Lahnstein (Rhein-Pfalz), Germany June 2025 (Tour 11)

Lahnstein, in the Rheinland Palatinate, is a town of some 18,000 people which sits at the confluence of the Rhein and Lahn rivers. Although we drove through the town many times during trips out to Boppard, Koblenz and Rheinbach (more about those places later), we didn’t get to wander the town itself. We’ll correct that some time in the future because this is an area we will most certainly return to.

We’d booked into Camping Wolfsmu:hle on the banks of the River Lahn for a couple of nights. The site is conveniently placed for visits to various small towns and villages along the Rhein and Moselle Rivers and, initially, we had it in mind to visit Boppard (on the Rhine) and Koblenz (at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle). However, we were so impressed with the site that within an hour or two of settling in we asked to stay an extra night with a view to also visiting Cochem (on the Moselle). Our pitch, the setting and the camp facilities were all first class but it was the welcome we received from the kindly site manager (Gerd) and the Dutch family managing the camp restaurant-bar that really made the place. Without any doubt, Camping Wolfsmuhle is worthy of inclusion in our list of ‘most excellent campsites’.

As it happened we managed to see Boppard (and a blog follows) but the planned visits to Koblenz and Cochem gave way to a lengthy and time consuming search for a ‘Schaukelstuhl’. I should explain that a few days beforehand, Vanya had seen a camping style rocking chair which she coveted. It was a Berger Soria Rocking Chair (a Berger Schaukelstuhl) and, having discovered the manufacturer and model, Vanya also identified a number of retail outlets within a 40 mile radius that should sell them. We wasted the best part of a day hunting this blessed chair down but none of the outlets we visited had any in stock (because they were on offer and had sold like hot cakes). In the end, I telephoned the Fritz Berger Retail Outlet in Rheinbach (which we would pass on our way further north) and they agreed to hold one for me until I arrived. Bless them.

We made it to Rheinbach and Vanya secured her rocking chair but we’ll have to return next year if we are to see Lahnstein, Koblenz and Cochem. Fingers crossed for next year.

Wurzburg (Lower Franconia – Bayern), Germany June 2025 (Tour 11)

Wurzburg is one of the more memorable cities in one of my favourite parts of Germany. Situated amongst the rolling hills and vineyards of Lower Franconia and straddling the River Main, it is the starting point of the so called ‘Romantic Road’ which leads to Fussen in the Schwaben Region of Bayern. Don’t get too excited about the ‘Romantic Road’. I was very critical of it some years ago in my blog on Fussen. It’s a means by which some of Bavaria’s more enterprising travel agents were able to link a long list of towns and/or villages they wanted to promote. At the last count there were more than 30 such towns and villages but the numbers continue to grow. Having said all that, there are some wonderfully picturesque and historical places amongst the list; including Wurzburg, Fussen and, my favourite of them all, Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

But back to Wurzburg. It’s a gem of a place and not to be overlooked. It deserves at least two full days of exploration; longer if one’s stay is to be maximised.

Having parked the Van in a large riverside ‘Stellplatz’ on Dreikronenstrasse, we walked south along the left bank of the River Main and then across the Alte Mainbrucke into the old town (the Altstadt). In some respects this 12th century bridge, adorned with 12 statues of saints and statesmen, reminds me of Charles’ Bridge in Prague except; the views from this bridge are, if anything, even more picturesque and; on a sunny day, it’s a great deal more lively because of the wine bars, cafes and food stalls located at both ends of the bridge. It was a sunny day as we arrived and the bridge was packed with people quaffing large glasses of the local white wine. Small wonder that the Alte Mainbrucke is known locally as the Wine Bridge.

The views from the Mainbrucke both across to the Altstadt and, especially, back towards the 13th century Marienberg Fortress are pleasing.

