Vienna to Graz … Family time
Good morning, it has taken me a while to get a decent Wi-Fi signal and also we have been busy!
On arrival in Graz, we had a bit of a confusing search for our Hotel but Sally Sat Nav came up trumps and eventually guided us up a very narrow one way street to our Hotel. This is an Ibis Budget Hotel and while they are never expensive and you expect them to be basic, they are usually very nice. Well, this one broke with tradition and is not very good at all. The bedding is clean and smells fresh but the whole hotel looks like a throwback to the 70s, the carpet on the floor in our room has coffee stains and this is not what we expected at all!
The Mr went back to Reception to complain, the Receptionist, who by the way is the most miserable person I think we have met on this holiday….is obviously not happy in her work and it shows! She said “all the rooms are the same” the Mr said “we know that, this is not the point, they should all be clean”! Reluctantly, she moved us to a different room, which is exactly the same but appears to be cleaner. What a difference between this Ibis and the one at Wurzburg!
Anyway, we won’t let this room affect our enjoyment and we quickly unpack what we need, drink some Tea and decide we will explore, to see where we are in relation to the town.
We know Graz pretty well, Arnold Schwarzenegger was born here and the Mr has been visiting the city since he was 2 years old, as this is his Mother’s home city. I have been here 6 times now and I love it. It is a really friendly city, with a bustling centre and an amazing public transport system, the Welsh Government could learn a lot if they want to improve transport in the Valleys!
The main reason for visiting Graz is to visit the family, the Mr has cousins and second cousins living in and around Graz, all Uncles and Aunts have now passed away, so we feel that it is really important to keep the ties with the cousins going. They visit the UK occasionally to see my Mother in law who is now 87 years young and we like to return the compliment. They are also amazing hosts and the hospitality we receive is very generous.
We have been told that a table has been reserved for us at Flann O’Brien’s Irish bar, for the football. Before this though, another cousin has called us to invite us for coffee he won’t be able to join us in the evening as he has to be up for work at 03.00. It is doubtful we will get chance to see him again as he is working driving the bus every day until Saturday and we leave on Sunday morning. His apartment is a short stroll away from Jacominiplatz, a huge town square where the Trams and Buses all pick up passengers travelling to all zones in and around the city.
It is a rooftop apartment with a view over the street and with the balcony door open there is a welcome breeze, as it is very hot in the city today. We drank some juice and coffee, had a good old chin-wag about the family and the current political situation in Europe.
After an hour and a half it was time for us to leave and make our way back through the city. He walked with us back to the square where we said our goodbyes. We don’t know whether we will see him again this holiday and we offered him a visit to Wales if he would like to come. “Auf Wiedersehen”…..Until the next time.
We arrived at the Irish bar after twice taking a wrong turn. On the way we asked a lady, who sent us in completely the wrong direction, then a young man at a small bar gave us directions in what can only be called a drunken slur with an Austrian accent, he was very helpful though and seemed to want us to talk longer but we need to get there for kick off! Could Wales really beat Portugal? Dare we dream that this could happen?
At the bar, we met the relatives and sat down on the bench seating at our long table. The atmosphere was amazing, with a real mix of supporters, I am no football fan but I was quite excited to see this game and I have to say I felt really proud that Wales were still in at this point of the tournament.
We ordered beer and burgers with fries, I had a chat with an Austrian man who wished the ‘Walish’ people well and said he would clap for ‘Walish’….. I thanked him and said the ‘Walish’ people appreciated his support!
The Mr, who is English and the Austrians all became honorary Welsh people for the game and we oooood and aaaarrrrged as the game went on but as we now know, our dreams were dashed….. No regrets though, what a tournament, what a way to watch the game….. Oh and one cousin had a bet on Portugal making the final and won €200 from the result…… Happy days!
It’s Friday today and we have just switched on Sky World News to the devastating news from America and the shooting of 4 Policemen in Dallas…. very sad news and makes you feel quite grateful to be feel safe and enjoying happy times……
Yesterday, we were invited to go the Piber Federal Stud where they breed and train the famous Lipperzana horses.
Before we go though, we decided to walk to the Schlossberg which loosely translated means castle on the rock. We love this place as you can see the whole City from the top.
You have three options, either climb the hundreds of steps, take the lift, or travel on the Bergbahn (Funicular Railway) up to the top. The view as you climb up the rock is amazing, even for me…. (I am terrified of heights).
We visited all the viewing points, had coffee overlooking the city and took lots of pictures.
By 12.00, it was time to walk back down the steps, over the river, along Lendplatz and back to the hotel. A quick shower, change of clothes, eat the sandwich we bought at the bakery and then get the car to drive to Unterpremstatten to meet with Cousins who will take us the Piber.
At the cousin’s home, we passed on the PG Tips, the Shortbread, Real Ale and a bottle of Merlyn Cream Liquor from the Penderyn Distillery. Then we were treated to huge slices of delicious cake, with coffee and water before our journey to see the horses.
We did a tour of the Stud and were provided with a handset with which we could get an English translation of the information. This is a really interesting place and the history of the horses is amazing.
We saw some young foals and the guide explained that all the horses are born black, or very occasionally brown and do not go completely white until they 8-10 years old! They start to train the horses from the age of 3 and the training takes around 8 years! What a lovely place to visit and in such picturesque surroundings.
On the way back, they wanted us to see the Hunderwasser Church… all I can say is WOW! What a spectacular building and so unusual! It looks so different to the other buildings in Barnbach and inside, there is a stained glass window dedicated to St Barbara the Patron Saint of Miners in Austria. ..I am reliably informed by the cousins that the coal is brown when it comes up from underground!
What a great day we have had and our host and hostess, have tried as far as a possible to translate everything and despite our lack of German, their English is good enough for us to discuss many topics, catch up on family news and obviously discuss the football!
Back at their house, we enjoyed some Apple Wine, a local speciality and some food produced at a local farm. Traditional Austrian Farmer’s Bread, Liver Paté, peppers, pickles, local cheese and meats and a lovely dry Styrian White Wine, all consumed outside on the terrace and under clear blue sky!
At 9 o clock, we decided to make our way back to the hotel, firstly, we are not keen to drive too far at night, secondly we didn’t want to outstay our welcome and this had been a very full day…we’re not getting any younger and I hope they won’t mind me saying that our hosts are older than us, although their energy belies their age!
When we got back, we walked along to a small bar and had a nightcap, while watching the second half of the game…. congratulations France! Goodnight all…… Granny!
P.S. I never name others in these blogs….this is intentional 😆
GRANNYRANT 