one of which was on my short list. We were hungry, we headed there, but it was closed, so on to the second option - Rama Indian - where we had an early, but rather disappointing meal. Well, disappointing for me, K said she enjoyed it (or maybe she was just being nice). We shared Butter Chicken (which was sweet, ick) and a so-so Dahl Makhani, garlic naan, and sparkling water, €27. It did the trick.
We didn’t dally, as we had a date with Escape9876 (from Trip Advisor) and her daughter, who is close in age to K. They live in Australia and we’d planned to meet up at Invinum, a tiny wine bar in the Markethalle near Old Town.
I was surprised to find the Markethalle deserted and dark, everything closed except for a few cafes. We were the only customers in the wine bar, which seemed odd as this was a Saturday. The last time I was here every table in the six table establishment was occupied.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Escape9876 and her daughter and we had a nice, albeit short, evening as we were knackered from our long travel day.
To be continued...
Jan 8th, 2020, 11:28 AM
#45
Wow, just wow. ........“Clueless tourists, cliched itineraries, no taste”
I can assure you I have never rushed to see an altarpiece. Clueless tourist, that would be me, then.
Delightful holidays...every one.
Please continue, Mel.....for those of us enjoying your travels.
I can assure you I have never rushed to see an altarpiece. Clueless tourist, that would be me, then.
Delightful holidays...every one.
Please continue, Mel.....for those of us enjoying your travels.
Jan 8th, 2020, 12:02 PM
#46
December 22 – Innsbruck
The first order of business was laundry (I’d intentionally booked an Air BNB with laundry facilities so we could do laundry mid-trip). That sorted, we headed out into the cold wet day with our sights on Schloss Ambras, which my research indicated was accessible via bus 4134, so we set out on the 25 minute walk to the train station.
Our walk led us right past Swarovski; we went inside to investigate and spent quite a bit of time there. The Everyday Life exhibit that I’d so enjoyed during a short visit to Innsbruck last December was still on display; K seemed to get a kick out of it as well.
Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski
We set out for the train station again, but then got seduced by the tempting offerings in the display window at Manna; resistance was futile. We made ourselves comfortable and sampled the cappuccino, Stracciatella cake and macarons (€15). The place was hoping, the workers running full tilt, the goods delicious.
We eventually made it to the train station and waited about 25 minutes for the 4134 bus (€6.20 for both of us, one way).
Note: I had planned on purchasing a 48 hour Innsbruck card for €50 each, with the intention of using it for the Alpine Zoo/Hungerburgbahn/Nordkettenbahen combo, which at €43 each and combined with buses and various other attractions would make the card a good deal.
But because the Nordkettenbahen was the big ticket item and the weather forecast was for two days of complete shite, I didn’t see the point.
Once at Ambras, we took the self-guided tour and explored the grounds which took us about two hours. I found the Spanish Hall and the atrium the most interesting parts of the Schloss; we both enjoyed the peacocks. (€8 adults, €6 students).
Schloss Ambras
Schloss Ambras - symmetry is overrated
Schloss Ambras
There appeared to be walking tracks nearby, which I’d have liked to explore as well, but the weather was just too crummy.
https://www.schlossambras-innsbruck.at/
After a cold 30 minute wait for the bus (€6.20), we returned to the Innsbruck train station where we popped into a nearby kebab shop (Elfi) for a quick late lunch, chicken kebab for me, chicken pita for K, both very good and quite the deal at €8.80.
We returned to the apartment to pick up warmer coats and then walked back to Old Town to watch the 5 pm Christ Child parade that I’d run across during my research.
Christ Child parade - Accompanied by a host of shepherds, angels, sheep and more than 600 children, the Christ Child makes his way in his magnificent carriage from the Maria-Theresien-Strasse via the Marktgraben to the State Theatre.
We found an opening at the curb and stood and waited…and waited…and waited…some 30 minutes in the cold rain. The parade finally came by – seemingly every kid in Innsbruck, plus sheep and musicians. As parades go there wasn’t much too it, although I can only imagine the logistics involved corralling all those kids and sheep.
