Fri 24th May
Bitte schon - you're welcome. Or if asked as a question: Bitter shon? then Can I help you?
Another fine morning so we went for a walk to the Botanic Gardens which are only about 500m from our apartment, on the grounds of Karl-Franzens-University. It was surprisingly chilly in the shadows so we had to keep looking for the sunny side of the path. Unlike any other botanic gardens we have visited, these are very small and dominated by a climate controlled glass greenhouse that is home to exotic plants from 4 distinct climate zones: tropical, Mediterranean, temperate and cold. They are linked by wooden boardwalks or bridges and the conditions created by hot water or cool misting. The old glasshouse, from the early 20th century, is still standing and chock-a-block with potted plants that appear to be under some sort of research program. All this infrastructure means there is not much more space but they have lovely rock gardens interspersed with what appear to be wildflowers springing up naturally, but no doubt deliberately placed.
The site is situated in a very wealthy district and surrounded by some fabulous mansions which we walked by on our way to explore a nearby pond before returning home for breakfast with the Mundays.
Glenn then drove us out to Riegersburg Castle, about an hour east of Graz. We really enjoyed the drive through the countryside dotted with neat farmhouses set between fields of crops and vegetables. It all seems so neat, I guess every fallen branch or tree ends up sawn and stacked in a wood heap. We didn't see any cattle because at this time of the year they are all taken up to the high plateaus to feed on the summer pasture.
The castle, which stands atop an enormous extinct volcano shaft, can be accessed by a short funicular railcar. It holds the reputation of never being conquered by the marauding Turks which is not surprising when you consider the vantage point they hold so far above the surrounding fields. We were amazed by the moat that must have been chiselled by hand out of the foundation rock and the rut marks worn into the driveway from centuries of wagon passage.
The castle houses an interesting display about witches and sorcerers who were ruthlessly persecuted by the church in the Middle Ages. Many people believed that crop failures, natural disasters, illnesses and attacks by foreigners were caused by witches. Well someone had to be responsible. They were put to trial then burned at the stake, strangled, decapitated or tortured to extract evidence in diverse apparatus, hung or stretched by the wheel .... It is amazing how normally sane human beings could come up with such bizarre punishments, usually conducted in public. The owner of Riegersburg Castle was also the Imperial Commissioner for the penal system at the Feldbach witch trials where 95 men, women and children were accused of causing bad weather between 1673 and 1675 and were executed. Even the handmaiden of the Baroness of Riegersburg, Katharina Paldauff who came to be known as the “Flower Witch,” became a victim of these Styrian witch hunts. Accused of “bad weather sorcery,” the woman was one of those killed. It wasn't until the next century that torture was abolished by Maria Theresia.
After that rather gruesome experience we called in at the nearby Zotter Chocolate Factory for some diversionary taste sensations and were not disappointed. It is a huge place with guided tours and expansive gardens but we only visited the tasting room and shop, coming away with a few samples to share. Zotter built his reputation using organic and fair trade beans and by exploring flavour combinations that didn't previously exist. Then they are cleverly packaged in funky designer wrapping. I chose hazelnut and grape. There were even combinations including pumpkin seed oil, something this region is famous for. Who would have thought?
Next we called in to the village of Fernitz. This is renowned for its flower gardens and is also the village where Herta grew up and went to school. She met us at the local cafe as she had spent the day with her son working in the garden at her mother's house. We all indulged in an ice cream, something we see the locals regularly enjoying. This time I tried the pumpkin seed oil over a big dollop of apple and cinnamon ice team. Delicious. Eric stuck to the more traditional Neapolitan combo. Before leaving town Herta showed us the church where she was baptised, did communion and then was married.
It wasn't until after 6pm when we got home. Jen whipped up a simple salmon pasta dish and before long we were all heading to bed after a long day.
Saturday 27th May
Recht - right, links - left
This morning for our walk we followed the tram tracks back to city park. I keep pondering riding a bike around the city, so many people do (in fact the city centre is car free), but I am bound to get my tyres caught in the tram tracks and end up in trouble. We were fortunate to see a greater spotted woodpecker in the trees. I let Eric go on up to the schloss while I walked back along Elisabethstrasse to our apartment on Schanzelgasse. We are starting to get our tongues around some of the words and are quite comfortable that so many words are similar to English, they just spell them incorrectly (hee hee). For instance if you pass an exit to a petrol station/rest bay on the autobahn it is indicated on a sign as raststation, beer is bier and wine is cheap.
We all headed into town later, the others went shopping while we went to the Portraits Exhibition at Universalmuseum Joanneum. Since portraits have always been a popular theme in fine arts, the pieces ranged from as far back as the 19th century through to the modern era when so many different media styles are used. One of my favourites was titled 'Chief de village' and was a sculpture of broom head, 20 litre plastic fuel carrier and a ring.
We met up for lunch in another sunny platz and enjoyed an Italian meal then we went to have a look at the Kunshaus, the modern art museum. It has no permanent exhibitions, but instead constantly displays travelling collections. It is a striking landmark that the locals have called 'our friendly alien'. Finally, we waked home via the tunnels through the base of the Schlossberg to Karmeliterplatz. The system of tunnels were constructed during WWII to provide shelter for the townspeople from bombing.
Jumping on a tram for the last leg we bumped into Jenny and Glenn so agreed to visit our local bar for an afternoon drink only to discover the place is now closed for a week. How dare they?
