Photos and the City

Author: Ursula Schmitz

  • Applecross Peninsula

    My hosts at the Seadrift B&B not only make the very best porridge of all times, but they are also great at helping you to plan your tour! As I´ve been already to Skye in the main season last year I wanted to avoid that (and come back during more quiet times). I just knew I wanted to explore further north.

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    So they recommended to tour (and walk) around the Applecross peninsula – and what a stunning piece of North-Western Scotland it is. The drive over the pass isn´t that easy, thing super narrow streets and very tight curves but the view from up there is just gobsmacking! I only had a few seconds before the sky opened up and rain poured down but these few seconds…

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    Over the 2053’ road called the Bealach na Ba, if the cloud has lifted, you’ll see the kind of views normally reserved only for mountaineers. Panoramas to the Outer Hebrides and South to the Kintail mountains will keep you gazing until you need to descend to the village for warmth and sustenance. (Applecross.co.uk)

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    Back on the other side, I arrived at the Applecross bay and the sun was back. There are a few crofting villages scattered around the coastline and the name “Applecross” is about 1300 years old.

    The area around Applecross is believed to be one of the earliest settled parts of Scotland. The coastal settlement of Sand, just to the north of Applecross, is the location of a major archaeological site. (Visitscotland)

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  • Ephesus Museum and Vienna from above

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    When the Igersvienna and Igersaustria invited me to a tour of the Ephesus Museum I was most tempted to join because we would go on the roof of the NHM (Natural History Museum) afterwards and that´s something I´ve been wanting to do for a very, very long time!

    But Mr Georg Plattner, the director of the antique collection and the Ephesos museum made it so interesting that we didn´t want to leave again and explore even more.

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    Ephesos, located in present-day Turkey, was one of the most important cities of antiquity. It was here that the Artemis Temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, stood; the city was also the home of Heraclitus, as well as of one of the largest early-Christian communities. Roman times saw Ephesos became capital of the Province of Asia, with around 200,000 inhabitants.

    Since 1895, Austrian archaeologists have been excavating the ruins of Ephesos. Up to the year 1906, numerous recovered objects of high quality were removed to Vienna, objects which can be seen today at the Ephesos Museum, an annex to the Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities. (KHM)

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    It´s just a short walk across the Heldenplatz and Maria Theresia Platz to reach our second destination, the Natural History Museum. And again we were shown some of the highlights of the museum, the oldest collections dating back more than 250 years, founded by Franz I Stephan of Lorraine, Maria Theresa’s husband.

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    One of the most famous pieces is probably this little lady, the Venus von Willendorf. The figurine is about 29.000 years old and was found in 1908 near Willendorf.

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    After a quick hello to the dinosaurs, it was time to get on the roof!  View of Heldenplatz and Hofburg Palace.

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    Christmas Market at Maria Theresia Platz and the MQ in the back

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    Votivkirche, Theseustempel, Burgtheater

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    City Hall and the Parliament

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    St. Stephens in the back

     

     

  • Eilean Donan Castle

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    I had planned to do a quick picknick with a view of Eilean Donan Castle but the weather wasn´t quite in the mood for that. But I still enjoyed looking at this Scottish beauty I´ve already known from so many movies.

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    Eilean Donan ( Eilean Donnain) Is a small island in the Scottish Highlands where three lochs meet:  Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh. The picturesque castle is often described as the most beautiful in Scotland and is connected with a stone bridge to the mainland since a renovation in the 20th century.

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    The castle was founded in the thirteenth century, and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan MacRae. In the early eighteenth century, the Mackenzies’ involvement in the Jacobite rebellions led in 1719 to the castle’s destruction by government ships. Lieutenant-Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap’s twentieth-century reconstruction of the ruins produced the present buildings (Wikipedia)

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    The village Dornie about one kilometre from the castle. The castle was rebuilt between 1919 and 1932 and included the construction of the arched stone bridge. The rebuilding followed the exact ground plan but details of the present castle differ from its original appearance.

    I didn´t feel the need to go inside (and visit during the day) but came back the next day in the evening. When the official opening times are over one is allowed to cross the bridge for free and walk around the island – and there were way fewer people than during the day!

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    Again the view from above – from the old road.

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