Airfare was extra but I was able to get a good price by going through a consolidator. I flew from Miami into Munich and the return flight left from Vienna back into Miami. I went on Air France but would never do this again if I have a choice. The flight attendants were rude; the airport in Paris where you have to change planes is confusing because you have to get on and off buses to get to the correct terminal. No one there spoke English to help me make sure I was getting on the correct bus to the correct terminal and my French is very limited. The airport personnel did not extend themselves to help anyone who did not speak French.
I was very glad I had gotten my seat assignments and boarding passes in the States when I had booked my tickets. In spite of occasional difficulties like this, I chose to make the trip alone because that gives me the freedom to see whatever I want without having to adhere to someone else's schedule. I don't like fully escorted tours because I want to get to know the local people and see the country through their eyes. I think that when you're on a bus tour with other English-speaking people you tend to associate only with them instead of extending yourself to new people, new languages, new experiences.
The hotels with American Express are always of good quality and in a convenient location, so I felt safe choosing the First Class option rather than the more expensive Superior First Class. Breakfast is included in the room rate and is often an extensive buffet. In Munich the hotel was the Penta (Hochstrasse 3) and had an underground stop directly beneath the hotel. That made it very easy to come there on the underground from the airport.
One of the most important things I did was to limit my luggage to a 21"-crew bag with wheels and an attachable tote bag because there is no help with luggage handling any place on this trip unless you want to pay for a taxi.
The subway system in Munich is first class and that is the way I would suggest getting around the city.
Other sites I felt were especially beautiful were Nymphenburg Palace and the Resedenz (be sure to see the Schatzkammer there, which displays the treasury and the royal jewels).
On Day 5 of the trip, I took a taxi to the train station when I left for Salzburg because it was difficult to haul my bags up and down the stairs and escalator to get to the lower level underground stop. Sometimes it's worth it to splurge! I appreciated already having my reserved seats in First Class, also. Others who were on this particular Freelance tour were in the same compartment and the ride to Salzburg gave us a chance to talk, get to know each other, and exchange travel tips. Traveling alone can be exciting but also may be a little lonely at times because you have to be especially safety conscious with strangers. Getting to know someone from "back home" seems to help me feel safer and less isolated. It's nice to see a familiar face when I'm so far from home!
One place I did experience difficulty was figuring out how to use the machines where you purchase tickets for the underground. No one comes around on the subway to check your tickets and there are no turnstiles like in the US--everyone is on the "honor system." But I understand that they do make spot checks occasionally and the fines can be steep, so I wouldn't advise trying to get by without purchasing tickets to ride.
Salzburg is smaller than either Munich or Vienna and doesn't have an underground, so I found it more complicated to figure out how to get around on the public buses. I got on the wrong bus at one point and the driver spoke no English, so I just chalked this up to an unexpected adventure and sat back to enjoy the ride.
The positive aspects of this trip, besides the wonderful places I visited, were the accommodations, the wonderful underground and railway systems, the cleanliness and safety of the cities and the cultural opportunities available (music, art, opera, etc.). The weather, however, which was rainy and chilly, did put a damper on my exploring by foot as I usually do. But the trip as a whole was definitely an experience worth this little inconvenience. I can't wait for my next big adventure!
I was in Munich the remainder of the day of my arrival and the following two full days. My rail tickets were waiting for me when I checked in at the hotel. It was nice to not have to worry about negotiating that for the trip to Salzburg and on to Vienna.
Since I love to see beautiful churches, in Munich I chose several to visit: Peterskirche, Michaelskirche and Frauenkirche. My favorite was Peterskirche. It was the original church built by the monks in Munich and is very small and not as ornate in architecture as the others. It makes up for this by having beautiful gold altars and ceiling frescos. I would suggest going up into the church tower if you can manage the climb. I had purchased several disposable Panoramic cameras in the US (be sure to buy film before leaving the US as prices are high in Europe). This tower is a wonderful way to get a view of the city and to have a chance to get some beautiful panoramic photos.
One "must-see" in Munich is the Glockenspiel (carillon) in the Marienplatz. It plays at 11AM, noon, and 5PM in the summer months.
A few tips about things I learned the hard way--shops are closed on Sundays and close at 4PM other days; wine is extremely expensive in restaurants and bars (9.5 DM per glass at the time of my visit, which is over $6) so it's better to buy a bottle at a grocery store; bring a warm jacket even in the summer because it can be rainy and cold then; most public places charge .50 DM to use the restrooms; many hotels do not provide washcloths so bring one from home.
I discovered I could use bread and fruit from the breakfast buffet for a light picnic lunch. Also, since many of the restaurants open later than I was used to eating and are expensive, I found I could save money plus get delicious food in the lobby bar at my hotel.
I'm not much of a meat-eater and the typical German meals of sauerkraut, sausage, lots of bread, etc., isn't what I enjoy typically. But I was able to find places to get delicious omelets, salads and fish.
In Salzburg the hotel was the Bayrischer Hof (Kaiserschutzen Strasse 1) and it is only a couple of blocks from the train station. It wasn't difficult to get my luggage to the hotel, since I had little and could simply roll it along the sidewalk. My room was small but had a balcony with a lovely view towards the snowcapped Alps.
