While the warm travel season is almost in its last weeks, sigh, there are still the winter wonderlands of Europe to be explored. Traveling Europe in the Winter is a totally different experience, especially since most people always go during the Spring or Summer seasons. My favorite part is hitting the slopes in the Alps, and traveling around with less crowds….you tend to feel less like a tourist, and more like a local everywhere you go. If you’re in for a winter wonderland, some skiing and amazing times then I highly suggest the Eurail train ride through all of Austria. Two weeks to a month here is a winter well spent, and the skiing is well worth the trip!

MAKE SURE YOU WATCH THIS RAILROAD VIDEO UNTIL THE END - THERE´SA SURPRISE WAITING FOR YOU!!! The Mariazell railroad links St. Pölten in Lower Austria with Mariazell in the Steiermark federal state. It operates on 760 mm Narrow Gauge. It was opened in 1907. The electric locomotives shown in theis railroad video are in service since that year. They have been refurbished and got a new bodyshell later on. The railroad line was built to transport pilgrims to Mariazell - which is its main job until today. Schmalspurbahn in Österreich: Mit der Mariazellerbahn, einer der wenigen noch verbliebenen Schmalspur-Eisenbahnen in Österreich, durch die Alpen: Von Mariazell nach Laubenbachmühle und zurück. mariazellerbahn 760 mm 760mm narrow gauge railroad railway austria österreich öbb eisenbahn schmalspur bahn zug züge train österreichische bundesbahnen reihe baureihe BR 1099 krumpe eisenbahn bahn railway railroad schmalspur zug züge personenzug personenzüge puchenstuben winterbach laubenbachmühle mariazell tourism touristic scenic austria travel trip journey niederösterreich NÖ Steiermark ST alpenbahnhof alpen alpin

Thisvideo clip was taken on July 31, 2007 during my trip to Austria, my home country. First I did some discoveries in my home town of Weiz: I explored the famous pilgrimage church called Weizbergkirche which was built in late baroque style and consecrated in 1776. What astounded me was the size and beauty of this church, considering that it serves a city of barely more than 9000 people. Then I moved on to another architectural gem in the Weiz area: Schloss Thannhausen or Thannhausen Castle was built in the 1500s and features a gorgeous Renaissance courtyard with three levels of arcades and is still often used for concerts and special events. After an interesting drive through the Weizklamm (Weiz Gorge) on a main road framed by vertical limestone cliffs that is so narrow that often it doesn’t accommodate two cars side by side I arrived in the mountain village of St. Kathrein am Offenegg, a popular tourism destination with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. Then I explored another touristic highlight of the Weiz area: the “Katerloch”, one of the largest limestone caves in Austria with a wide variety of dripstones, many of which are reminiscent of animals, human beings and other identifiable objects. The highlight of this cave is the so-called “Seenparadies”, the “Lake Paradise”, an underground lake located 135 metres below the cave entrance. I had a chance to interview the operator of the cave after visiting this underground wonderland and learning about the …

Thisvideo clip was taken on August 5, 2007 during a country excursion from my Austrian home town of Weiz. My brother and sister-in-law took me to one of the major sights in the area: the Riegersburg, a medieval fortress built originally in the 11th century on the basaltic rock of a former volcano. 11 bastions, 6 gates and 2 moats protect this fortress which was built in the border area of the Austrian empire to protect against invaders from the east which included Magyars and Turks. During the 17th century the castle’ history was enriched by two legendary female protagonists: the artistocratic Freifrau Katharina Elisabeth von Galler who expanded the castle, and her servant, the “flower witch” (Blumenhexe) Katharina Paldauf who was accused of being a witch for her ability to grow roses in winter and burned on the stake. After a brief stroll through the town of Riegersburg we drove the Castle of Kapfenstein, also located on a former volcano, where we had a delicious lunch in the castle outdoor patio which provided a magnificent view of the surround Styrian and Slovenian mountains and hills. Then I had a brief adventure on a motor scooter and got ready for my last evening in Austria, ready to say goodbye to my home town and the province of Styria — the Green Heart of Austria. I am actually a travel writer who loves to explore international destinations as well as my chosen home town of Toronto. On Youtube you will find hundreds of video clips from a wide variety of …

The 2010 Viennese Marathon took place under good weather conditions, 12C at start time. The leading pack were are runners from Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia). Amazing! Classical music, in particular waltzes, from Strauss was played on the streets giving the marathon its Viennese charm. Nice event. 2:08:40 the winning time for men. 2:31:08 for women. Official site: www.vienna-marathon.com

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Mylast day in Austria (May 8, 2008) had arrived - or so I thought. Early in the morning I said a sad goodbye to my brother and sister-in-law and started my drive towards the City of Salzburg, from where I was going to fly to London. I drove on the highway through the high mountains of Upper Styria and exited at Liezen to link up with one of Austria’s most picturesque areas: the Salzkammergut, also known as the location for many of the scenes from the world famous movie “Sound of Music”. I …