Austria

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Austria, the crossroads of Europe, is a wonderful country with beautiful mountains for climbing and skiing. Austria also has beautiful, historic cities and wonderful architecture. Visitors to Austria can drive there from Germany, Italy, or Switzerland or fly there and land in Vienna, Salzburg, or Innsbruck. When planning a trip to Austria, pack your passport, outfits to wear to the opera and church, cameras, English to German dictionary, umbrellas, hiking boots, and skis if its winter-and of course a love of music and food.

The history of Austria goes back to the Romans, who established it as a frontier province along the Danube River, and includes the Hapsburg Dynasty as well as the Holy Roman Empire. Therefore, history buffs have a lot of interesting historical sites to explore. Currently, Austria is part of the European Community and European Monetary Union.

Visitors will notice in Austria there is public transportation which makes travel between cities very easy. Even though the Austrian is Alpine, a lot of bicyclers enjoy visiting Austria because there a bicycle routes in every town. Consequently, as well as visiting the major cities, tourists have access to the picturesque and quaint villages that dot the country-side and mountains-slopes.

Austrian food is comfort food because it includes heavy soups, lots of meat, dumplings, noodles, and creams-heavy cream, whipped cream, and creamy sauces. Austrians also like sauerkraut as an accompaniment to many main dishes. Although sauerkraut is basically a pickled cabbage, chefs from various areas within Austria season it slightly different with caraway seeds or cloves. Either way, sauerkraut in Austria is delicious accompanying a pork shoulder with a creamy salad dressing, and a whipped cream dessert. After a dinner like that, visitors to Austria have to go hiking. Austrians also love their between meal snacks of coffee and strudels followed by a schnapps which they claim helps digestion.

In Vienna, the "city of composers" and past royalty, visitors can enjoy the opera, visiting palaces, exploring its museums, examining the regal architecture, which is reflected in the cathedrals, and sampling the culinary delights. Vienna also has an old town to explore as well as great shopping. Innsbruck has a rich culture with museums reflecting its history and arts. The mountains that surround Innsbruck are among the most beautiful in the world-no matter the season. In Innsbruck, visitors can go hiking, backpacking, swimming, rafting, skiing (summer and winter) in the Alps, golfing, and riding. The culture of Innsbruck is Tyrolean, which is evident in its food and art, especially the Christmas woodcarvings. Visitors to Salzburg can trace the footsteps of Mozart and sample its sophisticated cuisine.Salzburg's architecture is known for its domes. In addition to enjoying the music and food in Salzburg, visitors should visit its Festspielhauser (festival theatre) and Hohensalzburg (fortress) on a hill above Salzburg. Salzburg also has a vital nightlife which all visitors enjoy.

Visitors to Austria should plan on visiting:

West Bavaria in Germany, particularly Regensburg, and explore the former monastery which is the princely home of the Thrun und Taxis family;
Switzerland to continue a visiting the Alps for hiking, bicycling, and mountain climbing-as well as skiing;
Italy and the Italian Alps; andL
Croatia for its beautiful beaches;

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