Author: Peter Meggyesy

Hitler and WW2 are writ large in Bavaria. Hitler’s home country of Austria is a stone’s throw away and the Nazi party genesis was in Munich the capitol of Bavaria. From 1928 to 1933, the Nazi party went from 2% electoral support to 40% enough to form coalition government and propel Adolf Hitler to the chancellorship. Two months after his election Hitler established Dachau as a concentration camp to inter his political rivals and to establish and fine tune his SS as one of the most sadistic and brutal police operations known.

Over the years leading up to WW2 Dachau imprisoned not only political rivals but also of course Jews, criminals, gypsys, communists, homosexuals, prostitutes and diseased and infirmed.

It was a prison work camp where the inmates were expected to work as slave labour. Of course torture, maltreatment, malnourishment and abuse was de riguer. As the first of a network of such prisons the death rate was high but it was from punishment, abuse and maltreatment. This was not an extermination camp such as Auschwitz in Poland.

When the Americans arrived in April 1945 the spectre of emaciated survivors was distressing to the GIs but not as much as the piles of bodies stacked as if they were firewood! While not as confronting as my experiences in Rwanda and the Cambodian killing fields this still provokes reflections upon mankind’s inhumanity to fellow humans.
Dachau was destroyed at the request of survivors in 1965 only to be rebuilt as a memorial to the victims of Nazi Germany. It is now an autumn leafy tree lined shrine. The suffering of those thousands under Hitler is a quiet remembrance. We all dedicate a minute of silence to those who perished here.

“Can I do a wine tasting” is met by a disappointing “No” and I am crestfallen. “But if you come back in an another hour, you can taste our full range and wines from all around Europe.” My eyes light up and then comes the most unusual addition, it’s free! I am there with bells on.

Liechtenstein is a tiny country sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland. Only 25kms long it has a population of only 38,000. It is one of th more expensive destinations on the planet and one of it’s main “industries” is being a tax haven.
On the hilltop above Vaduz is the castle still occupied by the Prince of Liechtenstein. Unfortunately the photo opportunities are marred by renovation works.

The compact little old town is a pleasant stroll.
The outskirts of Vaduz is framed by the headwaters of the iconic Rhine River. Across the border is Switzerland.

We farewell beautiful Salzburg for the Tyrolean city of Innsbruck. The 2 hour drive actually takes us through Germany in part before turning back into this city in the heart of the Austrian Alps. The venue for the 1964 and 1976 winter Olympics, I should not have been surprised that this is a city rather than a smaller town which is what I imagined.
The Nordkette cable car is our first stop here and the two cars take us up above the snow line to 7400 feet above sea level. The skies are overcast and the wind howling cuts right through me as we walk outside reducing the ambient temperature to below zero. It is a struggle to get around and keep the hands and cameras functioning.

Nonetheless this is a white snowy wonderland with a birdseye view of the city below. Having had our fill of photos we thaw out and enjoy a hearty lunch with a view.
Down in Innsbruck we arrive with only a couple of hours of daylight left. The sun is now setting here at 4:30pm. As we set out to explore the old city a drizzle graduates to rain. The historic old town is small but surprisingly pretty and we do what we can dodging the rain and taking photos.

Our last stop is St Jakob’s Cathedral a beautiful 15th century church. As with so much throughout here and going up to Germany it sustained heavy damage from aircraft bombing at the end of WW2. The subsequent restoration is amazing as this is an impressive, authentic structure.

My life partner insists, we must go to Mondsee, so 3 hours driving in the solid rain gets us to a beautiful pale yellow Baroque Cathedral. The first movie I ever saw as a boy in a picture theatre was Sound of Music. It turns out that my wife and her mum fell in love with the movie and dreamt about visiting the countryside portrayed in the Oscar winning movie. This cathedral is where Maria marries von Trapp. It is ornate and beautiful and brings tears to her eyes as memories with her now deceased mum resurface.

Salzburg is only a short drive away. Apart from being fairytale beautiful it has two touristic themes, the Sound of Music movie and its most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The latter was born here and spent his childhood here. By age 5 he was performing concerts for the public. At age 9 he was composing music. This musical genius had a flame that burned brightly until his premature death at age 35. My first port of call here is his birth house which is now a Mozart museum.

