BADGASTEIN - FEBRUARY 1981

BADGASTEIN, AUSTRIAN ALPS

BADGASTEIN is situated in the middle of the National Park Hohe Tauern, at 1000 metres above sea level, and its streets, with the buildings from the «Belle Epoque» era, look like some kind of ancient amphitheatre. Known as a Spa since medieval times, this beautiful village took off in the early nineteenth century, when Archduke Johann descended on the valley to take the cure. Emperor Franz-Josef, Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany and Bismarck were among those who followed.
Although some would say that current attempts to turn «this strangely ossified place» back into a chic resort – with stylish hotels, congress centre and casino – are less than convincing, the languorous, nineteenth-century ambience that prevails is certainly unique in alpine Austria, and you may find it appealingly nostalgic. On the other hand, in the centre of Badgastein there are 18 thermal springs, as well as the Badgastein vapour gallery, which are particularly well-suited to therapies...


"SALZBURG/BADGASTEIN - Take the train and enjoy"





"VIEWS FROM PARKHOTEL BELLEVUE
In the fall of 1993, more than 150 years of Bad Gastein tradition came to an end. A fire raced through the top floor of Wührer's Parkhotel Bellevue, and the flames and ensuing water damage left this classic remnant of the Kaiser era little more than a burned outhulk. 150 years of tradition wiped out in a single evening, an irreplaçable part of the town's unique atmosphere suddenly gone. In 1996, a new Mondi Vacation Club Bellevue opened its doors, they say to the former splendour. I'll have to go back and check..."


"VIEW OF THE PARKHOTEL BELLEVUE - behind Christmas trees in February"


"MONEY EXCHANGE OFFICE on the right; probably lost its business with the Euro"


"BELLEVUE ALM LODGE, perched on the mountain overlooking Badgastein, is perhaps the most legendary of all mountain lodges in Austria's Salzburg Province. On Thursday evenings there is roast suckling pig. What are these lawyers doing up there, in such fancy costumes?"



"AT THE BELLEVUE ALM LODGE - Magnificent views"



"BACK TO BADGASTEIN BY CHAIRLIFT - «Aerial lift, which consists of a constantly moving loop of steel cable strung between two end terminals and generally over intermediate towers. Chairs, which here seat only one, are connected to the cable with a one-piece grip, which does not require any special springs, or clamps, hence the name "fixed-grip". The first known chairlift was created for the ski resort in Sun Valley, Idaho in 1936.» Nice overcoat and scarf to seat there..."


"DOWNTOWN - A mix of skiers and congresspeople"


"CONFERENCE CENTRE - Business people also need to have a break while they are working; that's why conference organisers come to Badgastein"


"MCE - INTERNATIONAL COMPANY LAWERS' CONFERENCE 1982 - MCE's mission is to improve their clients'ability to execute strategy. In Badgastein, I didn't notice... The delegation of Portuguese lawyers to this conference reached twenty (plus one spouse, also a lawyer...). Only Finland came closer, with fifteen lawyers, but they were of course running away from the cold and dark Winter days! The FAREWELL DINNER was the Highlight of the Conference, but I don't post the photo as I don't know if all pictured would agree: there were too many empty glasses on the table..."



"RETURN HOME VIA PARIS, and meet another Traveller"

ZURICH, SALZBURG - FEBRUARY 1981

ON THE ROAD TO AN AMAZING LAWYERS' CONFERENCE IN BADGASTEIN, AUSTRIAN ALPS

ZURICH


"GROSSMÜNSTER - You can believe it: Zurich has other buildings besides Banks... In a city of small-scale architecture, the Grossmünster is gigantic. Denuded of all its interior grandeur by Reformers 500 hundred years ago, today its inside is as bare as a cellar"


"FRAUMÜNSTERKIRCHE - Founded in 853 by King Louis the German, this church with ist convent was inhabited by the female members of the aristocracy of southern Germany. Unfortunately the photo doesn't show the magnificent stained glass windows by Marc Chagall: the five-part cycle in the choir (1970) and the rosette in the southern transept (1978); but it shows a «Ushanka» hat..."



"LINDENHOF - An oasis of relaxation in the Zürich old town with a magnificent view of the right bank of the river Limmat. Goethe once stayed at the freemasons'lodge here"

SALZBURG



"THE ALPS are Europe's major range of mountains, spanning from the Mediterranean coast of France via Switzerland, Northern Italy and Austria to Slovenia. Here you can hardly see them, but they are there, as well as Mozart is: Mozart's birthplace, house, photos, chocolates, «kugeln», hotels, records, handkerchiefs, match-boxes, whatever... Now imagine 2006, the 250th Mozart Anniversary! Or better see it at MOZART 2006"


"HOHENSALZBURG - Hohensalzburg Fortress towers high above Salzburg's baroque City. The castle is not baroque but distinctly medieval. Built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, considerably enlarged by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach, is the largest, fully-preserved fortress in central Europe"


"THE CATHEDRAL, as seen from Hohensalzburg; with its magnificent façade and dome is the most impressive early Baroque edifice north of the Alps. The first cathedral dated from 774. Destroyed by fire in 1167, was rebuilt ten years later: more beautiful, more magnificent and more impressive. Destroyed by another fire in 1598, it was rebuilt to be consecrated again in 1628. In 1944 the dome and part of the chancel were destroyed during a bomb attack. Renovations were carried out and the Cathedral consecrated in its former magnificence in 1959. The three years found in the gates to the Cathedral are in memory of the three consecrations: 774, 1628 and 1959"




"VIEWS FROM HOHENSALZBUG FORTRESS, a fabulous view point to the City, the River Salzach and the Alps"


"PFERDESCHWEMME - Through Salzburg's Old Town; by 'Fiaker' horse cabs, bike, car or better on foot!"