I was interested to learn that Salzburg was settled because of the salt mines there. Salt was as valued as gold at that time so the town was fairly wealthy.
The experiences I thought particularly worthwhile were taking the elevator up to the terrace on Monchsberg, where the panoramic camera was again put to good use; touring the fortress, Hohensalzburg (take the funicular up, located behind St. Peter's cemetery); and the Sound of Music bus tour.
The "Sound of Music" was filmed here based on the real-life vonTrapp family and the four-hour tour visits several locations from the movie, including Mondsee, which is a beautiful town on the lake and is where the church used for the wedding scene is located. For me, taking this tour by bus was much easier than trying to rent a car or use other means of transportation. It was only about $25 at the time and was well worth it.
There are many musical events in Salzburg in the summer months, such as the Salzburg Festival, but since I was there for only a day and a half it was not nearly long enough for me to attend some of these concerts. Again, the small restaurant at my hotel had delicious food for reasonable prices, so rather than wander around alone at night I ate my evening meals there.
In preparing for the trip, I had bought a simple German phrase book and German language tapes to familiarize myself with basic words and phrases. However, I found that in all the hotels and Tourist Information offices and in most restaurants and shops people spoke English, so I really had little problem communicating.
On Day 7, I took a morning train to Vienna. This was a longer trip than the one from Munich to Salzburg but the train is very comfortable and the scenery is beautiful. In Vienna, the hotel was the Arcotel Wimberger (Neubaugertel 34-36) and was also near the train station. Of course, Vienna is much larger and there is a lot more traffic, so I elected to share a taxi with some of my new friends. This was by far the nicest hotel of the three used on the tour. It has a "spa" available to registered guests, complete with work-out equipment, a Jacuzzi and steam rooms. I discovered that the view from the little deck at the spa was wonderful and the added attraction was that the Cokes in the cold drink machine there were a lot less expensive than the ones in the minibars!
There is both a Bahn station (subway stop) and a tram stop near this hotel and a grocery store right down the street. A tip about grocery stores in Austria--if you want your purchases put into a bag for carrying, the store charges for the bag, so it would be wise to bring something to put your items in if you're buying several different things.
Again, I found the U-Bahn to be a simple way to get around the city. The sites I would not miss in Vienna are: St. Stephan's Dom (the cathedral), St. Peter's, a bus trip to Mayerling and Vienna Woods, the State Opera House, and Spittleburg. Discovering St. Peter's was like opening an oyster and finding a pearl! It's not particularly unusual on the outside but the inside is breathtaking. The architecture of the buildings surrounding it is outstanding and here you can find carriages to take a ride around the city.
When in St. Stephan's, I took the elevator up in the tower and used my trusty panoramic camera for some marvelous shots. I was a little disturbed by the beggars that seem to hang about the cathedral. I didn't see this anywhere else in Vienna or in either of the previous two cities.
Mayerling is the hunting lodge in the romantic story of Crown Prince Rudolf and his young lover (a movie, "Mayerling," was made of this story also!). Prince Rudolf supposedly shot his mistress and then himself, although our guide said that we would probably never know the real truth because the Royal Family at the time had changed the story several times. Now the former hunting lodge belongs to the Carmelite Nuns and they have converted the bedroom where the suicide happened into a chapel.
On this same tour we visited a beautiful abbey (Heiligenkreuz), Baden and Seegrotte (underground caverns where you have a short boat ride). Seegrotte was originally a gypsum mine until it filled with water. During WWII the Nazis pumped out the water and used it for aircraft manufacturing because it would be safe there from bombings by the Allies.
Spittleburg was a real find and was recommended to me by someone on the Compuserve Travel Forum. It's a renovated Biedermeier district and now has art galleries, antique shops, outdoor cafes and artisan shops. I did most of my "souvenir" shopping here. I had my heart set on purchasing an authentic beer stein and a cuckoo clock, but discovered that the prices on both were as high or higher than the same items in the States. The items in Spittleburg were unique and reasonably priced--not a tourist trap.
I must say that Vienna was my favorite place on this trip and I would like to return there some day. One "con" to visiting Vienna in the summer is that the Opera House is being refurbished during that time each year and so has no operas or ballets then. Also, the Boys' Choir is on vacation during that time and the Spanish Riding School with the famous Lippizaner stallions is closed.
Germany:This site is an encyclopedic source for maps and interesting facts about Germany.
Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Austria:This site contains information about the regions and cities of Austria, practical information, things to see and do, and suggestions for Off the Beaten Track sites to visit.
Bavaria Alpine Net Guide:This site has an architectural tour, an annotated list of museums and an opera schedule, illustrated essays on various topics of interest, and tips on the nuances of Bavarian culture.
Welcome to Austria:A collection of interactive maps of Austrian provinces is the centerpiece of this site. The Austrian Tourist Bureau has also prepared selected itineraries for visitors of differing temperaments. Calendars of art and music events and a list of hotels for both tourists and business travelers are here too.
Austrian Beer Guide:This site is a guide to 59 beers of Austria, listing names and addresses of 71 breweries, and reviewing 22 places to drink.
Austrian Restaurant Guide:This guide provides a primer on Austrian cuisine and lists a small selection of restaruants by location. A guide to Austrian wine is also available.
Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Germany:This site contains information about accommodations, general information about the country, things to see and do, and lots more.
Ireland/France