SEPT. 22 - SAD TO LEAVE VIENNA

I was up at 6:30 trying to get ready and finish packing. We had set a departure goal of 9 AM. Dr. Thomas came up, offering to help, but Ron had almost finished. Think Dr. Thomas mainly wanted to check the apartment for any damage.

The gates to our driveway 

We finally left about 9:15 AM. It isn't an efficient system for retrieving or returning the gate key. Once you get the gate open and the car out, you have to push the fob to close it. Then on foot, program your code into the keypad for the pedestrian door, and leave the key fob on the entrance door handle. The landlord owns the building with his architectural offices on the ground floor, three rental units on the second, and his personal apartment on top. A very nice building in a lovely neighborhood, and definitely over US$10 million.

We programmed the GPS, and it took us out of the neighbor-hood on many 1-way, and detour-blocked streets, passing gorgeous old villas, mixed with beautiful new modern homes. Due to the construction there were numerous difficult, congested spots we had to maneuver around. The streets are so narrow with cars parked everywhere - there is no place in the US we can think to compare it to.

It's actually much worse than 
it looks here!

We finally got on the autoroute, but encountered a new issue. Ron chose the left lane when he should have chosen the right. We ended up for MILES (Ron says about 16) in the most narrow of lanes. Concrete barriers on one side, and a very low barricade of sort on the other, facing oncoming traffic, with very little room on either side. Ron said this was more tense than driving up the circular parking deck at Q19. But, back in the "old days" when we lived in Germany, it was even worse, as there was no divider from the oncoming traffic, speeds were unlimited, and there were many accidents and deaths.

Once we finished with that stretch of road, Ron needed a
break to relax the tension. We stopped for gas at a station with an adjacent restaurant called Landzeit. It turned out to be a fascinating spot with an interesting history to me. (I spent an entire morning researching this topic, but you may wish to skip over it.)  There was originally a chain of motorway rest stops founded in 1972 by Heinz Rosenberg, who took over a small operation from his brother upon his death in the 1960's. The brother had been a gravel truck driver, and sold his trucks to open the first auto gas station. Heinz was a pioneer in catering to motorway travelers - something like the Howard Johnson of Austria. Upon his death at only 62, there was a family dispute over the inheritance, and the company was split up with one brother, Kris Rosenberg (a professional race car driver) and another Rosenberg female (not clear if a sister or mother or what). This original business was eventually sold to Chinese investors after nearing bankruptcy. I believe the new entity then merged with the company that operates Burger King on the roadways. What a dichotomy to the current Landzeit as described below.

Another side of the family, Wolfgang Rosenberger and his sister, Elizabeth, apparently started the new division, Landzeit. Wolfgang got his Masters at Cornell (known for hospitality studies) and worked abroad 10 years. The first Landzeit opened in 2004. It has now grown to 16 locations serving 6 million guests a year. It has 800 employees, and they have an extensive training and apprenticeship program. Several of the locations now have hotel rooms. Usually you would wrinkle your nose with distaste at the thought of stopping at an autobahn stop - maybe similar to a truck stop. But, walking into Landzeit is a lovely experience - clean, light, spacious, and a feast for the eyes. Their philosophy is everything freshly made in house every day. They make their own pastas, pastries, and even smoke their own lachs. There are stations offering all types of cuisines, including a station with glass oil & vinegar dispensers. It doesn't even resemble a cafeteria or a fast-food dining facility. There is also a shop with a lot of merchandise such as wine, preserves and other food items, crockery with beautiful designs, writing sets, stuffed animals, handbags, blankets, art work and more. 

Even the bathrooms were very special - this one was in an art nouveau mode....

We thought about having a bite there, but despite all the superlatives, decided we'd rather have a lake view (and not mass-produced food), so we continued on to Gmunden, Not having Internet or a "gourmet atlas" makes it difficult. The place I had scribbled down ended up not appealing to us at all. Ron drove around the lake and we found the Grunberg am See, in a beautiful setting. Traunsee is the deepest and largest lake entirely within Austria - gorgeous. Unfortunately, the restaurant was full, but we were told "follow him" - so we walked through long halls, kitchens, and were finally seated in the Seminar room, which definitely did not make me happy! It was a room with zero atmosphere, and we had to crane our necks for a peek at the lake,  looking over the heads of a group dinner going on at the center table. 

There was no sense driving further, especially since almost all restaurants close at 2 PM, so went ahead and ordered. As it turned out, Ron said it was his best meal of the trip to date - pork medallions in a
mushroom sauce, with broccoli and piping hot potato krokettes.  I had my standby, Austrian backhendl (fried chicken) - fairly ordinary.

After we finished we moved into a more salubrious room with direct view onto the lake and shared palatschinken with marillen (apricot). I thought we should have that traditional  Austrian dessert before leaving the country. We were introduced to it by a couple in Nurnberg in 1973. I don't think there is much difference between that and crepes. I also think it is better with ice cream filling than preserves. 

Ron in the handle of the cup

After lunch, we found the Gmundener Keramik Fabrik. I love the two or three pieces I have with the gray deer motif. But, the prices are now astronomical, and we didn't find the big "seconds" section we had seen previously. I also don't think the designs are as clear and sharp as they used to be. We were disappointed, and at over $50 for ONE coffee mug, did not buy anything.

Drove on toward that night's destination, Alpbach in the Kitzbuehl Alps. These two days were devoted to the "almbetrieb" (something recent on my very short "bucket list"), the cows coming down from their summer mountain pastures to their barns and meadows for the winter. Because it is a big day in the Alpbachtal, it had been difficult to find a room. There was nothing in Reith, so I had booked in Alpbach, which is only 7-KM, but totally UPHILL, on small, twisting roads (which we didn't realize). I said, "We are going up the mountain to meet the cows." Alpbach was voted the most beautiful village in Austria back in 1983, and we detoured to drive through there around that time, but didn't remember much about it. The village has received numerous rewards since that time

We finally found our reserved lodging for the night, the Gasthof Jakober. Once again, the parking situation was very difficult, and the rain was falling. Ron parked the car as best he could but the end of the car was blocking the sidewalk. He left me in the car while he went to check in. Our room was in a separate building, neighboring the gasthof. Ron unloaded the car, and I went into the room. He went back out to park the car, and parked it precariously on a hillside. After that ordeal in the rain we went into the Gasthof to have a drink. We were surprised at how packed it was. Ron continued to check to see if there was a better parking spot. Finally, after an hour or so, he was able to find a spot right in front of our room. The rain did not improve his mood. 

I had so many questions about the "cow parade". After all this, I sure didn't want to miss it. Ron finally spoke to some Irish guys near us, but they didn't know much about it either. One pointed out a woman, and said to ask her in the morning in the breakfast room (but we never saw her again). After our drink, we went back to the small room and had a good night's sleep, counting cows instead of sheep.