This morning we drove from Vienna to Graz. I decided to stay off the motorways again and drove through the mountains and forests. There were some good roads with switchbacks up and down the mountains so it was never dull along the way.
To add interest to the journey we could see a storm building in the distance and we drove into it with impressive flashes of lightning tremendous crashing thunder and the heaviest rain I have ever experienced. At one point we were up in the clouds as the thunder crashed around us.
By the time we got to Graz however the storm had passed and we enjoyed a walk through the old town and up into the Schloßerg park overlooking the city. There were some great views and as it was so hot we enjoyed a few moments in the shade before heading back to town where as well as wandering the streets we walked along the river Mur and we poked around in hidden corners discovering some wonderful little courtyards that could so easily have been overlooked.
The pictures I have shared today were taken as we sat down to eat in a quiet restaurant in one of these hidden courtyards. It had a lovely atmosphere and these may be among my favourite pictures of the day .
After dinner and an ice cream we sat and watched a game of foot volleyball, part of the European championships hosted by the city, something I don't expect to see again but it was obviously very popular with some of the locals.
Tomorrow we are heading off to Venice, Graz was really included in the trip just to break up the journey from Vienna to Venice but I have to say I'm really glad we included it as it has turned out to be a real gem.
No comments:
Post a Comment