Untersberg Mountain, Austria

Standing near the summit of the Untersberg Mountain in the Austrian Alps near Salzburg, Austria on 5 October 2008

Back to Europe in the Skoda Roomster

The Skoda "Roomster" at Franz Josef Strauss Airport, Munich, Germany. Roomy for a small car yes, decent turbodiesel power, but darn if I don't miss the power of my MINI from last summer's blasts down the autobahn!

I'm in Europe on business and to attend a class reunion. It's good to be back even if only for a short stay! I arrived in Munich and immediately picked up my Skoda "Roomster" TDI at Hertz and drove over the border via autobahn (I already miss the passing power of my MINI!) into Austria and on to my old stomping ground of historic Salzburg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birthplace and home of the von Trapps of "The Sound of Music". Mozart dominates the town as usual and I am always very happy to be in this wonderfully beautiful place. I hope to take a day out and head over to the magnificent vistas and intriguing WW2 history of nearby Berchtesgaden, Germany before getting back on the "schnellweg" to Vienna for a class reunion. After that it is over the border into Italy for a business conference.

If you are interested in the Czech Skoda (an offshoot of the VW Group) have a look at: Autoblog on the Roomster or on the official Skoda homepage at: Skoda Roomster. For a history of the Skoda car company which goes all the way back to 1894(!) visit Wikipedia at: Skoda Auto.

I hope to post more soon and add some more Roomster driving impressions!

Just before leaving the airport in Munich, Germany we came across this interesting BMW display. Given that Munich is the home of BMW finding this advert was not a huge surprise!

Salzburg to Munich

In the Mozartplatz by the statue to Mozart. I hope that the car meets with his approval!

Impression of Salzburg

We began the day by taking a morning drive around Salzburg. We then had Viennese coffee and apfelstrudel at the Cafe Tomaselli, a konditerei that was already open during Mozart's lifetime. A brief shopping expedition along the famous Getreidegasse street (Mozart's birthplace is located here) and then time for one more lunch at the Stiegl Keller.

View from the Stiegl Keller of old town Salzburg


"Mad" King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian Alps.
This castle is the inspiration for and was the basis of the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland

We left the Sheraton Salzburg and headed into Bavaria. Our checkpoint would be Neuschwanstein Castle, the model for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. From there and motoring through some pretty foul rain and hail we made our way to the metropolis of Munich, home of Oktoberfest and more importantly for this car guy: BMW.

Salzburg, Austria

An old student back at the Salzburg Law School again

Today I returned to a place where I spent time studying as a post-graduate student. Salzburg holds fond memories of good friends, high level coursework, and lots of time spent in beer gardens...

I retraced the pathways I used to navigate ten years ago and I find it very interesting to see that I'm ten years older yet the city of Salzburg is exactly as I remember it. I gave my sister a brief tour and pointed out notable locations such as Mozart's birth place, the Mirabell Gardens, and the resting place of Leopold Mozart (Mozart's father) and Constanze Mozart (Mozart's widow). I pointed out a few locations used in the filming of "The Sound of Music" and we also ate traditional Austrian cuisine at the Stiegl Keller which lies just beneath the fortress dominating the old town. It is always enjoyable to spend some time in this beautiful place.

Jennifer at Mozart's birthplace

Austrian treats at the Mozartplatz square