Christ Child parade
Afterwards we wandered through the Christmas Market, heaving on this Fourth Sunday of Advent despite the cold rain.
Wandering
Christmas Market
K had seen people wandering around with spiraled potatoes on sticks (kartoffelspieß) and wanted to give one a try, so we joined the long, slow moving queue at one of the Christmas Market kiosks and waited our turn (€5). The preparation was labor intensive, the customers many, it took a while, but she finally got one (and liked it).
Line for Kartoffelspieß
Kartoffelspieß - in random stranger's hand
We wandered some more, took a gazillion photos and eventually worked our way back to the apartment, where we warmed our cold bones with hot chocolate.
To be continued...
The first order of business was laundry (I’d intentionally booked an Air BNB with laundry facilities so we could do laundry mid-trip). That sorted, we headed out into the cold wet day with our sights on Schloss Ambras, which my research indicated was accessible via bus 4134, so we set out on the 25 minute walk to the train station.
Our walk led us right past Swarovski; we went inside to investigate and spent quite a bit of time there. The Everyday Life exhibit that I’d so enjoyed during a short visit to Innsbruck last December was still on display; K seemed to get a kick out of it as well.
Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski
We set out for the train station again, but then got seduced by the tempting offerings in the display window at Manna; resistance was futile. We made ourselves comfortable and sampled the cappuccino, Stracciatella cake and macarons (€15). The place was hoping, the workers running full tilt, the goods delicious.
We eventually made it to the train station and waited about 25 minutes for the 4134 bus (€6.20 for both of us, one way).
Note: I had planned on purchasing a 48 hour Innsbruck card for €50 each, with the intention of using it for the Alpine Zoo/Hungerburgbahn/Nordkettenbahen combo, which at €43 each and combined with buses and various other attractions would make the card a good deal.
But because the Nordkettenbahen was the big ticket item and the weather forecast was for two days of complete shite, I didn’t see the point.
Once at Ambras, we took the self-guided tour and explored the grounds which took us about two hours. I found the Spanish Hall and the atrium the most interesting parts of the Schloss; we both enjoyed the peacocks. (€8 adults, €6 students).
Schloss Ambras
Schloss Ambras - symmetry is overrated
Schloss Ambras
There appeared to be walking tracks nearby, which I’d have liked to explore as well, but the weather was just too crummy.
https://www.schlossambras-innsbruck.at/
After a cold 30 minute wait for the bus (€6.20), we returned to the Innsbruck train station where we popped into a nearby kebab shop (Elfi) for a quick late lunch, chicken kebab for me, chicken pita for K, both very good and quite the deal at €8.80.
We returned to the apartment to pick up warmer coats and then walked back to Old Town to watch the 5 pm Christ Child parade that I’d run across during my research.
Christ Child parade - Accompanied by a host of shepherds, angels, sheep and more than 600 children, the Christ Child makes his way in his magnificent carriage from the Maria-Theresien-Strasse via the Marktgraben to the State Theatre.
We found an opening at the curb and stood and waited…and waited…and waited…some 30 minutes in the cold rain. The parade finally came by – seemingly every kid in Innsbruck, plus sheep and musicians. As parades go there wasn’t much too it, although I can only imagine the logistics involved corralling all those kids and sheep.
Christ Child parade
Afterwards we wandered through the Christmas Market, heaving on this Fourth Sunday of Advent despite the cold rain.
Wandering
Christmas Market
K had seen people wandering around with spiraled potatoes on sticks (kartoffelspieß) and wanted to give one a try, so we joined the long, slow moving queue at one of the Christmas Market kiosks and waited our turn (€5). The preparation was labor intensive, the customers many, it took a while, but she finally got one (and liked it).
Line for Kartoffelspieß
Kartoffelspieß - in random stranger's hand
We wandered some more, took a gazillion photos and eventually worked our way back to the apartment, where we warmed our cold bones with hot chocolate.
To be continued...
