Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau Canada Dry? No, Canada Wet! What better way to spend a rainy afternoon than visiting a museum? The Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau was unlike any museum I’d ever visited. And I have visited quite a few in my time, I can tell you. For a start, the building itself is quite an eyeful. The Dynamic Duo had already spotted it from Parliament Hill the previous day, and immediately resolved to check it out. I…
DomQuartier Museum and Hohensalzburg Fortress What a thrill! After all these years in Austria, I was finally going to visit Salzburg. First stop for me had to be Getreidegasse. I couldn’t wait to see the famous wrought iron signs hanging out over the shop and restaurant doors. And yes, it’s true – even McDonald’s has one. But what I hadn’t expected was to see a SPAR supermarket in the ground floor of the house where Mozart was born. And now…
A Visit to Hellbrunn Castle, Salzburg Now this is what I call height of decadence. A splendid, elegant castle that was built and used purely for entertainment. Nobody ever spent a single night here! Hellbrunn Castle, the 17th century playground of Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus, is unlike any castle I’ve ever visited. And I’ve clocked up quite a few castles at this stage of my travels, believe me. Not only does the castle boast numerous elaborately decorated reception rooms, it’s chock…
St. Florian Monastery, Kremsmünster Abbey I’ve visited my fair share of Austrian monasteries at this stage. Although they can appear to be quite similar, I’ve realised that each one is unique in its own way. So I was curious what would await us when the Oldies popped by St. Florian Monastery. Sure enough, the stunning baroque architecture, grand staircases, opulent state rooms, magnificent basilica and beautiful grounds were what I’d come to expect. But after the Oldies overdosed on the…
At Mauthausen Memorial, as in Auschwitz-Birkenau, I was left speechless but the installations of the concentration camp itself… the words and facial expressions of survivors… and the memorials to those who were murdered here… speak for themselves.