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scentofavoyager · 5 years ago

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A tour of Europe - Austria, Italy and France.

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of a sculpture to discover it” – Michelangelo.

And we are just standing in front of the world’s masterpiece of renaissance era ‘David’ in Florence (Italy) asking myself is it real or am I dreaming as I felt the presence of the protagonist of the book “Agony and Ecstasy” in Gallaria del Accademia.

Vienna, Austria

Our (myself, my husband Pijush and our son Shamik) first destination was Vienna (Austria). From Bengalore airport via Paris we reached Vienna at 3.30p.m. From airport we took the Vienna pass for travelling and sightseeing. From airport we availed the City metro which was well connected from airport to Vienna City. It took almost twenty minutes to reach Praterstern. It was again fifteen minutes walk to reach our apartment booked through Airbnb from the metro station. My first step in Europe was beyond all words. We were very warmly welcomed by Nico and his wife, the owner of the apartment.

Wien, is simply the local word for Vienna in German language. The city was too beautiful and clean by every inch. We were so amazed to locate ourselves in the city of Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. Our Airbnb apartment had a well-equipped kitchen. But as we were on the go we decided to have our first meal in Vienna at a local restaurant and enjoyed the local food. The first day we decided to just roam around the city by foot. The narrow streets, old cathedrals, small restaurants and coffee shops had a unique appeal. We also visited Naschmarkt, Vienna’s most popular market, where we did some shopping.

We took a stroll along Danube, the river which we had seen only in geography maps was right in front of us. We were sitting on the bank of this river amidst greenery and tranquility. The surface of Danube appeared like shining steel.

Naschmarkt, Vienna

Our next destination was Schönbrunn Palace which was surrounded by French style statues. The garden of the palace was spectacularly decorated with flowers. From the top of the palace garden the view of the Vienna city was one of the most attractive things we had ever seen. After that we visited Belvedere Palace, the opera house, the Ruth House square one by one. The house of Beethoven and Freud were nearby to each other. We also took a tour of St Stephen’s cathedral, one of the most important Gothic structures in Vienna. We were tired after sight seeing the whole day and decided to take the turn from the metro station to our homestay. The next morning we had the bus from Vienna to Salzburg. In spite of language barrier, we enjoyed the hospitality of the amiable Austrian family.

Salzburg, Austria

The journey from Vienna to Salzburg via St Michael’s Station was memorable. The landscape outside the bus was something like a fairytale story. We reached St. Michael, a solitary rail station with scenic views of mountains around it. Here we were waiting for our bus towards Salzburg. We reached Salzburg at dusk. From the bus stop we took a city bus for moosstraße to our Airbnb homestay at Salzburg, hosted by Cony. A warm and cozy room was allotted for us. We found chocolates and greeting card in the bed. It added a personal touch. At night we dined out in a nearby restaurant where we had a Salzburg special meal of schnitzels. Next morning, we prepared our own breakfast and availed a city bus and reached the main land marks of the city.

Nature, Salzburg

As soon as we stepped down from the bus a wonderful feeling came over me. The same streets had been walked upon by one the greatest musician Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart. The house in which Mozart was born is preserved as a museum, displaying his personal belongings. A variety of Mozart’s possession, from the strands of his hair to the violin, piano he played, his tobacco box, notations of music scribed in his own hand were preserved with his brilliant compositions playing in the background. Photography was prohibited there. They were only displayed for human eye.

Love locked bridge on the Salzach River

Another fabulous experience in Salzburg was the Salzach river cruise. Our captain was a young lady. The sights were historical importance and the commentary was being played as the cruise moved along the river. Another surprise was waiting for us at the end of the cruise. The captain suddenly rotated the boat to the music of Mozart playing in the back ground.

The next morning, we reached Unterberg which was located in the outskirt of Salzburg by local bus. The journey to Unterberg was laden with greenery which was a great sight for sore eyes. When we reached the bus stop, we had to take a cable car to the top of a mountain. We got great views of the valley from the top. When we reached the top of the mountain a heavy cloud around us which ultimately disappeared to give us the great view of the valley.

view from Hohensalzburg, Austria

Our next destination was castle Hohensalzburg, which was 900 years old. It was one of the oldest castles in Europe. It was evening by the time we finished exploring the castle and we headed back home. Thanks to the kitchen facility available in our homestay we could cook traditional Bengali dishes with ingredients brought from the local supermarket.

