Tag Archive: Graz


Taking It Slow and Easy 🐌🐢

Filed under: Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
December 17, 2019

It’s been 9 weeks. And before then, around 4 weeks of clinic visits and lab procedures. I haven’t had 13 slow and easy weeks in the last few years. A quick check of my busy travel calendar the last few years confirm this. And you know what? If you’ve been under “house arrest” for a considerable time, the first day out heightens all your senses to appreciate the air you breathe, the noise you hear or perhaps the lack of it, the temps that make you sweat or the breeze that cools your skin. The Harbour Square within the CCP Complex is a favorite spot within the metropolis. Antipolo too but it’s too far out and the traffic going there is near-unbearable. So between the waters and the mountains, I longed to instead count the yachts bobbing up and down in the bay.

There are still a few days before the year is over but Bali was def the last trip in 2019. Thoroughly enjoyed with the family despite the intermittent chest pains, which I assumed must have been acid reflux. My guardian angels must have worked overtime to bring me home safely and guided a family doctor to remind me to see my cardiologist instead of a gastro-enterologist. I did, and then had medical attention in the nick of time. After more tests pre- and post-stenting, my cardiologist declared I’m good to travel again. Yey! Two trips lined up for next year, and now working on a possible 3rd and 4th. I am so happy. And thankful for the trips made in the year 2019 without mishap. I still cringe at the thought that any one of these trips could have turned really nasty. I am thankful as I remember.

Same group on 2 separate trips to Brunei and Malaysia

Ticked off a few squad goals including this Hokkaido in Winter!

A third of the fambam in London.

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/05/21/touchdown-london/

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/05/23/one-in-a-million-stonehenge/

Cardiff Castle in Wales

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/06/24/from-london-to-london-2019/

Amsterdam, Volendam, Marken, Giethorn , Zaans Schans, Delfth and The Hague

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/05/25/its-been-awhile-amsterdam/

Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/06/01/touchdown-brussels/

The Cotswolds

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/06/16/the-cotswolds/

Off to Graz, Ljubljana, Trieste and Istrian Peninsula (Croatia

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/08/18/road-trip-through-austria-slovenia-italy-croatia/

A family trip to Bali, Indonesia

https://lifeisacelebration.blog/2019/09/05/bali-highs-💕🏖😍🎶🧜🏻

So what’s in the drawing boards this coming 2020? Well, there’s a booked Nile cruise in Egypt, and the South American adventure should soon be firmed up, plus there’s that wedding later in the year in Barcelona. Same travel buddies…. unless of course we start growing tired of each other 🙄. We have yet to plan for that trip to Europe with my soon-to-graduate #aponimamu. And another adventure with my soon-to-retire dear friends. We’ll see. Meanwhile, let’s have a truly Merry Christmas in our hearts and a Prosperous, Harmonious New Year ahead.

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Road Trip Through Austria, Slovenia, Italy & Croatia

Filed under: Europe, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
August 18, 2019

We’ve long wanted to visit Slovenia so we drove from Vienna to Ljubljana with a Graz pit stop. Clean and green, plus it’s such a small country offering so much. Lake Bled comes to mind, but Piran stole our hearts. On a Food Trip, we included Trieste, Italy in our itinerary. Yes, that small strip of land off the Adriatic and the Italian border to Slovenia. As home to Illy Coffee, plus the prospect of seafood harvested off the Adriatic and cooked the Italian way, we couldn’t go wrong. Next, the van took us on a road trip visiting the small towns of the Istrian Peninsula. All of these destinations couldn’t have been better. By the time we left Istria and reached Zagreb, we were almost unfamiliar with big city vibes. And Plitvice? That was the highlight of my trip.

Just click on the following titles to the blog links .

From Vienna to Graz, Austria

Clean and Green Ljubljana

A Rainy Day in Lake Bled

Going Italian in Trieste

Driving Back to Slovenia’s Piran

Groznjan’s Art and Culture

More Truffles in Motovun

How Do You Say Rovinj?

Rijeka Off the Adriatic

Opatija’s Classy Vibe

Summery Day in Pula

Finally, Zagreb!

A Near-Miss in Plitvice

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Trip Length: 12 Days

Hotels:

Hotel Galeria

Hotel Coppe

Hotel Jadran

Hotel Dubrovnik

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GRAZ In a Heartbeat

Filed under: Europe, Travel, travels — 5 Comments
August 1, 2019

We touched down in Vienna around 8 in the morning and was promptly whisked away in a van towards Ljubljana. All of 5 hours drive for more than a dozen sleep-deprived people from the Tropics. Not wasting time, we planned this pit stop in Graz, just over 2 hours south of the Austrian capital. So what’s in Graz, you ask? As the capital of the Austrian province of Styria and 2nd largest next to Vienna, it has much to offer. You may even say it’s a disservice to spend only a few hours here, do lunch and to visit it “just because” it’s along the way towards our destination in Slovenia. For starters, it was the cultural capital of Europe once upon a time. Not too long ago, it was also hailed as a city of culinary delights. This last one has a special charm to our group of food adventurers.

It was, however, a very brief visit. Just enough time to do the City Square where a Food Market was in full swing. We had our fill of bratwurst, schnitzel, beer and other sausages here. Nothing fancy as we only had 3 hours to tour around. From the square, we walked towards the river to view Kuntshaus, Murinsel, and finally the Schlossberg. The latter gave us a 360 degree panoramic view of the city from the Clock Tower area.

The Schlossberg has a well-manicured garden at the top, and an open air cafe bar. What’s interesting about the Schlossberg is the way up and back. One can take the lift, funicular or climb up. Then exit via the same lift, the same staircase or SLIDE! We chose to take the lift but cheered those brave enough to slide down through a transparent cylinder that zigzags down. That 35 second slide ride can’t possibly convince me.

If you don’t have the nerve to try the slide, nor the time to cover all the attractions in Graz, then just enjoy the city view from the top. From the Square to this hilltop attraction, you’d find many interesting architectural landmarks. Enjoy!

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