Beyond that this is an enchanting place with sparkling alleyways, an imposing hilltop castle and an array of stunning Baroque and gothic churches. Salzburg does not disappoint!

Mozart square

Quite a tongue twister the capitol of Slovenia, is a compact attractive little city. The old town now has a more Germanic architectural feel about it. The main Preseren square is named after Slovenia’s national poet. The large grey Viennese style town hall contrasts with the salmon pink Baroque Church of the Annunciation. Further on the main Cathedral of St Nicholas is a masterpiece of gothic art. Beautiful winding alleyways make this a lovely place to spend some time wandering.

The small river Ljubljana winds its way through the town. The pretty bridges spanning the river feature the unique triple bridge which comprises three separate bridges side by side.

Further downstream is the Dragon bridge. Built in 1901 it was at the time the world’s longest single span bridge. It is adorned with four dragons, the symbol of this city. Legend has it that Jason and the Argonauts killed a dragon here and established the city.

Overlooking all of the town is the Ljubljana castle. Commenced in the 11th century it affords a beautiful view of the rooftops of the old city.

The weather has finally caught up with us. For the first time we have grey skies and drizzle sometimes with rain. There is no let up, no break in the clouds through which I can optimise my photos. Bled is a tourist town less than an hour north west of the capitol Ljubljana. It sits at the head of a glacial valley at the foot of the Jullian Alps and has a Swiss Alpine vibe to it.
The morning starts with a drive up the hill to Bled Castle. Built in the 15th century it affords magnificent views across the lake and down to Bled Island and its monastery.

Half an hour drive up the valley at Lake Bohinj we take the Vogel cable car up 1000 metres to 1535 metres. In the winter this is a ski complex. No snow today but 6 degrees celsius with a roaring wind that makes it feel subzero. Oposite us the views are close up of the Julian Alps.

After lunch at the cablecar restaurant a short drive then a 545 step climb through the drizzle to Savica Falls. The steady climb ascends through beautiful autumn forest to a the rushing headwaters of the Sava river as it plunges off the rock face. This is the headwaters of the same Sava river that I saw end at the Danube in Belgrade. Quite poignant to witness both the birth and termination of a river on the one trip.

Our crossing into Slovenia is easy and uneventful. Slovenia has a small length of coastline and the tourist jewel on the coast here is the 16th century Venetian built town of Piran. Strangely the only road into the old town has a police car blocking vehicular access. We are on foot and very quickly discover what is happening. There is a distinct tell distinguishing the locals from the tourists today. The locals are wearing gumboots!
The waterfront promenade has the sea initially lapping up to the very edge of the road. Further in the waves actually surge onto the road until there are areas where the road is a couple of centimetres underwater with houses sandbagged. On questioning, this is not an unusual event throughout winter and the locals have just gotten used to it.
The town is picture postcard perfect with a sunny Italianate central square and colourful buildings lining a maze of narrow alleyways.

An hour drive north has us close to the capitol and we visit Postojne Cave. I love limestone caves and will take any opportunity to visit any one that comes within range. On arrival we are told that these are the largest in Europe. The cave has an unusual feature a little train that takes us to the depths of the cave where we proceed on foot for a 1 hour tour. The train ride is surreal. I expected a short run through blasted tunnels but instead it takes us down through chamber after chamber of beautiful limestone decorations. I have visited many caves all around the world and this is the largest I have ever been to. Unfortunately the tour commentary was in German but I have listened to so many in the past that I am sure I was not missing anything. At least it allowed me to wander around and enjoy the photographic opportunities.

Late afternoon has us at Predjama castle, a ridiculously unlikely castle built on a cleft in the cliff face over a network of limestone caves some 800 years ago. There is an interesting story about a robber baron called Erasmus. The full story is too long to relate here but he survived a siege for 1 year and 1 day utilising his caves to get out and acquire food to outlast the siege. Eventually the besieging army bribes a servant who points out the castle toilet. When Erasmus utilises the toilet next the servant signals the army who catapult a rock up there and destroy the toilet and kill Erasmus literally while he is on the throne. Erasmus is buried under a tree near the church. Six hundred years later parts of his tree are still alive.

