Austria

Salzburg’s Old Town and Historic Centre – Beyond Mozart & The Sound of Music

August 31, 2014 by Bino Leave a Comment

There is by far no other city in Austria that has captured the public’s imagination more than the UNESCO World Heritage listed baroque town of Salzburg. Thanks to Hollywood and to classical music, this town will forever be remembered for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and for that 1965 film that starred Julie Andrews. Coming here, it’s easy to get lost into the stereotype! Men dressed in tacky 18th century attire and Sound of Music tours are just about as common as schnitzel and sausages. But Salzburg is much more than that.

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Weekend in Vienna : Things to Do in a Most Imperial City

July 20, 2014 by Bino 6 Comments

The capital of a once mighty empire, Vienna today seems to have more similarities to the grand and imposing capitals of modern powers such as Beijing, Moscow or Rome rather than of a small country of barely 9 million people. Despite having gone through two world wars, the capital of Austria retains much of its imperial charms, with stately palaces and cathedrals that continue to dot the landscape. Similarly, hotels in Vienna have been more than happy to oblige to this reputation with rooms that seem to evoke the grand palaces of Europe. It is literally possible to live like a king here.

vienna street scene from the albertina

It was in Vienna that I started my 3-week long trip around Europe, where I happened to land on a weekend and had to sprint my way around the city in just 3 days.

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