Starfish

Falling in Love with Austria. Salzburg and Hallstatt Photo Diary

Visiting Salzburg and Hallstatt is a perfect weekend getaway! Both places are marvelous yet so different. We spent Saturday in Salzburg and Sunday morning drove to Hallstatt. The road trip was breathtakingly beautiful as well! Austria is so lucky to occupy gorgeous landscapes of endless lakes, rivers and mountains.

"Land of mountain, land by the river" - Anthem

I won't give you much advice as we took our time and enjoyed both places without a precise itinerary. I'd rather make sort of a storyboard with lots of visuals and few words and let you fall in love with these places all on your own. ☺

Salzburg

Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart.

That's all I knew about the city. If you ask me what I know now, after visiting? I'd probably use monkey with closed eyes amoji. I didn't gain much lore (except for the fact that Salzburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), but I certainly did gain lots of warm feelings.

June gifted us with a beautiful sunny day and the city opened its arms and welcomed to enjoy quiet promenades along the riverside, long walks in Altstadt, from one Platz to another. We climbed a few viewpoints and imbibed the sublime beauty of the city - light and grand with mint green roofs and domes. We treated ourselves to one amazing sunset with a view and great food at Stieglkeller.

These are the viewpoints offering different angles:
Monchsberg
Hohensalzburg Fortress
Stieglkeller Restaurant
Kapuinerberg

Hallstatt

So different, yet equally beautiful, is Hallstatt village situated on the shore of Hallstatter See, surrounded by steep slopes. The landscape is dead drop gorgeous! The village is small but offers lots to see and do. The old town, the market, churches are by all means very popular among tourists. I will recommend though things I enjoyed the most:

1. Boating on the lake. Must do! Stunning scenery, calm waters, getting away from crowded streets of the Old Town - all much needed and appreciated perks by any traveller.

2. Skywalk platform. Funicular ride, the views, the breeze, the crisp clean air - must do!

3. Salt World - interesting tour of the oldest in the world salt mine. It is coooold down there, so make sure you put on some warm shoes and extra layer of clothing.

4. Dinner at sunset in one of the picturesque cafes along the shore.

Do you feel like going to Austria? ☺

Prague and Cesky Krumlov Three Days Getaway

It’s a perfect weekend getaway in Czech Republic – Prague and Cesky Krumlov. Choosing one, to avoid the hassle of the drive, is a good option too. But! If you are the greedy traveler type, like me, who wants to be in dozen places at the same time, a little road trip would do just fine!

I won’t bother you with my awes and wows about these so different but so equally beautiful bohemian cities. I will leave you with my photo diary and you decide for yourself if these orange roofs and cobbled streets are worth your visit! (they are, they are! ☺)

Oh, and I will drop here my 3-days itinerary, just in case, maybe it’ll be of any help. It’s got places of interest, accommodations, restaurants etc with a few words of how we liked them.

Have a great day and, as always, thank you for being on my page and taking an interest!☺

Cesky Krumlov. Day 1
The entire historic center of Cesky Krumlov is Unesco World Heritage Cite, which escaped the bombings of WWII. You get immersed in the old charm of this well preserved medieval town the second you step into the old city.

1. Hotel Edward Kelly

In historic center, lovely old hotel with authentic furniture and squeaky wooden floors. We liked it.

2. Krumlov Castle (6 min walk from hotel)

Didn't take tour and regretted it. The place is huge and a tour would definitely help. Beautiful! The views are the best! Cloak bridge is amazing!

3. Cesky Krumlov Town Square, entire Historic Center (8 min walk from the castle)

This place has to be walked all over, not just the square. Wander the narrow streets, walk into thrift shops, find hidden steps, enjoy the views, listen to the sounds.

Music can be heard from the distance. Chase it. Find some hidden backyard cafe on Vltava with the view of the Castle, hordes of insects in the air, couples cuddling by the riverside and a music band playing something lovely under the lantern.

4. Kayak Ride on Vltava around the Old City (6 pm last reservation)

Loved it! On a hot summer day it is really a treat! Beautiful views.

5. We didn't make it to the restaurants I planned to, so not much of advice here. Except for - try to find something by the river, as the sound of water and charm of the illuminated castle create a very romantic setting.

6. Tip - plan to enjoy sunset somewhere with a view of the city. It is spectacular!

7. One more tip - park in the garage right behind the castle. Walk through the Cloak Bridge into the Old City. DO NOT drive there! (I did and oooooh it was a pain to get out once you drove in!!)

