Day 4 - Graz / Salzburg (Part 1)

By 4 am in the morning, we were up and about. Birds were chirping outside while the family of five slumbered on. I was glad that we were checking out today for I wasn't comfortable here. Since we had to go to the apotheke, we opted for separate brekkie. The family of five went to the morning market nearby where I was told they picked up some choice fresh produce while we walked towards the Annen Cafe. The chef was out this morning (probably picking up choice fresh produce too) but the waitress remembered us and greeted us warmly. We ordered cappuccinos and cakes.(chocolate and apricot) EUR9.80 The cakes were too sweet for my liking but the waitress and chef were kind to us last night, so we left a generous tip. Then we picked up some lozenges, nose spray and cough syrup from the apotheke down the road. People were walking their dogs, I thought of Ginger and wondered if dogs go to Heaven.

Graz, the second largest city in Austria is a university town largely populated by students and the elderly. (There were at least 6 universities.) Although the local populace were heavy smokers, the streets were free of ciggie butts. They were a friendly bunch ... well ... compared to the Viennese. There's the chef at Annen cafe and his waitress just down the road who greeted us warmly, the elderly woman (late 70s) we met in the lift who told us that she had been living at the B & B for the past twenty years, the pharmacist at the apotheke who was beautiful, the farmer at the Farmer's Market who chatted with us as we picked the cherries and the girl at the pastry shop (next to Swarovski) who kindly allowed us to use their washroom.

Picture taken from outside the B & B

By 9 am, we gathered at the apartment. Mr Seventeen had done his homework. We followed him as he took us down the road (to the left of the B & B) We walked past the Annen Cafe and the apotheke. (picture right) and an interesting craft shop I wished I had time to explore. We crossed several roads and a wide drain towards the  Altstadt  (Historical city center within the city wall). This part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Apotheke

MARIAHIFERPLATZ

Mariahilferkirche (church)

Mariahilferplatz (open space outside church)

The Mariahilferplatz was located on our side of the Mur River. An old bridge for bikes and pedestrian connected the Mariahilferplatz to the "other side" as bridges often do. 

MURINSEL Smack dag in the middle of the Mur River was the steel building called Murinsel (Mur Island, built 2003 when Graz was chosen as the cultural capital)

artificial island

KUNTHAUS

Kunthaus art center/museum

blue bubble built in 2003

SCHLOSSBERGPLATZ

Schlossbergplatz
(open space to the 260 stone steps going up to the Uhrturm Clock Tower
and the fortress of a ruined castle above Grazer Schlossberg Hill)
- stone steps behind the camera -

No! 260 steps!

I will not limp up 260 steps, no Siree! Luckily for me, there were alternative routes.  Funicular railway  (Schlossbergbahn) Elevator through the mining shaft EUR4.80 (2 adults) We went for the elevator. We weren't the only one using the elevators. (At the end of this tunnel)

GRAZER SCHLOSSBERG HILL

Uhrturm Clock Tower (struck precise hour since 1712) - unusual hands of clock - - larger marking hour - - smaller marking minutes -

Bird's Eye View

Peering between the trees

There's much to see up here (fortress, castle ruin, bastions) but it required a lot of walking and I wasn't quite up to it, so after circling the area near the clock tower, we returned to Schlossbergplatz to wait for the others.

Balcony facing Schlobberplatz

Red tiles on roof top

Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus gets a supporting role on the front of the Dreifaltigkeitskirche. (to the left of entrance) He’s holding a stick of blooming lilies The story goes that Mary’s husband was chosen by God. As the widowers of Israel gathered around, a dove flew forth from the aged Joseph’s walking stick. In later legends, the dove was converted to flowers. Lilies in Christian art often indicate the purity of the Virgin Mary.

Dreifaltigkeitskirche Saint Joseph Holy Trinity Church

PART 2