Berchtesgaden, Germany

Next day we availed a bus from Salzburg to Berchtesgaden. It was an unscheduled trip. Throughout the journey, the river flowed along with us. Soothing green patches with small cottages were scenic and beautiful. First, we stepped down to the bus in Berchtesgaden bus stop. Dense foggy weather covered the area. The trees with its yellow coloured leaves were prominently visible through the fog. From here we had another bus to Kehlesteinhaus. The eagle's nest on Obersalzberg mountain in Berchtesgaden was located at the height of 1834 meters above sea level. From the bus parking area, a 124 meter. tunnel through the solid mountain rock took us to a lift. The interior of which were filled with mirror and polished brasses. The lift took us to the eagle’s nest. It was used exclusively by a number of Nazi party for government and social meetings.

Foggy Bus Stop, Berchtesgaden

Tunnel leading to Eagle’s Nest, Berchtesgaden

It was snowing when we reached to the top. The architecturally unique building now features a mountain top restaurant offering an outstanding panoramic view of the area and we had hot coffee while taking in the sights. It was evening when we came back to Salzburg. Now there was a preparation to leave Salzburg and go to Venice by train next morning. The train left the station with the memories of the romantic, musical place, the city of Julie Andrews’ sound of music.

Venice, Italy

One side the gloominess of the mind on leaving Austria and on the other side an excitement to see another romantic place overwhelmed me. Also, the train journey was tremendous. The Alps accompanied us for the most of our journey. In the afternoon, we reached the station, Venezia Mestre and collected the transportation passes. It took us 14 minutes to reach out Airbnb, which was very well decorated with our essential needs. We took some rest and embarked upon our destination. From our Airbnb to Venice, there was very frequent bus service. The canals, the gondolas, the ancient houses constructed under water, amazed us.

Dusk at Venice, Italy

First day in Venice, we travelled by foot and gondolas. The more we travelled, the more we got immersed with the charm of Venice which was preserved like it was 500 years ago. The bridges, the narrow streets, the coffee shops, many small stalls all were very enjoyable. After a dinner with spaghetti and red wine we started walking back to the bus stop. Venice was sparkling like a jewel with lights shining brightly reflecting on the canals like an intoxication haze.

Burano, Italy

Second day our first destination was Saint Mark's square, views of St. Mark’s basilica and Doges Palace, numerous pigeons, a live music created an interesting ambience. From here we caught the vaporetto (public water bus) towards Murano island. We travelled through the sea green coloured Adriatic Sea. It was completely different, less crowded island with great architecture and obviously the world-famous glass shops. Murano is well renowned for its glass factories.

Murano, Italy

Next day our plan was for Burano, another island. It took almost one hour to reach. The Island was picture perfect, very calm and quiet. The multitudes of coloured houses created a kaleidoscopic effect. While we were roaming, we saw the native women knitting the lace work, which was very famous in Burano.

Florence, Italy

Next morning, we took a bus from Venice's Tronchetto bus stop towards Florence. Our booking was in the hotel named Camping Firenze, consisting of many cottages from which we were allotted one. We roamed around the hotel's huge premises on that evening. The luxurious arrangement of our cottage dispelled our fatigue. Next morning, our hotel arranged a minibus for the guests of the hotel to the main sights of Florence. The city Florence, the capital of Tuscany, my dreamland was just front of me. Florence was the cradle of renaissance which eventually spread to the rest of Europe. Thinkers, writers, philosophers, painters, sculptures, scientists, architects, political figures who led the birth of renaissance were all born in and around Florence. Some prominent figures were Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Masaccio, Donatello, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Verocchio, Botticelli, Ghirlandaio, to name a few. The city resonated with the spirits of these great Florentines.

