Medieval Fun

It has been raining since Sunday. Pouring and pouring. Today was supposed to be still cloudy with some rain, but we woke up on this holiday morning (Fronleichnam, Corpus Christi) to bright sunshine. Jerry and I checked the internet until we found a fun excursion. Burg Lockenhaus has a Medieval Festival this weekend. We walked around the camp of those participating, visited the booths, watched dancing and music, and ate lunch. In the camp I saw two women working with card weaving looms. I have been meaning to get back into card weaving, so this will be an added incentive.

I decided that the stairs of the burg were too much for me, so we did not visit the whole castle, but apparently it is well worth visiting. It belonged to the Templars at one point, and the 'cultic room' has various symbols that have not been satisfactorily explained. Both general tours and specifically Templar ones are offered (at least in German). The festival is on until Sunday, May 25. There is also a Medieval festival going on in the Boehmischer Prater this weekend, if you would prefer not to leave Vienna.

When we had had enough of the crowds we drove on to the nearby Naturpark Greifenstein. We walked up to the Aussichtswarte (Tower) on the Hungarian border. And I do mean up. The forest road leads through needle trees up to the top of Burgenland's tallest mountain. OK, not all that tall, but a fair climb from the parking lot. The last thing I really wanted when we got to the top was to climb stairs, but when Steven said that there was a lovely view, I compromised and made it up the first flight. He was right. It was lovely looking out onto the Hungarian plain.

Around here it seems to be the newest thing to make walls and towers of wire cages filled with rocks. Generally I don't get the point, but this one fascinated me. The tower is filled with different kinds of rocks, and each one is labeled. As we hiked up the path we met up with big chunks of the various rocks with explanations of what kind of rock it is, where it can be found near the park, and how it was created. In case you are wondering, most of the rocks we saw are metamorphized sedimentary rocks. The explanations are in German, Hungarian, and English.

This area was once under an ocean, and some of the rocks include fossil shells. For those of you learning German, a local joke:

Wir haben Muscheln gesucht am Alpenostrand.
(We looked for shells on the ______.)

The joke is that Alpen-ost-rand is the standard word for the eastern end of the Alps. As you saw above, this is the Eastern end of the mountains. Normally you would look for shells on a 'Strand', a beach. If you divide the word differently you get the Alpeno-strand, a favorite holiday destination for Viennese who cannot afford an expensive vacation. ('Balkonia' is another.)

Early summer in the Danube National Park

The weather was so lovely on Monday, that we felt we wanted to get out into it. The open air part of the Orth Information centre for the National Park has enclosures with turtles and watersnakes. There are frogs galore, and the central pond contains various fish. Here you see a window of the underwater observation room. In the background is the 'insect hotel'.

There are various places for children to play: a willow tunnel made to look like a snake and an enormous nest full of straw. But the children we saw were mostly as busy as we were trying to count the turtles, and catch sight of the snakes.

On Monday the biggest surprise was the amount of noise the frogs were making. We actually saw them bubble up their cheeks to call out.

Other exhibits show how to recognize the signs that larger animals have passed, and what happens when they have passed away. Yes, the aroma coming from that side path is a dead animal. Road kill is brought in at intervals and allowed to decay. There are pictures to show the progression.

Many of the plants are labelled, and a ranger took the time to point out to us one that is often mistaken for Wild Garlic. Well, they both have wide leaves in the spring, but I doubt that I would mix them up. Good thing, too. The Baerlauch, or Wild Garlic had a lovely flavour in the spring before it blossoms, and has become a real hit in recent years, I often pick it. The Herbstzeitlose, or Autumn Crocus blossoms in the fall, and is VERY poisonous. Apparently there is no antidote. I found that its leaves were much more like tulips than like Baerlauch. Another reminder not to eat plants you aren't really sure of.

After learning about the animals to be found in the park you can also walk out from the Schlossinsel onto a trail that leads down through the park to the Danube. Or else drive down to the Danube, and walk along it for a way. There is an excursion restaurant at the Danube, or an organic food snackbar in the Schloss (run by Biohof Adamah). We had been meaning to visit the Mill Ship on the Danube one of these days, but at least for now will have to give up on that, as it sank this winter. They are working at raising it again, so maybe by the end of the summer. A ferry for pedestrians (and I think bicycles) is available as well.

We have bought a family season pass to the Schlossinsel in Orth, so you will hear more about what goes on there as the summer progresses.

On your way back to Vienna, you will probably want to stop at one of the many Bauernhof shops or stands offering asparagus, which is at the height of its season, or strawberries, which are just starting.

Drehorgelfest

Next weekend there is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy Spring in Vienna. 'Drehorgel' (calliopes, hurdy-gurdies, what-ever you want to call them) from around Europe meet in the Böhmischer Prater. They play there from 14 - 18 on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

This is a lovely amusement park, more old-fashioned and family oriented than the real Prater. We don't have small children anymore, but still enjoy the ambiance and the mini and micro golf courses. There are also several Gasthäuser.

Parking is limited in the area, and do pay attention to the signs, not just where others are parked. You will have to walk almost as far from your car to get in as from the public busses. Check the Anfahrtsplan on the website to find your best approach.