It connects the
city of Bruck, in the northern end, with Heiligenblut, in the
southern end.
Over that distance, there are 36 twists
and turns that snake through the steep slopes and rough terrain
of the mountains.
Because of the
unpredictable and dangerous nature of the weather in the mountains, the
Grossglockner High Alpine Road opens in May and closes in November.
Even when it is open between
May and November, the weather can change quickly to create dangerous conditions.
BIG mistake.
So many of the big cities in Europe have old buildings that are stunning.
The attention to detail, from top to bottom, is amazing.
Vienna is one of those cities with a plethora of beautiful buildings that have incredible details from the ground up to the soaring roofs and domes.
I now know that when walking around the city it is important to look UP so as not to miss any of the intricate details that centuries ago someone took the time to create.
This post is dedicated to looking UP in Vienna and not worrying about tripping over anything.
Compared to other European cities and countries during World War II “only” about 20% of Vienna was destroyed. Some of the monuments were damaged, some restored, and many important landmarks have been standing in the city for centuries.
Since Vienna is such an old, and affluent city, the landmarks date back to different centuries and you can find various architectural styles around the city ranging from Gothic to Baroque to modern.
The Habsburg family, primarily seated in Vienna, ruled
Austria for over 600 years, from 1282 to 1918. Needless to say, they were a
very rich and very powerful family that left their mark on the city.
It is here that the famous Vienna Lipizzaner Stallions, known for their striking white coat and elegant
movements, train and perform.
Japan has an efficient public transportation network, especially within metropolitan areas and between large cities.
The public transportation system moves BILLIONS of passengers in a year!
Railways are the country’s main method of passenger transport, with fast and frequent access between and within major metropolitan areas.
Japan's bullet trains (called shinkansen) are fast and direct with speeds up
to 320 km/hour (200 miles/hr)!
We felt like locals in Japan taking public transit the entire time.
Present-day Osaka has its history but it is also an electric, vibrant city with neon signs, shops and restaurants catering to all kinds of people.
Kyoto used to be Japan's capital and the emperor's
residence from 794 until 1868.
A Cocktail
Party Trivia Fact - during WWII Kyoto had been on the
list of potential cities to drop the atomic bomb on, but, it was taken
off the list due to its historic value.
Because of this, countless temples, shrines and
other historically priceless structures survive in the city today.
After the war great
efforts were taken to rebuild the city In a way that still pays tribute to
those who suffered.
There is a park in the
centre called Peace Memorial Park with a museum called the Peace Memorial
Museum where visitors learn the historical events that took place in the city.
It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and has represented people's prayers for lasting peace.
The mountain religious site was originally established in 819, over
1200 years ago, and has been a place of spiritual significance for centuries.
It is also the
site of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum, the start and end point of the Shikoku 88
Temple Pilgrimage and home to the Shingon School of
Buddhism.
Mt. Koya
remains one of Japan's premier training centres for Esoteric Buddhism with
dozens of temples, gardens, and old-growth trees.
The mountain is recognized as the center of Shingon Buddhism.
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Being isolated in the mountains it is very cute and quaint, and retains some of its old traditions.
Because of the cooler mountain weather the cherry blossoms bloomed a little bit later than in Tokyo, so we were fortunate to see lots of cherry blossoms.
I
always like to be a keen observer when I arrive because once I’ve been
somewhere for a while I stop noticing what makes it unique to me.
My first impression flying in and then driving into the city was how big the footprint of the city is.
It is HUGE with TONS of really TALL buildings and there are clusters of sky scrappers throughout the city.
A very good question I keep thinking is, "Where does time go?"
When we left home we had no idea how long we'd be doing this, where we'd be going or how long we'd stay.
Now 2 years later, we still aren't sure where we're going or how much longer we'll be doing it.
But we have learned some new things and we're now trying out some new strategies.