The Marienberg Fortress holds a prominent position on the left bank of the River Main. It was the home for more than 500 years to the local Prince-Bishops and it is steeped in history. It was besieged during the 16th century German Peasants War and again in the 30 Years War against Sweden. Add to this the fortress’ involvement in the French Revolutionary and Coalition Wars, the Austro-Prussian War, the Franco-Prussian War (the list goes on and on all the way up to and including the Second World War) and; it is easy to understand why so little remains of the original fortress. Most of the existing structure dates from the 16th and 18th centuries; hence the largely Renaissance and Baroque styles. The Fortress (containing two museums and two restaurants) and it’s gardens are open to the public (for a small fee) and there are several viewing points both in the fortress and on the route up to the fortress all of which offer panoramic views over the Main River, the historic city centre and the surrounding countryside. The view of the old town is particularly impressive…

Looking over the city as it is now, it is difficult to believe that during WWII Wu:rzburg suffered as much, if not more, damage than Dresden. In one 20 minute air raid in March 1945 the Allies destroyed more than 90% of the city. After the war Wurzburg was painstakingly rebuilt (by it’s women for the most part, because many of the city’s men were either dead or in Soviet prison camps) and, today, it once again ranks as one of the most beautiful cities in Germany.

Having crossed the bridge, we started our exploration of the Altstadt at the Marktplatz. It was late in the morning but a few vendors were still on the square as we arrived; selling fruit and vegetables, mostly, and with white asparagus looking particularly plentiful. It is ‘Spargelzeit’ in Germany during the period April to June and white asparagus is on sale everywhere at this time.

We stopped for coffee and cake outside a small cafe on the Marktplatz with me people watching and tending our dogs while Vanya wandered the stalls and; then she did the same while I visited the very grand looking, red and white coloured Marienkapelle (Saint Mary’s Chapel); a huge chapel which totally dominates the Marktplatz. By the way, a chapel differs from a church only inasmuch that it doesn’t have a parish or congregation. This particular chapel suffered badly from allied bombing during WW2 with the interior and the rafters being completely destroyed. Rebuilt between 1948 and 1961 and reconsecrated in 1962 it’s interior is magnificent.

Behind the Marienkapelle is another stunning building; the yellow and white coloured Falkenhaus. Originally the home of an affluent Catholic priest, this building served as a guesthouse and inn from 1735 until it too was destroyed by bombing near the end of WW2. After the war, the building was rebuilt with much the same exterior as before but; inside was altered so as to accommodate the city’s public library and a tourist information office.

There are at least three other ‘must see’ buildings in Wurzburg’s Altstadt (the City Hall, the Cathedral and the Royal Palace) but; walking these three, together with those in the vicinity of the Marktplatz, you’ll inevitably stumble across numerous other interesting sites (the Fischerbrunnen, Neumunster Church, Greiffenclau-Palais, Weingut Juliusspital and the University campus to name but a few) all enclosed within what is known as the Ring Park. Wurzburg is a compact city and easily walked. Moreover, much of it is pedestrianised although; you should keep a wary eye out for the trams.

The 14th century Rathaus or City Hall is a gem of a building. It is easily identified by it’s 55 metre tower, the Grafeneckart, which can be climbed (for a small fee) for views over the town. This time, I passed on the climb but the inside is well worth visiting if only to view the story boards and scale model of the city which detail the damage caused to the city during World War II.

From the Grafeneckart it is but a short walk along Dom Strasse to to the city’s cathedral (Dom Saint Lilian). A service was underway as I entered and, consequently, I spent more time in the crypt than in the church proper but I saw enough to be impressed and this building too is well worth the visit. Parts of it date back to 1040 but construction wasn’t completed until some time in the 13th century. The Cathedral too was badly damaged during the bombing in 1945 but was rebuilt and re-consecrated in 1967.

To the rear of the Cathedral, at the end of Hofstrasse, is the former Royal Palace of the city’s Prince-Bishops. Known locally as the Wurzburg Residence it is the most impressive of all the buildings in Wurzburg and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a magnificent palace overflowing with artistic treasures; whether they be in the form of impressive architecture, decorative walls and ceilings, lavish furniture and fittings or it’s beautiful gardens. It exudes history too; one of it’s more famous residents being Napoleon Bonaparte who visited Wurzburg on at least three occasions and overnighted at the Palace on his way to invade Russia in 1812. Indeed, he took 2,ooo of Wurzburg’s soldiers with him on that ill fated jaunt and very few returned.