8. If I happen to visit Cesky Krumlov again, I will buy some jewelry with Moldavite stone. I love stones and regretted I didn't get anything.

Prague. Day 2
It is approximately 2,5 hours drive from Cesky Krumlov to Prague. Do not treat it as a burden, treat it as an adventure! We drove past beautiful serene landscapes, fields of poppy seeds and sunflowers. I chose rural roads instead of a highway and didn't regret it! It took us same time but we drove through a tiny curious town and stopped a few times to take pictures like these ones:

1. Hotel U Krale Karla
I chose this hotel for the looks! It used to be the property of Benedict Monks and has an absolutely unique style. Gorgeous rooms, gorgeous layout, drop dead gorgeous ceilings. However, it was a torture for me to live through the night with no AC in August (my sister said she was fine though, so keep this in mind).

2. Mala Strana (7 min walk)
Not to miss for sure.
Eat street food. Trdelnik is a must!

3. The Lennon Wall (4 min walk)
When we came there a school chorus happened to sing "Imagine all the people...". Great place! Pay a tribute to the wall that pays tribute to ideals of freedom, love and peace. ☺

4. The Charles Bridge (3 min walk)
Well, should I explain?
Tip - go under the bridge to get the hell out of crowds of tourists and enjoy some quiet time on the bank, take pictures. Climb the Bridge Tower - nice view.

5. The Old Town Square (9 min)
Another must see place. The square remained relatively intact since the 10th century! Watch the world famous astronomical clock strike an hour!
On the way you might decided to pass Hanging Sigmund Freud sculpture - a peculiar one, accompanied by a hanging woman with an umbrella.

6. River Cruise (10 min walk to the dock)
Well, though nothing spectacular, I did like it. The ship was very old and felt soooo nostalgic. It moved at almost nonexistent speed and we just enjoyed the breeze, views of the city, pigeons, setting sun, ate some berries we bought at one of the stalls in Mala Strana, rested our feet and minds.

7. T-Anker Terrace (20 min walk or take Uber)
I highly recommend this place to have a drink and some light dinner while enjoying sunset with a captivating view of the city!

Prague. Day 3

1. Prague Castle (4 min walk from hotel)
Prague Castle is really worth visiting. It occupies an immense territory with many points of interest. It sits on the hill and provides a few beautiful views of the city.
Don't miss the changing of the guard at noon!
I also loved the Golden Lane - so many peculiar houses of alchemists and people of various occupations, but one that I wanted to see the most is the house where Franz Kafka used to live and write.

2. Marionety Truhlar Shop
I love marionettes (puppets) and of this is something you might be interested in - make sure to visit this shop! Unique hand made puppets!

3. Petrin Hill
The views!! In my opinion Petrin Hill offers the most beautiful vista onto the city!
Take Funicular railway to get to the top and take a walk on your way back. The funicular itself is a landmark.

4. Dancing House
Even though nothing extraordinary I was glad I stumbled upon this building and managed to take a picture out of a moving car, behind the wheel! ☺

5. Cafe Louvre
We didn't make there. But! Next time in Prague, I will cross it out of my list. I have to have a meal there, if only because Franz Kafka and Albert Enistein had meals there! ☺

6. Tip - use Uber. Cheap and convenient, helped me out when I forgot how to get back to my car and the phone was nearly dead so I couldn't use navigation.

10 Steps Guide to Create Your Own Awesome Travel Itinerary

For quite some time, I’ve had this idea of adding road trip planner service to my blog and preparing custom travel itineraries for independent travelers. Many people now are discovering the joys of travelling on their own with no travel agencies, no group packages, no bus tours and no guides. Though not a rocket science, preparing a travel itinerary might become quite challenging as it requires a lot of research, organizational and logistics skills, but most importantly – time, the true luxury which we strive to spend sparingly.

It is always easier said than done and the road trip planner idea has yet to be implemented. In the meantime, I’ve decided to come up with this sample step by step guide to help anyone organize an amazing self-guided voyage with no sweat. Well, there will be some sweat anyways, but it’s all good exciting stuff, believe me!

The key to awesome travels, by the way, is not the perfect itinerary. The key is the attitude. Positive, open-minded and laidback. Treat any obstacle, any trouble or any inconvenience along the way like an adventure and there you have it – your awesome travel experience! Not perfect. But exhilarating, fulfilling and hard to forget.