History of Austria

From the beginning to the Hapsburg Dynasty:
Romans in Austria between 1st C. BC and 5th C. AD. Charlemagne, king of Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, established territory called Ostmark (Austria) in Danube Valley. Hungarians defeated at Augsburg and Austria re-established around 955. Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph of Hapsburg granted his sons the fiefdoms of Austria and Styria in 1282 and began rule of one of most powerful dynasties in European history. Hapsburgs r.. Read More »

I was very happy to leave Vienna. We stayed for too long. Granted, we didn’t have much choice, as we needed time to rest Stephane’s knee (he had tendonitis), but it was frustrating becuase there were so many museums and palaces and .. Read More »

We arrived in Vienna on Saturday afternoon early, and our first task was to find a place to sleep for the night. A task which proved almst Herculean. We had planned on staying in the campground outside the city for the duration of our sta.. Read More »

After leaving Mauthausen, we followed the Danube for a couple of days, and the scenery changed drastically from one day to another. The second day was prettier. We were glad to be there during the Fall, when there were less tourists, because the ra.. Read More »

We slept along the Danube on Sunday night, a beautiful mountainous stretch that glittered with the reds, oranges, and purples of Fall. The river was very green. Wasn’t it Strauss that immortalized the Danube in his waltz “The Blue Dan.. Read More »

Towards Passau

We left Munich under overcast skies and headed east towards the Austrian border. It took us three days. A strong wind was against us the first day, but the terrain was flat. We started the da.. Read More »