Just a few other photo reminders of an all too short but wonderful visit to Wurzburg. We’ll definitely be back and next time our focus will be more towards the food and drink…

During our last tour in this part of Germany, I mentioned Franconia’s beers and the many breweries to be found in the region. This time I must give a short shout in praise of the area’s wines. The white wines are many and varied and as easy drinking and distinctive as the bottle in which they are often sold -the unmistakeable ‘Bocksbeutel’ bottle.

One place we must visit when next in Wurzburg is the Burgerspital winery. They supposedly store the oldest bottles of white wine anywhere in the world: their 1540 Steinwein. I’m not sure I want to try that particular wine but a visit to their tasting room ‘Weinhaus unterm Glockenspiel’ (which translates to ‘wine house below the bell chimes’) is definitely on the cards; not least because it is open 7 days a week.

My last words on Wurzburg (at least from this visit) must be about Wilhelm Conrad Ro:ntgen who once held the Physics Chair at Wurzburg University. It was while holding this position that in 1895 he discovered X-Rays. As a result, in 1901 he became the first recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics and, good egg that he was, he donated the Nobel prize money (50,000 Swedish Kroner) to the university declaring that his discoveries should be publicly available without charge. Ironic isn’t it that he should die a pauper and I should be writing this blog just hours after being charged a small fortune for X-Rays by my dentist on behalf of our ailing National Health Service.

Uffenheim (Mittelfranken – Bayern), Germany June 2025 (Tour 11)

We crossed the border from Austria into Germany two days ago; stopping one night at Camping Hotel Preishof in Kirchham bei Bad Fussing and a second at Camping Felbermuhle on the edge of Neustadt an der Donau (near Passau).

We were heading for Wurzburg in Lower Franconia but would visit and spend the next night in the small city of Uffenheim in Middle Franconia. Our chosen campsite in Wurzburg was fully occupied but the municipal site in Uffenheim (just a few miles short of Wurzburg) had space and we reasoned that we could visit Wurzburg from there the following day, as we continued northwards.

Uffenheim’s campsite, adjacent to the swimming pool, is just a ten minute walk from the city centre and that allowed me plenty of opportunity to properly explore it’s old town. Indeed, I visited the old town twice during our short stay; once on my own during the afternoon we arrived and; again in the evening, with Vanya. Perhaps I expected too much of this tiny city (it has just 6,500 inhabitants) but, I was left somewhat disappointed by the place. There’s little there of interest and much was closed.

There’s a partially preserved city wall, two city gate towers and at least three churches, all of which were closed. Otherwise, there’s not a lot else. I entered the old town by way of the Wurzburger Tor. I wandered the area for a while; looking for a decent bar or restaurant for dinner at which to take dinner that evening, but; most of the decent looking bars and restaurants were also closed. I think we had arrived in Bayern during some form of local holiday because a large proportion of the city’s cafe-bars and restaurants were closed. I stopped for a beer at the friendly Eiscafe Da Mauri on Marktplatz and, while there, took note of the Pizzeria e Ristorante Calabria (on the opposite side of the street) as a possible place for a pizza if nothing better opened during the evening but; that was it.

None of the better looking restaurants did open during our short stay but the Pizzeria e Ristorante Calabria served a decent pizza later that evening and I received a warm welcome from the owner of the Eiscafe Da Mauri when we subsequently crossed the street for dessert.

In the morning we would visit Wurzburg and that I was very much looking forward to…

Scha:rding (Upper Austria), Austria June 2025 (Tour 11)

We were on our way to Germany but, during our time in Enzesfeld, Gerhard suggested we visit Scha:rdling in Upper Austria before crossing the border. Schardling is a small town close to the German border. We stopped there for supplies (Gru:ner Veltliner) and saw enough to warrant a return visit but it had been a long day driving almost the length of Austria and we still had to get to our campsite across the border in Kirchham bei Bad Fu:ssing.

