Kings and Castels

With excellent weather we started our city tour through Vienna! St Stephens Cathedral , Graben, Kohlmarkt, and of course the traesure chamber in the Hofburg, just a few highlights in the morning, coffee break at the famous Landtmann cafe opposite to the townhouse and in the afternoon, wienerschnitzel for lunch, the castel of schönbrunn. Fantastic

“I like it when it rains, because if I don't like it, it rains anyway.” With this quote from Munich comedian Karl Valentin, we start our tour in dreary Viennese weather. We quickly leave the city behind us and, despite the limited visibility, can sense the beauty of the Wachau region. After a well-deserved coffee break, we stop for our first photo opportunity opposite the ruins of Dürnstein Castle. After his return from the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart was held captive here before being handed over to the German Emperor Henry IV. The next highlight is crossing the Danube, not via a normal bridge, but via the ferry at Weissenstein. We follow the Danube to the Maria Taferl junction. From up there, we have a sensational view over the Danube and enjoy our lunch. Finally, it stops raining and we leave the Danube in the direction of the Czech border. Since the Czech Republic joined the Schengen area, the border crossing at Phyrabruck is no longer used. The remains of the still recognizable death strip give us an idea of what it was like here during the Cold War. We take the obligatory photos of the border signs and head to Budweis. Budweis is also known as the Siena of South Bohemia. The beautiful old town with its 16th-century buildings makes us agree. As the Edelweiss Tour Hotel is located right on the edge of the old town, most guests take a short walk to explore Budweis.

The last drops from the sky didn't bother us and so we got already to Krumlov, the pearl of medieval towns before the mainstream tourism arrived. through the remote area of the bohemian forest on twisty roads with almost no traffic and finally a sunny final when we reached Prague.

Even though the motorcycle tour on the rest day is very tempting, the beautiful city of Prague is a must-see, and you need time for that. All participants in this tour decided to do so, and so we set off on our discovery tour from our tour hotel. We crossed Wenceslas Square and walked through the pedestrian zone to the old town hall. On the south wall of the town hall (built in 1381) is one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world. Some parts date back to 1410. We continued across the world-famous Charles Bridge and from there up to the fortress. From a hidden part of a café, we had a sensational view of the city. And then our lunch stop: an old inn that has been open continuously since 1375!!! Here, we enjoyed not only the food, but also the excellent Czech beer. In good spirits, we set off on our way back.

We leave one of Europe's most beautiful cities and drive to Melnik. When the plague ravaged Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, there was not enough space to bury the dead. Therefore, the remains of past centuries were stored in ossuaries beneath the church, as was the case in Melnik. Here lie the skulls and bones of 10,000 to 15,000 dead, a gruesome sight. Outside the church is a viewpoint from which you can see the confluence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers. We continue through the Bohemian countryside to Jetrichovice, where Franz surprises us with a delicious picnic. Refreshed, we cruise through Czech and Saxon Switzerland to the Bastei. From up there, we have a great view of the surrounding countryside and the Elbe, which flows deep below. After the Bastei, it is only a stone's throw to Dresden. Here, too, we are grateful that our tour hotel is very centrally located. The way to the restaurant takes us past most of the sights, with the Zwinger, Semperoper, Residenzschloss, Sanctissimae Trinitatis Cathedral, and Frauenkirche lining our path. Our guests were more than impressed, but the Edelweiss tour guides had another trick up their sleeves: the Brühlsche Terrasse, also known as the Balcony of Europe, offers a fantastic view over the Elbe and the sights of the city, which was almost completely destroyed at the end of World War II. The evening atmosphere added to the experience.

We chose the option riding and sightseeing, so we started in the morning to Castle Weesenstein, just fantastic this Building and Gardens located in the small valley of Mürlitz. The watch museum in Glashütte gave us an idea what we could purchase for Christmas, ;-) Since everything worth seeing in Dresden is close together, an afternoon is enough to explore the old town. First, we walked the few meters to the Zwinger and visited the Zwinger Xperience, a multimedia journey through the history and highlights of the Zwinger. We passed the Semperoper, the Catholic Cathedral, and the City Palace (including the tournament grounds) and climbed up to the Frauenkirche. Enjoying the view from up there made the climb well worth it. We more than earned the Augustiner beer(s) that followed. Just a few meters further on, the Edelweiss restaurant was waiting for us, where we enjoyed Swiss delicacies and celebrated the birthday of one of the participants. The walk home through the beautiful old town was the perfect end to an eventful day.