Glenn cooked dinner while the rest of us caught up on our devices, a nightly routine we have slipped into.
Sunday 28th May
Einfarht - one way
We had been invited to Richard and Herta's apartment for breakfast today since they are heading to Vienna for a few days and won't be here to say farewell when we leave. Their apartment is the penthouse and has sweeping views over red tiled rooftops and trees to the mountains in the distance. It is beautifully furnished and I was particularly taken by the lights they had chosen. Richard explained that he sees them as all part of the furnishings and so they serve more than the practical purpose of lighting. I just thought of all the cleaning involved. Herta served a traditional Austrian breakfast which included a selection of continental breads and fresh vegetables, cheese, cold cuts of meat, scrambled eggs and bacon. What a spread! Their son Nicky, who lives nearby joined us too. He has spent time studying and visiting Australia as his sister lives near Gosford. Not short of a penny, the family have slung a bamboo walkbridge from the corner of the balcony across to a tree and installed a climbing post so their cats can get down to the yard.
After that meal we began our walk to Basilica Mariatrost on top of Puberg Hill, and more importantly the restaurant beside it which Herta has highly recommended. We walked back to the pond near the Botanic Gardens then climbed up the hill to join the Leechwald trail which follows a wooded ridge-line, providing beautiful outlooks along the way. It was shady and we heard many (but saw few) birds. Once we had conquered that initial climb, the walking was easy. The woods are intersected with trails and there were quite a few other walkers, runners and mountain bikers out enjoying the beautiful Sunday morning. Our trail was well marked as it is used in the local marathon route. Some of it was paved between houses, other sections were dirt through woods but even those parts are lit by streetlights at night. After about 5 kms, we come to Mariatrost, a huge pilgrimage church and monastery complex. It was once an important pilgrimage site and it features lovely frescoes on the ceiling. After lunch under the shade of chestnut trees in the restaurant next door we made our way down the steep Angelus stairs to the road and caught the bus back to St Leonards and walked home. I was ready for an afternoon siesta by then and only woke when it was time for Eric to start preparing dinner.
Monday 29th May
Glasperlen - glass bead
Eric once again rose early for a walk. We had heard about a wildlife rescue centre in the Leechweld that we walked through yesterday, but didn't ever come across it. He went in search of it as I was keen to visit, perhaps later in the day or tomorrow. He came home having had success but it now looks like our time here is going to run out before I get a chance to get there after all.
We're all starting to feel that we have seen all we have to see of Graz and now we just have a couple of days to see what we see and do what we do. My turn to cook tonight so I suggested we go back to the market where it easier to buy small quantities. Once we had all we needed there, we went on to Lendplatz in the Lend district which is becoming known as the creative end of town with interesting art projects and trendy bars. We dawdled along window shopping until we came to the market square and enjoyed an icecream while people watching. I am very keen on the bug hotels we keep finding, I have plans to expand the bug house at Alawa Farm when we return.
Deciding to head for home we were intrigued by the beautiful glass beads in a shop window and went in to explore further. It turned out to be a gallery and studio workshop, and as it happens, the owner has spaces for 2 more at the 11 o'clock class tomorrow. Jenni and I are booked in. The glass rods are imported from Murano and we hope to learn how to make and take home a few glass beads that will be original if nothing else.
In the evening Richard and Herta came to say goodbye before they went out to a concert. The weather was gorgeous so we hosted them on the front porch. They have been terrific hosts and are a lovely couple and we are so glad we have had the opportunity to meet them.
30th May
Wiedersehen - goodbye
Neither of us walked in the morning as Jenni and I were heading to our glass beading workshop. The boys filled up the car and arranged to book a taxi to the airport tomorrow. Our workshop was terrific. We each had a teacher on hand to assist and advise us as we were shown the process from glass rod to finished bead. Our first task was to create an opaque bead that was symmetrical. Next, we had to dot it with another opaque colour. These dots had to be added when the bead was warm but not hot enough to change shape and then the dots had to be melted down so they formed spots. Next, we put a second dot of opaque colour on the spots so that eventually the original dots formed rings around the later colour. All the time we were turning the bead, keeping it horizontal, keeping it warm but not too hot and adding the next layer with a vertical rod. The last layer was a transparent colour that exposed the previous layer. So much to think about and coordinate your hands at the same time. I even swapped hands occasionally, not sure which of the actions to do with the dominant right hand. I added a final colour for effect. After 3 hours we each had a set of earrings and I also had a hat pin with an extra technique we experimented with where you swirl the dots with another transparent rod. It was a very satisfying workshop and we met some more lovely local ladies who were very happy to be practicing their English with us.
Mentally exhausted but happy to have the experience, we found the boys in Lendplatz having a beer and enjoyed lunch together. Once more it is a beautifully sunny day, top temperature about 30 deg. We returned to pick up my hat pin which Ela had glued for me, then had an icecream as we walked back to a Fair Trade Shop the boys had found that had some interesting items for sale. Eric is interested in copying a tea light holder he saw and I saw a way to use up some of my stamps.
They all took the tram home but I chose to walk since I had been sitting most of the morning. Despite it being quite hot, I enjoyed it but needed a little nap when I made it back.
Other interesting facts about Graz:
The Lipizzaner stud, where the famous horses used in the Vienna Spanish Riding School are bred, is only a one hour drive from Graz at Piber.
Graz is the birthplace of Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger
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