Trip to the Alps (including Weiner-Neustadt and Mariazell)

On Tuesday, August 12th, our entire class hopped on a bus and headed south towards the Austrian Alps. Along the way we stopped in a quaint little town called Wiener-neustadt. Here we went on a tour of the small town and hit all the main spots of interest including the military academy, a couple really old churches, a cathedral, and an abbey. We learned on our tour that this small town was hit the hardest of any town in Austria, during World War II. It was a target of bombing from air raids because of the aircraft production plant, and the famous Theresian Military Academy (founded by Maria Theresia in 1752) trained soldiers from all over the country and is symbolic to Austria as one of the first defense organizations. Over 80 percent of the town was destroyed in the bombing, and of the 4,000 residents that lived there only 800 remained after the war (most were killed or fled the city).

Weiner-Neustadt ("New Vienna") was constructed by Babenberg, Leopold V in 1194 to serve as a line of defense against Hungarian invaders. Maximillian I was born here, and was also buried in St. George’s Cathedral (which we visited on our tour). One interesting fact about Maximillian I is that he requested to have a humble burial without all the frills and excess of most imperial funerals, as he was an incredibly devout Catholic and pious man. After he died, Maximillian’s body was placed in a simple sack and (as he had requested) his legs were beaten and broken below the knees so he would be kneeling for all eternity. We also toured the main cathedral which was completed in the late 15th century, and is of a gothic style on the outside, but baroque on the interior. After the tour we had a few hours to get food and walk around town. A few girls and I went to this little Greek restaurant right outside the abbey which had really good food and grape vines growing all around it. Around three we headed back to the bus to continue on to the Alps.

When we got to the Alps a little while later, we took a gondola up to the top of this huge mountain which overlooked green valleys and little towns scattered about as far as the eye can see. On the top of the mountain sat this really old fashioned, traditional looking alpine lodge which was a restaurant, gondola station, and hotel all in one. Its was three stories and pretty basic in terms of quality. The rooms were small with simple bunk beds and a sink, but still cute all the same. It kind of felt like we were in a rustic, old fashioned summer camp, but the dinginess didn’t matter because we were in the middle of the beautiful Alps! Immediately upon arrival a group of us decided to walk up the trail and explore the area where our lodge is. We walked about a mile up the road, frolicking and laughing out of excitement to be out of the city and in this breathtaking scenery, right at dusk. We headed back for dinner, and we sat down to a meal of soup followed by pasta with meat sauce. The food tasted great, mostly because we were really hungry at that point! After dinner a bunch of us drank some wine and socialized, then decided to go on a "night hike." The "hike" was more of a 5 or 10 minute walk up the road where we all proceeded to plop in the grass and tell funny/ scary stories. After a while we headed back to the lodge to get some sleep for the next day’s activities.

The next morning I woke up, ate breakfast, and got dressed for a hike to this lodge high up on a mountain top, called the Habsburghaus. I had been feeling pent up and was starting to get agitated, im not sure if it was the constant group activities, or living in the middle of an urban city which im not used to, but as soon as I got out in the mountains and began to hike, I immediately felt in relieved to be in my element. A few girls and I led the way and we trecked along at a brisk pace only to stop occasionally for water or pictures. After several miles of walking along hillsides, down into meadows filled with purple, yellow, pink, and white wild flowers, and along a rocky little path, we suddenly came to an opening where the road dropped hundreds of feet before us leading down into a deep valley with winding hills and more mountains beyond that. The path curved to the right and we headed up a steep, single lane trail full of rocks that led us straight up a mountain. The weather was nice and cool, overcast and a little damp which kept us from feeling too hot. However, once we had gotten up to a decent elevation, it felt like we were above the clouds or at least in the clouds, and it was hard to see farther than several yards in any direction. When the steep part of the trail evened out, we walking along a grassy slope and it was only about another half a mile until we got to the Habsburghaus. We were the first group to arrive (Me, Lindsay, Kelsey, Jeff, Hans, Robert and Erin), and were relieved at the sight of the cute lodge which welcomed us with warmth and friendly hosts (a husband and wife) who ran the place. I ordered a bowl of potato/zucchini soup which was delicious!! Other people ordered hot chocolate, or huge plates full of spaghetti. The rest of the group started to trickle in until everyone had made it within about 45 minutes or so of each other. After eating, Lindsay, Jeff and I decided to head back down the mountain (which was seven miles each way for a total of a 14 mile hike) and we made it back to the lodge in about an hour and a half. On the way down the mountain I was leading the group and was so focused on my footing that all of a sudden I looked up and was face to face with a huge brown and white cow! We started cracking up because it freaked us out, we were only about 5 feet away and almost walked right into them. They were really pretty, peaceful cows that luckily let us passed without any trouble. We walked really fast on the way down, but we were also talking the whole way which made time fly, and the three of us all went the same fast pace, which got us down the mountain almost two hours before the next group! We cleaned up and took naps before eating a delicious, traditional Austrian dinner of soup, and schnitzel with potatoes. After dinner most of us hung around and played card games, followed by some ghost stories upstairs.

The next day, I woke up and afer eating breakfast, headed down the mountain on the gondola to relax at the bottom and reflect a little on the last couple days. When the second half of the group got down, we boarded the bus once again and headed towards a town called Mariazell. This town was really pretty and cheerful, with lots of pastel-colored buildings all nestled at the base of a ski slope. The main attraction in town is the Mariazell Basilica, which draws thousands of tourists and Catholics per year as a renowned pilgrimage site of Europe. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI came to Mariazell which is now the towns’ biggest selling point and claim to fame. The church was beautiful and baroque, and when we went inside it was in service. I was a little "churched-out" at this point, so I decided to tour around the town rather than spend more hours in another church. I walked all around the small town, and got the feeling that it’s entire tourism platform is centered first and foremost around the town’s 850 year old history and Basilica, and secondly it’s prime location as a ski-resort. I got really cheesy vibes from the town, that all the people who come here fall into this Catholic tourist trap where there are dozens of little stands all around the church selling Catholic propaganda such as Jesus-everything (you name it- candles, jewelry, t-shirts, crucifixes, figurines, snow globes, thimbles, even when you think its going to stop there, it doesn’t) along with more plastic-beaded rosaries than I’ve ever seen (or want to see) in my life. The people that come here just eat it up. Even the church itself jumps on board with the Catholic souvenirs. Inside the Basilica, one can purchase books, postcards, rosaries, rings, crucifixes, the list goes on. Im not Catholic (or religious at all) myself, so maybe its something I personally don’t understand, but I just got this really creepy feeling that the town and church (which is basically the heart and soul of the town) profiteers off of people who come here for religious purposes and are sucked into this tourist trap of Catholic commercialism which feeds off of religious consumers who hope to take a piece of this "pilgrimage" site home with them. The town was cute and picturesque, but it wasn’t my favorite place and I was admittedly glad to get back on the bus when it came time to leave.