So today is one of our longest riding day. 100km for breakfast on the German AUTOBAHN :-)). But too much traffic to have fun. We arrived Görlitz before the Cafes opened so we took a walking tour through the city with 4000 historic houses restored. But then enough city and off we go to the "Giantmountainrange" : Windy roads through Forests and meadows. We had really good Czech food in an Sort resort up in the mountains and we were on time at our hotel.........

Today we travel from Lazne Belohrad to Stary Jicin. Our first stop is Nove Mesto, where there is plenty to see in the historic town center and we treat ourselves to a coffee break. From there, we continue to the Eagle Mountains, whose lonely roads run right along the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. There we also visit a bunker complex from World War II. Then we descend into the Czech province of Moravia, where the curves take us along endless wheat fields. Then, in the distance, we can already see the castle of Stary Jicin, at the foot of which our accommodation for today is located.

This day starts with perfect weather, sunny, Saturday means low traffic. We take the fastest way to Krakow just stopped over by a medieval wooden church. Coffe-break and off we go to Krakow. Getting into big city sometimes is a bit difficult with all the detours and rush hours, but our group seem to be already very routined in this things! Just doing great! We arrived short after 13:30 at the hotel, had a quick lunch and than city tour as usual..........

Today we will go to a guided tour into the worst chapter of history can be written. All of our group decided to go and see the Auschwitz Concentration Camp so that we can tell. At the evening Michel found a fantastic polish restaurant with pirogi and borsch ......and beer;-)

It doesn't always have to be the Alps – how about the High Tatras? The smallest high mountain range in Europe? For years, it has been an insider tip among motorcyclists, and not just among hikers and winter sports enthusiasts. Shortly after leaving Krakow, we head towards the Polish side of the High Tatras. Shortly before the well-known Polish winter sports resort of Zakopane, we turn off towards Slovakia. Fantastic roads wind their way through the High Tatras with little traffic—a dream come true for every motorcyclist. And so it continues, through the beautiful landscapes of Slovakia, to our Edelweiss Tour Hotel in Rajecke Teplice.

The next big city is waiting for us. Today we will ride to the south were the hills start to roll and finally we will end up at the Pannonia plains and the Capital of Hungary Budapest with its 1,6 Mio people living there .

Even though Budapest cannot be compared to Prague, the Hungarian capital is also beautiful and has many highlights. Some of these sights are located directly on the Danube, making it ideal to discover them from one of the numerous excursion boats. After docking, we strolled along the Danube and let ourselves be captivated by the smells and hustle and bustle of the Great Market Hall. Some of us had lunch at one of the food stalls. From there, it was another walk to the ruin bars. Budapest's ruin bars are unique pubs in the city's historic Jewish quarter, housed in abandoned pre-war buildings and offering a unique atmosphere. However, we couldn't stay there too long, as the evening had another highlight in store for us. The Fisherman's Bastion, whose conical towers are reminiscent of the tents of the Magyars, is used as a viewing terrace overlooking the Danube and Pest. We had dinner up there, and after sunset, the view was even more beautiful.

And then, at some point, the last day of the trip arrives. This takes us back to Vienna, the starting point of our exciting journey. We follow the Danube out of Budapest and on to Esztergom. The Celts and Romans settled here, as did Slavs, Magyars, Mongols, and Turks. In the 19th century, one of Europe's largest cathedrals was built here, towering imposingly on the castle hill. We drive a few kilometers through Slovakia again, cross the Danube back into Hungary, and after a while reach Sopron. Many consider Sopron to be the most beautiful medieval town in Hungary and is located just a few kilometers from the Austrian border. And the border is our next destination. On August 19, 1989, Austrians and Hungarians met at a small border crossing for a joint picnic, and on that day, the Iron Curtain was permeable for the first time. Several hundred East German citizens took advantage of this and fled to the West. The rest is history. Edelweiss naturally doesn't want to miss out on such an opportunity and also organizes a picnic here for its guests. Franz spoils us with delicious Leberkässemmeln, a welcome refreshment for the last few kilometers to Vienna. After the motorcycles had been handed over and we had freshened up, we met for our farewell dinner. And as with so many Edelweiss tours, we can say: “They came as strangers and left as friends.” We hope to see each and every one of you again in the future. Thank you very much for the great time. Franz and Michael