View from Piazzale Michaelangelo, Florence

We started our visit with Uffizi gallery, the famous art museum. A marvelous collection of ancient and modern sculptors and paintings. It housed the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Botticelli and many more. After that we came over the Piazza Della Signoria, one of the most famous squares in Florence. The square was surrounded by some of the most famous buildings in the city. There was a long queue in the front of Galleria del Academia, where we stood with awaited breath in the queue for the masterpiece "David" about which I mentioned to you in the starting. Santa Croce church was another attractive spot for us. Beside the frescos, we had we had another inquisitiveness to see the burial place of greatly honoured Florentines like Galileo Galilei, Leonardo Da Vinci, Dante, and so on.

Another View from Piazzale Michaelangelo, Florence

The landmarks which we wanted to see in our short time were at walking distance within each other. After lunch we treated ourselves with the world-famous Gelato of Florence. From the square, we arrived at Ponte Veccio which was the oldest bridge in Florence in Arno river. From there we walked up to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo to observe the moment of mesmerizing sunset of Florence. The panoramic view of the whole city, the bridge Ponte Veccio all were very photographic. Apart from the photographs the scenes got imprinted in our mind forever. From here we boarded the same bus and returned to our hotel. The stay in Italy was augmented by the Italian cuisine of delicious pizzas, spaghetti and lasagnas.

Next day in the very early morning our cab took us for the airport towards Paris. We left the city which seemed a page from a history book to us. Studying the history of Florence made it convenient for us to relate to the city.

Paris, France

As our Europe tour was during autumn, the colour of trees were vibrant , the crispy leaves were lying on the beautiful streets and parks which made our staying in Paris very special .Our Airbnb was in Bagnolet. Our landlord was an artist. The buses and metro were our main conveyance in Paris. The metro was very well connected all over the city. From our Airbnb we headed towards the most iconic Eiffel Tower. From there we walked along with the river Seine during sunset. The book shops on the bank of the river reminded us of College street boiparha of Kolkata .The dazzling city of Paris looked surreal in the reflection of the city on Siene at night.

Seine at night, Paris

Pere Lachaise cemetery, probably most visited cemetery in the world was our first visit of the next morning. The final resting place of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Federic Chopen and many famous personalities. From here our destination was Montmartre. We reached the top walking through the steep streets of Montmartre. It was reverberating with the voices of innumerous tourists. I had a wish to make a portrait of myself by a professional artist which was ultimately fulfilled. The Grape harvest festival in Montmartre in October was another attraction to us. Sacre-Coeur, a Roman catholic church was our next visit. We enjoyed an outstanding view of Paris from here. On our way back, we did some shopping from the streets.

Montmartre, Paris

We kept aside the next day for one of the largest art museums in Europe, Musée d'Orsay. It had the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces in the world by painters including Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley... the list goes on. After spending a lot of time there, we visited Tuileries Garden, a pleasant place for walking and relaxation. It is located between Louvre and Place-de-la Concorde. Champs Elysees, is probably the most beautiful avenue in the world, connecting Arc de Triomphe to the Place-de-la Concorde. We had a great experience walking on such an iconic street in Paris.

Arc de Triomphe, one of the famous monuments in Paris with its immense historical and architectural significance was our next visit. A thunderstorm appeared from nowhere and drenched us. We ran for shelter under the giant arches, where we sat for a long time. Place-de-la Concorde is the largest square in Paris. It is historically significant for having notable public executions including that of king Louis XVI, during the French Revolution. We wanted to visit Notre Dame cathedral but unfortunately it was closed for renovation.

We reserved the final day in Paris for the tour of Paris Saint German stadium which is one of the most famous stadiums in Europe. Our next visit was to Luxembourg Garden, which is owned by the French Senate, with its offices adjacent to the magnificent garden. It consisted of fountains, rows of statues, multicoloured flowerbeds and ponds with ducks swimming in it. It was a perfect place to enjoy the autumn, a place that inspired creativity. We kept the last evening in Paris for aimlessly roaming around the romantic streets enjoying with crepes and hot chocolates. Early next morning, our cab took us to the Charles de Gaulle Airport where we prepared to return home.

Europe has many layers to it, from the advancements in technology, to the unpolluted nature and the historical landmarks, preserved just like it was centuries years ago. This makes us want to visit Europe again and again.

- Shila Mukhopadhyay

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