We elected to leave Scharding for another day and crossed the border into Germany using the new(er) bridge to the north of the town. As we crossed the border we were astonished to see police checking vehicles for illegal immigrants. It seems illegal immigrants are as much an issue in Germany as in Britain. There was little delay and we reached our campsite within 25 minutes or so of leaving Scharding.

Camping Hotel Preishof in Kirchham bei Bad Fussing is a family owned concern focused more towards it’s hotel and spa facilities than anything but the owners were super friendly and the site itself has all the facilities you would expect of a good campsite; including a large, popular restaurant and live music to boot. We enjoyed some fine food on the terrace outside the restaurant and the easy listening German folk music was great. I have no hesitation in adding Camping Hotel Preishof to our list of recommended campsites and we’ll certainly use the site when returning to this area.

Enzesfeld (Lower Austria), Austria June 2025 (Tour 11)

Apologies. I said that I would be keeping these entries short until they are brought up to date. There was nothing short about that last blog but, to be fair, Sopron does have a lot about it. If anything, I’ve slipped further behind with this blog. Sorry. There are many reasons for this slip and they will become apparent as time goes on.

So, what’s to say? We’re on our way back home through Germany and the Netherlands but, on the way, decided to stop off and see our longstanding and dear friend, Gerhard, in Enzesfeld. Enzesfeld and the surrounding area have featured many times in this blog and, should you be interested, you need only enter Enzesfeld or Lower Austria into the website search engine for more information about the place.

We had a great time with Gerhard although most of our short stay was spent in his rear garden catching up: that is chatting and drinking a fair amount of the local Gruner Veltliner over an excellent BBQ. Having said that, I started to worry after learning how long the grass in his garden had grown during the few weeks he was away in Dubai on business. By the time Vanya and I get back to the UK, our gardens (mine in North Wales and hers in Sussex) will have been untended for the best part of 12 weeks. Now that is worrying.

Germany tomorrow…

Sopron (West Transdanubia), Hungary June 2025 (Tour 11)

We were scheduled to meet up with another good friend in Austria (our long standing pal, Gerhard, in Enzesfeld) but that wouldn’t be for another two days. In these circumstances and to make best use of the intervening time, Vanya booked us into the popular Fagus Spa Resort Hotel in the city of Sopron in nearby Hungary.

Sopron is very close to the Austria border; so much so that it’s signage is written in both Hungarian and German and it even has a German name – Oedenburg. For all that, Sopron is a fiercely proud Hungarian city. I should perhaps explain that under the terms of the 1921 Trianon Peace Treaty (a separate peace treaty in Versailles which reset Austrian and particularly Hungarian borders at the end of the Great War), it was determined most of Burgenland would become part of Austria except the city of Sopron would be allowed to choose between Austria or Hungary. Sopron’s citizens voted overwhelmingly to remain with Hungary. Because of this, the Hungarian government determined that a new city gate should be erected in Sopron (the Loyalty Gate) and; it is decorated with the motto “Civitas Fidelissima” which is Latin for ‘most faithful citizens’.

The drive from Loretto to Sopron took less than 45 minutes and we were soon checked into the hotel. Vanya and I then reached our own little treaty. I would walk the dogs for an hour while she took advantage of the hotel’s spa facilities and, therafter, Vanya would tend to the dogs while I walked into the city for a quick look-see. Winners all around.

This first tour of the city (I did a second with Vanya the following day) took me to Szechenyi Square, which is considered the city centre and; then, on to Fo ter (Hungarian for Main Square) in the heart of the old town. My first impressions were that Sopron is a picturesque little city (it has a population of just over 60,000 people) with some quite remarkable architecture and not a little history. This was going to be an exciting couple of days.

Szechenyi Square is easily identified by a prominent statue of Count Istvan Szechenyi (considered by many to be Hungary’s greatest statesman) but it is also home to a number of other interesting features including the ‘Sopron Letters’; the city’s theatre; the beautiful 18th century church of Saint Jude Thaddeus and; an intriguing monument to the Hungarians who lost their lives in the 1956 uprising against the country’s occupation by the USSR.