Jan 8th, 2020, 12:40 PM
#47
This is for Lubitsch, from another clueless tourist who did not go inside this cathedral in Gößweinstein and view the altar, but still had a lovely day...
Sorry to interrupt your report, Mel, got me a bit cranky
Sorry to interrupt your report, Mel, got me a bit cranky
Jan 8th, 2020, 01:20 PM
#49
December 23 – Innsbruck
Unfortunately the weather forecast was spot on, we woke to more rain and cold, the visibility still too lousy to consider Nordkette; in fact, we’d yet to see the mountains surrounding Innsbruck, so K had to take my word for it that they were actually out there.
This is what I wanted her to see:
Innsbruck, December 2018
It seems I’d made the right decision regarding the Innsbruck Card.
I gave K a list of options to choose from and she chose the Alpenzoo for today’s outing, so we rugged up in our plastic and headed out.
The croissants we’d picked up at the grocery store for our breakfast weren’t very good, so we tossed them and went to the corner bakery for a proper croissant for me, a poppy seed sweet roll for K and cappuccinos for both. The bakery was packed with people, we barely found a place to sit.
My phone GPS then led us from the bakery to the Alpenzoo, up an incline and alongside the Parish Church of St Nicholas with its pretty cemetery, taking about 20 minutes.
Parish Church of St Nicholas
Parish Church of St Nicholas cemetery
Parish Church of St Nicholas cemetery
I’d been under the impression that we needed to take the Hungerburgbahn (funicular) to reach the zoo, but that’s not the case. The zoo can be reached on foot or via the Hungerburgbahn, which stops at the zoo and then continues up the mountain connecting with the Seegrubenbahn and the Hafelekarbahn.
Together they’re known as the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen, which transports visitors from the center of Innsbruck into the Karwendel Mountains in just 20 minutes.
Despite the miserable weather, we spent several hours at the zoo, covering it from end to end (€20 for both).
K has worked at a zoo for years and made a great guide – I learned quite a lot from her. The sun came out for about five minutes, giving me hope that maybe the trip up to the Nordkette would be viable, but it disappeared again, dashing my hopes.
Alpenzoo
Views from Alpenzoo
We took a break in the zoo’s restaurant, warming up with some surprisingly good hot chocolate (€7). A plus to visiting the zoo in the cold and wet - no crowds! We practically had the place to ourselves; K said she enjoyed how uncrowded it was.
Then it was back the way we’d come.
We continued walking across the river to Old Town and settled in for lunch at the Hard Rock Café – a first for K as she’d never heard of the place, which made me and my collection of Hard Rock Café shot glasses from across the world feel positively ancient. Knowing there was coffee and cake in our near future, we split an order of nachos and mineral water – very Austrian
(€22).
Hard Rock Cafe
K had her eye on a bracelet at Swarovski so we went back there and spent an inordinate amount of time looking at the rack of 50% off items. After making her purchase we sought out the City Tower, we’d decided our trip wouldn’t be complete without climbing at least one tower in every city we visited.
The Gothic City Tower, which once served as part of the old city hall stands some 51-meters high and is an important historical landmark in the Old Town.
Some 148 steps and €9 later we were looking down on some pretty impressive views of Innsbruck, all lit up in the dark; save one other person we had the observation deck to ourselves.
Stairs we'd come up
It was time for something sweet, so I consulted my short list of options and followed the GPS to Tyrol’s Oldest Confectionery, Café Munding, where we both ordered the hausschokolade, and because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, the haustorte (me) and the raspberry tart (k). We soon found ourselves up to our ears in whipped cream. I can think of worse (€20).
Cafe Munding
Cafe Munding
We then wandered back to our apartment, pausing to listen to the band playing beneath the Golden Roof, and stopping for photos en route. The streets were busy with shoppers, people everywhere.
Christmas Market
Christmas Market
Innsbruck after dark
It’d been another busy eight hour day of being a tourist, all of it wet, yet I felt that we’d barely scratched the surface of the lovely town of Innsbruck.
To be continued...