The long drive from east to western Croatia sees the forested countryside now a pretty russet and golden hue. It is late autumn and green leaves are losing the battle. Walking around the towns the autumn leaves crunch underfoot. This morning we left with steady heavy rain drenching us. My life partner reflected out loud that there will not be much sightseeing today. Gloomily I inwardly agreed.
A 1 hour 40 minute drive takes us to Pula, our first stop. The rain has abated but heavy cloud cover persisted overhead. Google maps took us in circles trying unsuccessfully to find a car park. I decided to strike out on my own and immediately the Roman ruins appear on my right and multiple empty parking spots on the left. We high five each other and walk down to Pula’s main attraction a Roman theatre completed in 64 AD. While this massive complex is smaller than the Colosseum in Rome it is not much smaller, able to seat 23,000 spectators. Just as in the movies it hosted gladiatorial contests to the death and contests between prisoners and animals such as lions. Standing outside to take pictures I notice that bright sunlight is now reflecting off the arches. Over the course of our visit inside and out the cloud breaks and bright sun and blue skies frame our pictures. Once again we have been lucky with this fickle autumn weather.

Forty minutes away is our destination for today and we arrive in Rovinje just on lunchtime. We are a stone’s throw from the Italian city of Trieste and this pretty little town was one of a series of Dalmatian coast outposts developed by the conquering Venetians between the 13th and 18th centuries. Subsequently part of the Austro Hungarian empire until WW1. The result is a beautiful piece of Italy on the coast wrapped around the harbour. Narrow alleyways are lined with colourful buildings and cafes. It is a town made for idle wandering and soaking up the sights and ambience.

The smallest of the Balkan states with a population of only 600,000 this pocket sized state packs a scenic punch. When planning this trip my initial plan was to drive through all 6 independently. For some reason all car rental companies refuse to insure you for half of them including Montenegro and Bosnia. The compromise is to day trip through tour companies from Dubrovnik. For Montenegro in particular this results in a comprehensive overview of the country. So in the darkness at 6:50 am we board the bus and sit back and enjoy the tour.
Montenegro’s capitol, Kotor sits on a wide beautiful bay. A compact old walled city is perfect for aimless perambulation past palaces, cathedrals, orthodox churches and, of course, tourist shops and cafes.

The city walls climb steeply up the surrounding ring of mountains, which of themselves are a natural barrier from enemy forces, in particular the Ottomans who controlled the areas north for 450 years. Climbing 800 steps up the rampart yielded panoramic views of Kotor and the bay.

For lunch it was the local speciality of mussels farmed from Kotor bay with a lovely glass of the intense local red wine known as “black wine”.
After lunch we took a boat out to the church of “Our Lady of the Rocks”. The story has it that a pair of mariners started depositing rocks into the middle of the bay in the 15th century. Beyond their death the locals continued the work until an artificial island was created. Stabilised by scuttling ships around it they built a small chapel.

A wander around the picturesque bayside medieval town of Perast completes a perfect day.

Have not watched it but anyone who has, has seen Dubrovnik as much of the show was filmed there. A point not lost on the multiple souvenir sellers in the city. I remember back to 1991 in the aftermath of the collapse of communism the artificial construct of Yugoslavia fell apart. The furthermost states of Slovenia and North Macedonia slipped into nationhood uneventfully. Closer to the Serbian state it was a different story. Then communist leader Slobodan Milosevic seamlessly assumed the power of post communist Serbia. He also found himself in total control of the Serbian military and used it to ruthlessly wage war on the ethnic groupings he hated most. Serbian Croatian tensions go back over centuries. In 1991 he invaded Croatia and laid siege to Dubrovnik. The media coverage of that was my first exposure to Dubrovnik. The cultural vandalism of serb shelling of the old city was distressing. Some 55% of buildings in the old city were damaged, 11% severely. The siege lasted 7 months and in response to coordinated international pressure Serbia backed off. Thirty years on I wondered if there would be evidence of the war. Fortunately there isn’t.
The Dubrovnik Republic started in the 3th century and continued to function until the early 19th century. Most of the buildings date from the 16th century. Known as the Jewel of the Adriatic the old town encircled by massive intact city walls has an almost fairytale ambience, albeit over touristed by virtue of the regular massive cruise ship arrivals. Nonetheless in the off season the main street is less of a “human zoo” than during the peak summer season.
I hope you enjoy the photos.

Cable car up to Panorama Restaurant high above the old city