Carry on past the theatre into Sopron’s old town via Templom Street (that’s Templom Utca in Hungarian) and you’ll reach the city’s Main Square (Fo ter). I took a different route, turning right on to Fegyvertar Utca, so as to visit the tiny but pretty Orsolya Square (Orsolya ter). It was the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Orsolyita which most attracted me to this irregular shaped square and it is worth the detour. In 1747, Benedictine Orsation nuns established a convent, school and church on the square and that’s where the square gained it’s name. Sadly, Allied bombing in 1945 devastated the square, sweeping away the Lunkányi House and the Gyóni Géza House, together with the beautiful Mária Well. However, the square has been rebuilt with the church being completely restored and a new ‘Mary Monument’ now standing where the Maria Well once stood.

I’ll make just one other observation arising out of my short detour to Orsolya Square. As I entered the square, I noticed a couple of Stolpersteine amongst the cobbles outside 5 Fegyvertar Street in the names of Miksa Pollak (born in 1868, he became the chief rabbi in Sopron in the lead up to and during World War II) and Karoly Pap (born in 1807, he was a writer and Hungarian war hero during World War I). Theirs is a particularly sad story. They were father and son but the father disowned the son because of his political leanings – he joined the communist party. Both were arrested and murdered during the holocaust (as were all but one of the rabbi’s family, who escaped the country).

I exited Orsolya Square by New Street (Uj Utca); which runs almost parallel with Templon Street and, like Templon Street, ends at Sopron’s Main Square (Fo ter). New Street used to be called Zsido Utca or Judengasse in German (either way, that’s Jewish Street in English) on account of it’s two synagogues and so many Jewish families living there but; the name was changed in 1440 (probably on the back of yet another pogrom against the Jews but don’t quote me). Certainly, the Jew’s history in Sopron is not a happy one.

It seems, when I write about the old town of so many places in Europe, that I invariably write about medieval city centres. That isn’t going to be the case with Sopron. In 1676 a massive fire destroyed a large part the old medieval centre and the buildings were mostly replaced by Baroque structures (and interesting and impressive Baroque structures at that).

New Street, Templon Street and Main Square contain numerous examples of Baroque architecture; whether they be in the form of restrained yet elegant townhouses; or a more imposing, classical, hellenistic style, as is the case with city hall; or with an extremely ornate, almost gothic finish like the Holy Trinity Column. It’s a pleasure walking these routes and an absolute joy simply to lounge a while in the Main Square and take it all in.

Main Square exemplifies the rich history and culture of Sopron. For my part, pride of place goes to the 58 metre high Fire Tower (Tuztorony); which was erected immediately following the 1676 conflagration with a view to preventing any recurrence but; I’m biased because I was able to ascend it’s 200 spiral stairs and enjoy some great panoramic views. Underneath it is the aforementioned Loyalty Gate; an exceptionally impressive City Hall; the elegant Storno House, where the musician Franz Liszt stayed in 1820 and 1881 (and part of which now serves as a museum); the imposing Holy Trinity Column, which was erected near the end of the 17th century in recognition of the city surviving a plague epidemic and; most interesting of all, the 13th century Goat Church (Kecske Templon).

As is to be expected across central Europe, Hungary has it’s fair share of cafe-bars and one of the most pleasant to sit outside of on Main Square is Corvinus which operates out of the ground floor of the historic Storno House. According to Fodor, Corvinus combines a cafe, pub, pizzeria and restaurant all in one. I have no reason to doubt that but during both my two visits to the place (once with Vanya) I was more than happy to sit at a table outside with a cold beer.