Unfortunately the weather forecast was spot on, we woke to more rain and cold, the visibility still too lousy to consider Nordkette; in fact, we’d yet to see the mountains surrounding Innsbruck, so K had to take my word for it that they were actually out there.
This is what I wanted her to see:
Innsbruck, December 2018
It seems I’d made the right decision regarding the Innsbruck Card.
I gave K a list of options to choose from and she chose the Alpenzoo for today’s outing, so we rugged up in our plastic and headed out.
The croissants we’d picked up at the grocery store for our breakfast weren’t very good, so we tossed them and went to the corner bakery for a proper croissant for me, a poppy seed sweet roll for K and cappuccinos for both. The bakery was packed with people, we barely found a place to sit.
My phone GPS then led us from the bakery to the Alpenzoo, up an incline and alongside the Parish Church of St Nicholas with its pretty cemetery, taking about 20 minutes.
Parish Church of St Nicholas
Parish Church of St Nicholas cemetery
Parish Church of St Nicholas cemetery
I’d been under the impression that we needed to take the Hungerburgbahn (funicular) to reach the zoo, but that’s not the case. The zoo can be reached on foot or via the Hungerburgbahn, which stops at the zoo and then continues up the mountain connecting with the Seegrubenbahn and the Hafelekarbahn.
Together they’re known as the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen, which transports visitors from the center of Innsbruck into the Karwendel Mountains in just 20 minutes.
Despite the miserable weather, we spent several hours at the zoo, covering it from end to end (€20 for both).
K has worked at a zoo for years and made a great guide – I learned quite a lot from her. The sun came out for about five minutes, giving me hope that maybe the trip up to the Nordkette would be viable, but it disappeared again, dashing my hopes.
Alpenzoo
Views from Alpenzoo
We took a break in the zoo’s restaurant, warming up with some surprisingly good hot chocolate (€7). A plus to visiting the zoo in the cold and wet - no crowds! We practically had the place to ourselves; K said she enjoyed how uncrowded it was.
Then it was back the way we’d come.
We continued walking across the river to Old Town and settled in for lunch at the Hard Rock Café – a first for K as she’d never heard of the place, which made me and my collection of Hard Rock Café shot glasses from across the world feel positively ancient. Knowing there was coffee and cake in our near future, we split an order of nachos and mineral water – very Austrian
(€22).Hard Rock Cafe
K had her eye on a bracelet at Swarovski so we went back there and spent an inordinate amount of time looking at the rack of 50% off items. After making her purchase we sought out the City Tower, we’d decided our trip wouldn’t be complete without climbing at least one tower in every city we visited.
The Gothic City Tower, which once served as part of the old city hall stands some 51-meters high and is an important historical landmark in the Old Town.
Some 148 steps and €9 later we were looking down on some pretty impressive views of Innsbruck, all lit up in the dark; save one other person we had the observation deck to ourselves.
Stairs we'd come up
It was time for something sweet, so I consulted my short list of options and followed the GPS to Tyrol’s Oldest Confectionery, Café Munding, where we both ordered the hausschokolade, and because there’s no such thing as too much chocolate, the haustorte (me) and the raspberry tart (k). We soon found ourselves up to our ears in whipped cream. I can think of worse (€20).
Cafe Munding
Cafe Munding
We then wandered back to our apartment, pausing to listen to the band playing beneath the Golden Roof, and stopping for photos en route. The streets were busy with shoppers, people everywhere.
Christmas Market
Christmas Market
Innsbruck after dark
It’d been another busy eight hour day of being a tourist, all of it wet, yet I felt that we’d barely scratched the surface of the lovely town of Innsbruck.
To be continued...
Jan 8th, 2020, 02:53 PM
#53
Definitely no shortage of sweets. I told myself I was going to stop for cake and coffee as often as I liked, and as you can see, I did, and I took K down with me, lol.
mms - where specifically are you off to?
mms - where specifically are you off to?
Jan 8th, 2020, 09:41 PM
#55
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As always, great photos, Mel! And you really did pack in quite a lot on each of your days.