"MIRABELL GARDENS - Prince Archbishop Johann Ernst Graf von Thun (1687 - 1709) had the famous Mirabell Gardens remodelled in 1690. They were redesigned around 1730 by Franz Anton Danreiter. In 1854 Emperor Franz Joseph opened the Mirabell Gardens to the public"

MOZART'S SALZBURG - NOVEMBER 1979

SALZBURG - STAGE OF THE WORLD






"SNOW GAMES - Highway Vienna - Salzburg"



"HOHENSALZBURG FORTRESS, built in 1077, is the largest, fully-preserved fortress in central Europe, and was never conquered by enemy troops. It can be reached by a funicular built in 1892"


"MARKTPLATZ - Mozart lived nearby"



"RAINERSTRASSE, A main thoroughfare in Salzburg"


"CATHEDRAL - The first cathedral was built in 767, consecrated in 774 to St. Virgil and St. Rupert, and was destroted by fire. The rest of the story is on Blogtrotter Revival, the 80's, at Zurich, Salzburg - February 1981


"MOZART SQUARE - The statue is by Ludwig Schwanthaler, and was unveiled on September 5, 1842"



"SHOPPING LANES - Getreidegasse, probably Salzburg's most famous shopping lane, Judengasse and others have high and narrow houses tight together, as well as the famous wrought iron guild signs"


"MOZART'S BIRTHPLACE - Getreidegasse 9, today a museum, is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756. His family lived here from 1747 to 1773"



***

HERE WE COME TO THE END OF THE 70S TROTTING!!!

VIENNA AT ITS BEST - NOVEMBER 1979

GROUP STROLL!

In November 1979, Austria national team was going to play a football (soccer) match with Portugal in Lisbon; so the Austrians chartered (and fully paid) a Boeing 747 from the Portuguese airline TAP (Air Portugal) to bring them here, and return to Vienna after the match. The plane was flying empty from Lisbon to Vienna to pick the fans, and then from Vienna to Lisbon on the return flight after the match. This was an opportunity for a very good deal profiting from the fact that the airplane was already paid. So a group was joined, and landed in Vienna!


"SCHÖNBRUNN - La Hermosa Fuente, as our Spanish speaking guide would call it. Mr. Gilbert looks great in front of the palace. The rest of the group heads to the main entrance, trying to avoid the light rain"


"SCHÖNBRUNN - After the visit. The ladies' umbrellas add some colour to the photo"


"RATHAUS - The 1883 neo-Gothic building from Friedrich von Schmidt - the Vienna city hall -, is one of the most important secular buildings in town. The façade is dominated by the central tower (198 meter high), crowned by a 3 meter high statue of the «Eisener Rathausman» - The Iron Knight of the City Hall"


"CHRISTMAS MARKET - In the morning. Fortunately nobody was having Glühwein!"


"MARIA THERESIA SQUARE - Al and Gilbert enjoy the stop of the rain, near the Empress"


"THE RING - Trying to cross the Ring - a 4 kilometre long Boulevard, initiated by Emperor Franz Joseph I in December 1857, which circles the city centre - is not an easy task: no Austrian would dare to disrespect the red light! From left to right, Zé, Marília, Al, Gilbert and Trotter: the rain was back!"


"HOFBURG - Originally a medieval castle, was extended and saw its glory with the Habsburg's power. Nowadays it hosts the Imperial Treasury, the National Library, the Etnography Museum and the world famous «Spanische Hofreitschule» - the Spanish Riding School. The «Heldenplatz» - Heroes Square (photo) -, is one of Austria's symbols"


"GRABEN is the hub of Vienna. It became the fist pedestrian zone in 1971"


"PESTSÄULE - In Graben we can see the «Pestsäule» or Plague Pillar, also called Trinity Pillar. This was raised in the middle of the Graben by Leopold the 1st, as a sign of gratitude by the end of the 1679 plague, which took the life of either eighty or one hundred fifty thousand Viennese, depending on the estimates"


"CATHEDRAL - St. Stephen's Cathedral, built in 1147 and with a 136 meter high tower, was for a long time the highest building in Europe. It marks the city centre, and is a must see to any visitor to Vienna (unless you're only coming for an OPEC or UN meeting, and leave town at the end of the day)"


"KAERTNERSTRASSE - Vienna's central shopping street. Nearby you have Sacher Hotel, and Sachertorte; but, at least for my taste, you are much better off heading down the Ring to the Imperial Hotel, and having Imperialtorte!"


"OPERA - Group photo with Luís, Al, Miga, Gilbert, Trotter, Marilia and Zé. Guida took it.
The Vienna Opera House is famous for its first-class opera performances, as well as for hosting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. As we had not much time, could not see the entire performance, and there were only very few tickets left, we bought tickets for the Gallery. The cost was roughly the price of a tram ticket, the view was restricted - we could only see half of the stage - but the first Act of Wagner's «Meistersinger von Nürnberg» was sublime!"


"ALBERTINA PLATZ - The Albertina palace is 12 metres above the city level. It hosts the Albertina Museum, which has one of the largest and most beautiful graphic collections in the world, with 70.000 drawings and more than one million graphic prints. From Leonardo to Warhol, one can also see works from Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Manet, Cézanne, but the most impressive was the collection of Dürer's works!"


"WALKING down the Parkring. The Ring Boulevard was inaugurated on May 1st, 1865 and with its trees and monumental buildings is one of the most beautiful boulevards in Europe"


"SCHWARZENBERG PLATZ - Behind the Equestrian statue, there is a Russian Memorial, and we can see the Belvedere Palaces. Not a great shot, anyhow..."


"RINK, just behind the Intercontinental Hotel. Many years later I had a room with a view to the Rink. On the other side is the Stadtpark!"