I left Vanya outside the Corvinus for a short while while I explored the Goat Church. It’s as beautiful inside as it is outside and; it comes with a legend as to how it gained it’s name. There are two stories as to how it came to be known as the Goat Church. One story is that a poor farmer’s goat dug up a pot of buried treasure and he subsequently used the treasure to build the church. The other is that the church was built by a local lord whose coat of arms (on his flags and shield) included a horned goat. It is the former tale which is most believed although, I am very sceptical

Vanya enjoyed visiting the city almost as much as me and we could easily have spent the rest of our second day wandering the old town but; the temperature was approaching 30 degrees centigrade and it wouldn’t have been fair on the dogs. Instead we returned to the hotel and together enjoyed some of the spa facilities. Although, half an hour was enough for me.

And the hotel? It was fine. We didn’t take advantage of all the facilities on offer but we very much enjoyed the hotel bars. The cocktails on offer were very reasonably priced although; having tasted (amongst others) their Banana Colada and, best of all, their Orgasmus, I don’t think we were overly concerned with the price. The Orgasmus comprised Bailey’s, Cointreau and Coconut Puree while the Banana Colada was made of Bacardi Rum with Pineapple Juice, Coconut Puree, Banana Puree and cream. Both were deliciously refreshing.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Sopron and will definitely return.

Rust am Neusiedlsee (Burgenland), Austria June 2025 (Tour 11)

This will be a short post because, after Loretto, we made our way to Rust am Neusiedlsee; a place we visited not so long ago. You need only refer to the Tour 6 blog on Rust to find out about Rust’s two most interesting buildings, the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity and the Fischerkirche. I think I previously mentioned that, if you get your timings right, it is possible to climb up into the belfry of the Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity for some quite exceptional views over the city and across the lake. Well, once again our timings were out, as the church was closed. On this occasion I wasn’t too disappointed because the weather was awful and I doubt we’d have been able to see very much but; more to the point, we had returned to Rust to see some of the hundreds of Greylag Geese which wander the city at this time of the year and the 24 breeding pairs of white storks which nest above the city roofs at this time of the year.

What I perhaps didn’t mention previously is that, with a little over 1,900 inhabitants, Rust am Neusiedlsee is Austria’s smallest city (having been endowed with the rights of a Royal Free City by the Hungarian Crown in 1681) and that Rust is known as the City of Storks; on account of the many storks which breed on the city’s chimneys. The stork is close to the hearts of the people of Rust and are viewed as the city’s heraldic bird. They have nested in the city since the early 20th century but numbers dwindled until in 1965 there were only 3 nesting pairs. A stork club, dedicated to the conservation of the resident storks, was formed (the Ruster Storchenverein) and, good news, last year saw a record 86 young storks hatch in the city’s nests.

While the bad weather didn’t stop us in our pursuit of the storks and the geese, it did impinge on the city’s annual musical festival which was underway as we arrived. A grand tent sheltered us and the performing artists from the worst of the falling rain but the tent had been pitched on a slight slope and rainwater was streaming around our feet and on through the tent towards the lake.

We stopped and listened to a couple of bands complete their repertoire but, despite their best efforts, it was not a fun experience. It was simply too wet underfoot.

Eventually it stopped raining and began to brighten up but by then we had had enough…

…and we set off for dinner at the Oleander Heurige in Trausdorf an der Wulke, just outside Eisenstadt. The welcome was warm and the food was pretty good at the Oleander but it is more of a restaurant than a heurige.

Loretto (Burgenland), Austria June 2025 (Tour 11)

We arrived in Loretto to meet with friends, Claire and Thomas, and would stay three or four days; visiting Loretto, the nearby city of Rust (we were there a couple of years ago) and Trausdorf an der Walke during that time.

The first day, however, was simply about chilling with our friends in the garden over one of the best barbecues ever – Dorade (Sea Bream), Sardines & Prawns were on the menu. And the drinks? We went through a bottle of Deveaux Champagne we’d bought in France, numerous glasses of the local (Burgenland) Chardonnay, a couple of really great Margaritas made by our host and half a bottle of a Single Malt Laphraoig.

