Torino (Turin), historically important and a surprisingly entertaining city in northern Italy

July 7, 2024July 25, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Torino (Turin), historically important and a surprisingly entertaining city in northern Italy

Turin is more than the home of the Shroud of Turin and the home of one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, Fiat-Chrysler. It is also home to many museums, most famously the Museo Egitzio (Egyptian Museum), Museo di Antichita, the wonderful archaeological museum; Museo dell Automobile with an astounding collection dating to the first Fiat in 1892; the excellent Palazzo Reale; There are many more, as well as astounding architecture and urban design. Getting around is super easy with its excellent public transit system taking you just about anywhere efficiently and inexpensively.

From Torino (Turin) to Graz

July 7, 2024July 18, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

From Graz to Torino (Turin)

July 10, 2016

From Graz you take a railroad operated bus to the train that carries you into Italy through the Alps; the bus avoids a much longer train ride through the mountains. The scenery alone makes the trip worthwhile. There are viaducts and tunnels galore. Human have inhabited this area for thousands of years, although it is well west of here,in the Oetztal Alps, where researchers unearthed the frozen body of a man who died in the mountains some 5000 years ago. For more information on that, go to http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/oetzi-iceman-mummy-alps-lyme-disease-lactose-intolerance/story?id=15816788

Drawings from Graz

July 7, 2024July 9, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Drawings from Graz

Here are the pen and ink drawings I did on location in Graz, Austria, early June through early July 2016

This was done at the Kunstmuseum (above). The following several drawings were done at the Schlossberg Park near where we stayed:

The Semmering Railroad

July 7, 2024July 7, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

The Semmering Railroad, designed and directed by the Venice born Carlo Ghega, is a UNESCO World Heritage Center (1998) that travels from Gloggnitz to Semmering. I was constructed between 1848 and 1854. At the. time the Semmering was a feat of engineering and the first mountain railway in Europe built on a standard gauge track. From your seat you see superb Austrian mountains, 16 viaducts and 15 tunnels, over 100 curved stone and 11 small iron bridges, as well as many mansions. All this in a journey of just 41 kilometers.

A terrific baroque building: Basilika Mariatrost, Graz (with sketches)

July 7, 2024July 4, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

A terrific baroque building: Basilika* Mariatrost, Graz (with sketches)

July 2016

The lovely Mariatrost Basilica is a baroque style building on top of the Purberg hill, a steep climb from the bus stop including some 225 steps. There’s a lovely view from the top- see my pen and ink sketch below- and what’s inside is a superb example of the baroque.

Salzburg

July 7, 2024July 1, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

June 2016

There’s enough to see and do in Salzburg, Austria for the three days we were there, although beyond that I am less optimistic. It’s certainly attractive enough for longer term living but a bit on the small side, and a good four hours from Vienna for more intensive living, and the winters are still cold and snowy enough to discourage any but skiers and ice skaters. A bit of background and then some highlights.

Schloss Eggenberg, Graz, Austria

July 7, 2024June 23, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

One of 600 paintings in the apartments of Schloss Eggenberg

A Baroque masterpiece and World Heritage Site, Schloss Eggenberg in Graz, Austria is a treasure of the Baroque and, to a lesser extent, the Rococo period of the Baroque epoch, which is the last development in the as well as the most complex and intricate of the period.

Here is a video slide show of our photos during the visit, which is only available as a guided tour, set to Mozarts’ Klarinettenkonzert (K. 622). The tour is in English as well as German.

Graz’s Museums

July 7, 2024June 18, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Graz’s Museums

For a city of a mere 300,000, Graz has a large number of museums. Boys will no doubt be attracted to the Armory, which holds an extensive collection of medieval armory worn by the knights. We skipped that one and instead have gone to the Graz Museum, Kunsthouse and the Museum in Palais. There are a dozen to visit on our annual 30 euro pass. (click ‘continue reading’ below)

Graz, Austria, a small city that is home to dozens of museums

July 7, 2024June 15, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

June 2016

After an overnight in Dusseldorf, we flew in a prop jet into the small airpport in Graz, Austria. It’s a tiny airport, and but a 10 minute walk to train station. Before long we were exiting the system and taking the wrong exit, so we added a kilometer to our walk. We missed a turn and added a bit more, but then we got to the door.

Graz is 200 km southwest of Vienna, just about an hour by train. It is the second largest city in Austria and home to six universities with 44,000 students. The University of Gray is the city’s oldest. It was founded in 1585 under Archduke Karl II. There are over 30,000 students in it alone. The entire city is a World Heritage Site (1999). Slovenia is its nearest neighbor (to the south); Hungary is not far to the east. Graz is home to just 310,000 residents.

IMG_20160613_124755 — View of the downtown from the funicular that goes to Schlossberg Castle

Graz was settled as far back as 5000 BC, likely for two reasons. First is the Mur River, which flows swiftly this time of year. This facilitated transportation and commerce. Second, there is a large and steep hill just off the river, not 5 minutes from our place, which made for an excellent natural fortification, which has never been breached.

Hitler visited in 1938 and was welcomed and the Jewish community subsequently destroyed. In 2000, on the anniversary of the the Kristalnacht pogroms the city presented the Jewish community with a new synagogue to replace they one destroyed. Some 15% of the city was destroyed by Allied bombing, but the Old Town was largely spared. Graz surrendered to Soviet troops at the end of WWII.

The city has dozens of museums. We bought a pass that allows entrance to 12 of them for 30 euros. So far we have just visited the Modern Art museum, largely given over to an incomprehensible installation. However there were some genuine works or art as well.

Riverside Drive, Wilhelm Thöny, Austrian Artist. Graz 1888- 1949

We’ve had a few snacks and light meals thus far. Soup. It’s June and the people are eating hot soup! With temperature in the low 20’s c (under 72f) the days are cool and the nights a bit on the chilly side, quite the contrast with Valencia, from where we just came, and where summer temperatures can hit 40C.

Here are views of Graz from the top of Schlossberg Castle.

Cáceres: you could shoot a medieval movie here and wouldn’t even have to remove the cars

July 7, 2024May 7, 2016 by Gary Kirkpatrick

Cáceres has an old walled town in its center. Walk around and you are in the middle ages, given the buildings, the stone streets and total absence of cars. There is a blend of Roman, Moorish, Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture, not to mention the stork nests. There are thirty towers from the Islamic period still standing.

Humans have inhabited the area since prehistoric times. Evidence of this can be found in the caves of Maltravieso, with cave paintings dating to 25,000 BCE. The city was founded by the Romans in 25 BC and is a Unesco World Heritage Site, quite justifiably so.

Cáceres is in the part of Spain called Extremadura. I always thought that the name Extremadura referred to the extremely hard (dura) quality of the soil and life there but more accurately extremadura is from Latin words meaning literally “outermost hard”, the outermost secure border of an occupied territory. During La Reconquista it was the westernmost holding of the Christians.