Take a train to Graz

Yes, Graz. Not Venice, not Paris, or Rome. Graz. Graz, the second largest city in Austria, the home of Arnold the Governator, and a modern student city with 6 universities. Once, a Slavic settlement (called Grad), today Graz is a candidate for city of design.

Why Graz?
We went to Graz because we wanted to get from Vienna to Venice and also see Alps. The best part about going from Vienna to Venice are the breathtaking views from the train and the buses. It took about 3 hrs to get to Graz from Vienna by train, and about 6 hrs to get to Venice from Graz by bus. Both rides were great. The first ride (train Vienna to Graz) included about an hour of trans-mountain railroad ( Semmering Railway) that is an UNESCO World Heritage and a first mountain railroad ever. My camera would not stop shooting. When we arrived in Graz, we checked into Hotel Daniel that is right next to the awesome train station.

 24 hours in Graz

It is not right to spend all day in trains and buses. So we decided to stay 1 day and 2 nights in Graz, and then continue our journey to Venice. One day in Graz turned out perfect for us. We loved the fresh cheese bread rolls in numerous bakeries along the Annenstrasse that lead from the train station to downtown, and we had a coffee at Cafe Tribeca that a friend recommended. We then walked through the main square (Hauptplatz) and took a little detour via the city gardens and finally climbed up the Schlossberg hill. The views from the Schlossbers are amazing, and the Schlossberg offers more things to see deep inside of the hill. There is an elevator that brings you to the top of the hill, and also few tunnels you can explore. They served as a bomb shelter for the locals.

Kunsthaus and Schlossberg

This building was the only thing I knew about Graz prior to our visit. I could not wait to shoot this blob style building at night. It turned out, this building is hard to shoot, because other buildings are obstructing the view. The best photos of it were taken from the top of the Schlossberg. We did not go in, did not feel like going into a museum. The building fits well with the old town's architecture and the red roofs.

Grazer Murinsel

This bridge was my second most favorite thing to shoot (after the elvator). Grazer Murinsel was designed by a New York artist and built in 2003 and hosts a cafe and a playground for kids. It looks best at night. It does appear to be an island, but in fact this bridge just floats. I wish there were more structures like this all over the world.

More photos from the trip can be found here.