You only see what you know (Goethe)
Burgruine Dürnstein (Durnstein Castle) was first mentioned as castrum Dierenstein in 1144. The castle stands right at the border between Styria and Carinthia. I took this photo while riding the train between Friesach and Unzmarkt. You see the catenary of the railroad on the left side of the picture.
The Maßenburg is a castle ruin on a hill high over Leoben. It probably dates back to 13th century. From a viewing tower, built on the ruins of a former watch tower, visitors have a great view of Leoben.
During summer 2013 the organization Steirisches Kürbiskernöl g.g.A. (Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil P.D.O.) offers a tasting for pumpkin seed oil in a traditional restaurant of Graz. Opposite to other tastings of products, this event doesn’t present different types of pumpkin seed oil for selling but explain the difference between Styrian pumpkin seed oil and other oils from abroad.
The construction of Graz Castle (Grazer Burg) started in 1438 by Duke Friedrich V. The photo above was taken from the Burggarten, a hidden park just outside the old walls of Graz. The castle offers several intriguing elements, e.g. engravings showing the motto A.E.I.O.U. and a complete double spiral staircase.
This photo was taken on a train journey from Leoben to Knittelfeld in the Austrian state of Styria. The church is sanctified to Saint Walpurga and houses one of the earliest Gothic works in Styria.
The restaurant Speisesaal is located on the ground floor of Hotel Wiesler. I think it is an ideal venue for having a burger or steak while listening to music presented by a DJ.
For fans of healthy nutrition the farmer market at Kaiser-Josef-Platz is a good tip. Here one can buy local products. At the photo one can see variety of apple named Schafnase. There are also a lot of products related to the Genussregion.
The Perchtenlauf (Procession of Perchten) in Judenburg was the first Perchtenlauf I have ever watched. I was impressed with how scary the masks looked. Though I don’t think that a Perchtenlauf in the middle of November is traditional, I like the idea of this event and recommend watching such a procession if you get the chance anywhere in the Alpine region.
In Graz there is a special offer provided by the Graz Guides and VeloVital. By a guided e-bike tour of three hours one can learn about different forms of architecture located in the city. As the tour is performed by e-bikes one come across a lot of different places scattered all over the city.
Today I took my first lesson in cooking. For that purpose four journalists/bloggers and me visited the restaurant Kitchen 12 in Graz. This restaurant owned by Ferdinand Hladik offers not only warm meals and good wines but also cooking lessons for groups up to 30 persons.
Hotel Wiesler is located next to the centre of Graz. After a walk of a few minutes, one reaches the Museum of Contemporary Art (Kunsthaus) or the central market square. From many rooms, guests have a fine view of the landmark of Graz, a clock tower named Uhrturm.
At the Kaiser-Josef-Markt – the oldest farmer market of Graz – I saw this offer for McIntosh apples. The spelling on this label is wrong, but the story of these apples is interesting. I was told the famous computer model Apple Macintosh is named after this apple, but for legal reasons, they had to add an ‘a’ in the Mc.