Loretto is a tiny market town with fewer than 500 residents. It was elevated to town status in 1991 which, surely makes it the smallest market town in Austria and yet; it’s Basilica, the Basilika Maria Loretto, attracts 100,000 pilgrims every year and at least 20,000 on one day in August (Assumption Day). Imagine trying to park your car in the town on that day. The Basilica grew from a simple chapel in 1659 to become a Servite Monastery and thereafter a Papal Basilica. The monks departed years ago but they left their cherry orchard intact and we spent much of our second day in Loretto first wandering the Basilica and then collecting cherries from the large orchard.

Just a little history about the church – The 1659 chapel was built soon after a miracle was recorded in Loretto. It seems the house of Mary (mother of Jesus) suddenly appeared in Loretto. I’m not convinced as to the veracity of that particular tale but the then Pope thought it true and; in 1997 Pope John Paul II awarded the church (the Church of the Immaculate Conception of Loretto to give it it’s full name) the title of ‘Papal Basilica Minor’. Whether you believe the supposed miracle or not, the interior of the Basilica is truly stunning and in the original church (around which the monastery was built) is a Black Madonna. I’ve only ever seen one of those before during our travels and I cannot recall precisely where (but I think it was somewhere in Spain).

Except for the Basilica, there’s little else to Loretto. It has a Heurige (a wine tavern), the Gasthof Graf (a local pub) and a bakery but that’s pretty much it except that it sits at the heart of the beautiful Austrian Province of Burgenland.

In case you are unaware, Burgenland is the smallest and most easterly of Austria’s twelve Provinces. It is a narrow strip of land which extends along the entire border between Austria and Hungary. At it’s northern end, it borders Slovakia for a few kilometres and at it’s southern end it borders Slovenia. To it’s west are the two Austrian Provinces of Styria and Lower Austria. Austria’s capital city of Vienna, in Lower Austria, is only 30 miles from Loretto. Burgenland’s quite remarkable capital, Eisenstadt, is just 8 miles from Loretto and Rust am Neusiedlersee is just 16 miles away. Those three cities, Vienna, Eisenstadt and Rust figure among the most beautiful in Austria. And, before I forget, Burgenland is home to some of the finest wines in the country.

In the morning, weather permitting, we’ll visit Rust.

Mozirje (Savinja), Slovenia June 2025 (Tour 11)

While at Varpolje we took time out to visit the small town of Mozirje, just 20 minutes drive away. We chose Mozirje because the weather forecast predicted it was going to be an uncomfortably hot day for the dogs and we thought to go somewhere which wouldn’t entail too much driving and where there would be plenty of shade. The Mozirski Gaj Flower Park in Mozirje was recommended as just such a place. Neither Vanya nor I have been particularly interested in such places before but it proved an inspired choice.

The Mozirski Gaj is a real success story. Built on the site of an illegal landfill on the right bank of the River Savinja at the edge of Mozirje; the Park has been transformed, since it first opened as a tulip garden in 1978, into one of the area’s most favoured tourist attractions. Despite the Savinja bursting it’s banks in 1981 and totally destroying all of the tulips, the Park now features some seven hectares of well thought out beautiful themed gardens and an open air ethnographic museum; not to mention 30 different varieties of tulips which now total 150,000 flowers.

Some of the gardens are amazing, with my favourites being a small Japanese Garden, a colourful rock garden and an extensive aromatic herb garden. Dotted in and around the gardens are various ethnographic features: a mountain lodge, a water mill with adjoining forge, a Venetian sawmill (i.e. a water powered sawmill), a traditional granary and a large apiary (with more than 800 bee famiies) all of which complement the gardens wonderfully. But it doesn’t end there. There’s a tall wooden observation tower plus; the biggest wind chimes in Europe and; another of my favourites, an Enchanted Garden complete with a range of fairy-tale houses. These houses proved a dream for both Beanie and Vanya. There’s even a small chapel (the Saint Valentine’s Chapel) which is used to hold local wedding services.

We spent a good 3 hours wandering the Park and then settled down for a beer and a glass of wine outside one of the two cafe bars. The Mozirski Gaj proved a surprising and thoroughly enjoyable outing and one I would recommend.

And Mozirje Town? Too small and too quiet for me.