But I did see something a bit troubling in your report.... In Germany, we do not use the washing machine, drier, run the vacuum, or wash cars on Sunday (or after 10 p.m.). Is it the same in Austria? Did anyone say anything to you? Did you have neighbors in the building?
Thanks again for posting your adventures and photos!
s
But I did see something a bit troubling in your report.... In Germany, we do not use the washing machine, drier, run the vacuum, or wash cars on Sunday (or after 10 p.m.). Is it the same in Austria? Did anyone say anything to you? Did you have neighbors in the building?
Thanks again for posting your adventures and photos!
s
Jan 9th, 2020, 01:01 AM
#56
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Wonderful report and pictures, Mel. Enjoyed reading about part of world I’ve never explored and may not get to. What interesting, fun-filled days for your niece. You are an excellent auntie, indeed!
Jan 9th, 2020, 04:15 AM
#57
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Originally Posted by swandav2000
But I did see something a bit troubling in your report.... In Germany, we do not use the washing machine, drier, run the vacuum, or wash cars on Sunday (or after 10 p.m.). Is it the same in Austria? Did anyone say anything to you? Did you have neighbors in the building?
While your rental contract or house rules (Hausordnung) may specify that you must not run your washing machine on sundays, this is not legally binding. If you have a loud, rumbling and rocking washing machine, you should not run it after 10pm or on sundays.
If you have a washer and dryer from this century which does not make much noise and lets the whole house know when the spin cycle is on, you can do your laundry more or less whenever you please (before 10pm, at least).
I always do my laundry on sundays, and when it's really quiet I can barely notice my upstairs neighbor doing her laundry at midnight. No one cares.
Washing your car (on street or in driveway) has been illegal for ages in most communities and cities due to environmental reasons, regardless of day or time.
Jan 9th, 2020, 05:03 AM
#58
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Very interesting, Cowboy, thanks!
I never run my washer on Sundays, but then I'm retired and have lots of time to do laundry during the week. I get a bit flummoxed over Christmas holidays when, like this year, there is a string of 3 days when I couldn't do laundry.
Well, I should say I almost never do laundry on Sundays... my cat had an abscess once and with medications and messes, I had to wash a load of towels on a Sunday. I put a sign on the outside of my door to explain the situation... just in case someone was gonna come by and complain. And the next day, I apologized to my neighbors (young physician and his young physician wife), and they looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I guess this is a rule more honoured in the breach.... and especially with the younger generation.
But still, as a tolerated foreign resident, I have a heightened fear of a misstep....
Enjoy reading a native's view on it!
s
I never run my washer on Sundays, but then I'm retired and have lots of time to do laundry during the week. I get a bit flummoxed over Christmas holidays when, like this year, there is a string of 3 days when I couldn't do laundry.
Well, I should say I almost never do laundry on Sundays... my cat had an abscess once and with medications and messes, I had to wash a load of towels on a Sunday. I put a sign on the outside of my door to explain the situation... just in case someone was gonna come by and complain. And the next day, I apologized to my neighbors (young physician and his young physician wife), and they looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I guess this is a rule more honoured in the breach.... and especially with the younger generation.
But still, as a tolerated foreign resident, I have a heightened fear of a misstep....
Enjoy reading a native's view on it!
s
Last edited by swandav2000; Jan 9th, 2020 at 05:06 AM.
Jan 9th, 2020, 05:48 AM
#59
Interesting about washing on Sunday. I've run into a few limitations like that in Switzerland, but not in recent memory.
The washer was at the home of my host, in her backyard in a shed (she lived above the Air BNB). I was there with her knowledge and consent, in fact she had to show me where it was, so I'm guessing there was no restriction.
The washer was at the home of my host, in her backyard in a shed (she lived above the Air BNB). I was there with her knowledge and consent, in fact she had to show me where it was, so I'm guessing there was no restriction.
Jan 9th, 2020, 05:50 AM
#60
mms - enjoy your trip - we really liked Dresden. My SIL has been asking me for help with Prague, but I've never been so can't help one iota. Do you by chance have a good website I might refer her to for some basics?
Thank you glover!
Thank you glover!
