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Romantic Austrian Holiday
RCI Member Patrick Low had a romantic time with his wife in Austria
On a 12-hour flight last October from Singapore to Vienna, thoughts of The Sound of Music, Mozart’s birthplace, mediaeval castles, the Alps and mountain lakes kept playing in my mind.
I had made an exchange with RCI for Austria and the resort selected was Mondi Holiday at Grundlsee.
We made our way from Salzburg Airport to the resort using a rented car which
has a diesel engine as petrol is expensive in Europe. In Austria, diesel costs €1.02 per litre.
Using the directions given
by RCI on our confirmation exchange slip, which we found to be very accurate, we found our way easily after two hours of driving from Salzburg. The scenery on the way to the resort was breathtaking. As it was the end of autumn, there was a kaleidoscope of colours in the vegetation.
Driving through the Salzkammergut Lake regions, we passed many beautiful mountain lakes like Mondsee and
St. Wolfgangsee, which offered postcard perfect scenery.
The resort staff was very helpful, friendly and efficient. The resort is situated on a hill facing the beautiful Grundlsee Lake which is surrounded by mountains.
The next day, with some helpful tips from the resort staff,
we drove to Grosslockner High Alpine Road which is regarded as one of the world’s most beautiful mountain routes. It was
Top: Breathtaking mountain scenery from Mondi Holiday’s grounds Left: At Pasterze Glacier off Grossglockner Alpine Road
about a three-hour drive up winding roads but it was well worth the effort. The road winds its way above steep ravines, offering views of snow-capped mountains on both sides.
As it was a Sunday, there were many cars queuing to pay at the tollgate to enter the road. The toll per car is €20.
We drove up to an elevation of 8,218 ft, the highest point along the route. From there, we branched off to Glacier Road and stopped at a viewing terrace at 7,772 ft which gave us a fabulous view of Grossglockner (Austria’s highest peak at 12,457 ft) and Pasterze Glacier.
Our holiday would not be complete without visiting some mediaeval castles so the following day, we drove to a castle
– Burg Hohenwerfen – about three hours away from the resort. We drove to the town of Werfen along Highway A10. This impressive castle, which is on a hill, can be seen from Werfen. It was built by the Archbishop of Salzburg in 1077.
We paid about €8 for English recordings as the Austrian castle guide walked us through the different areas of the castle – torture chamber, state room, armoury and belfry. After the tour, we were treated to a falconry show in the castle courtyard.
We decided to visit another castle – the picturesque Neuschwanstein in Bavaria – as Salzburg is very close to the border of Germany. We took a two-hour train ride to Munich and from Munich, we took another two-hour train ride to Fussen. From Fussen station, we took a bus which dropped us right in front of Neuschwanstein’s ticketing office.
Neuschwanstein is an amazing castle and our visit there made our imagination run wild. No wonder the fairytale castle of Disneyland was modelled after it.
As we rented a car, we could visit more places like Salzburg, a historic old town and birthplace of Mozart, and the many lakeside towns in the Salzkammergut region where some places were use to film The Sound of Music.
Thanks to RCI, my wife and I had a memorable holiday that we exchanged into. The resorts are superb. We hope to enjoy many more exchange holidays with RCI.
Neuschwanstein Castle in the background
RCI congratulates Patrick Low on winning S$100 for his holiday story.
Tell us about your holiday experiences and you could be the winner next time!
Write to Endless Vacation Magazine, RCI Asia-Pacific Pte Ltd, #09-01/05 PWC Building, 8 Cross Street, Singapore 048424.
Or you can email us at asiamembers@rciap.com. Make sure you include your RCI Membership Number and a selection of pictures, together with the details of the names of people in the photographs and where they were taken. Closing date: 31 May 2006
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