I am curious to know if anyone has seen the latest copy of National Geographic Traveler. They did their “Destinations Rated” issue, not necessarily all or even top destinations, but those they see as significant, doing things right, or even in peril. Europe fared pretty well, 11 of the 21 Top Rated were in Europe, and only two of the 15 Places with Troubles or Worst Rated. Ranked first was the Wachau area of Austria and Melk Abbey, with Graz in Austria coming in 5th. France fared well with three of the top spots as well. Austria is on my “to-do” list, any comments on the Wachau, Melk Abbey, or Graz? By the way; Stratford Upon Avon (England) and Hierapolis-Pamukkale in Turkey were the European places noted with troubles.
Posted by
Everett, WA
1288 posts
We unexpectedly got to spend of few days in the Wachau area. We stayed three nights in Melk. One of our favorite memories of our 5 week trip was biking down the Danube from Melk to Krems (it is listed in the Rick Steve's GAS book-It is about 24 miles) You pass through some beautiful vineyards (which the Wachau area is known for) We were there in September, and the grapes were ready to be harvested. The bike route takes you through some wonderful towns and villages. The bike route is quite popular and there are many bikers and organized groups that use it. We rode the boat back to Melk (they let bikes on), but we probably could have rode back just about as fast.(It takes 3 hours to go up river on the boat). We also visited Melk Abbey and it was stunning. We always visit so many churches, abbeys, etc in Europe that they kind of all blend together after awhile. Melk Abbey was truly unique and the way it sits up on the hill above the town is breathtaking. We really enjoyed the town of Melk and found it very reasonable. (We stayed in a B&B for 31 euros a night for both my husband and I and ate cheap at grocery stores and a pizza place.) We rode the train into Vienna for one of our days. We loved Schonbrunn Palace. To sum it up: We were suppose to be doing a hut to hut hike in the Salzburg area, but were snowed out (the huts were closed due to bad weather) Needless to say, we were really bummed. However, we headed over to Melk and had a great 3 days. We joke that Melk saved the first week of our vacation. I have to admit that Austria has pulled equal to Switzerland in my own popularity ratings. (Switzerland has been number one, but I absolutely loved having more time to explore Austria this trip.) Have a great time, whenever you get there.
Posted by
OP
Eastern Iowa, USA
7559 posts
We have a standing availability at my Brothers place near Kaiserslautern, Germany through mid 2010, so we are planning maybe September of 09. We hope to spend more time in Bavaria, Austria, maybe getting into Eastern Europe. Getting back to the article, I was glad to see they gave Ghent's historic center a high rating, as well as Cesky Krumlov, and Edinburgh.