Digital Photo Gallery of Ted Szukalski
Fine art digital photography, photographic news, reviews, articles and resources.

Hafelekar-Mountain-Innsbruck-Austria-102_0381.jpg

Photo: Hafelekar Mountain, Innsbruck, Austria

I have never felt so much “I’m at the top of the world” as here at the Hafelekar Mountain in Innsbruck, Austria. Not because this was the highest mountain I’ve even been to, but because of the heavy cloud cover that surrounded us and unusual character to the mountain peaks. They have a clearly defined edge and it seems at times as there is nothing beyond that edge. My kids were hard at work exploring in hope to find edelweiss, the flower, which is the symbol of Austrian Tyrol and made famous by the song in the “Sound of Music” movie.

This is an inspiring place and I strongly recommend it to anyone. You do not even have to be fit as the cable car will take you almost to the very top and then it is only few meters up to the top. Looking down on Insbruck through a hole in the clouds from 2275 meters is also very rewarding.

Visit my Hafelekar Photo Gallery.

Innsbruck-Austria-102_0314.jpg

Photo: Innsbruck, Austria

From the outskirts of Innsbruck you can be forgiven for thinking this is an industrial city and you should stay away. Once you rich the old heart of the town however your impression with will be that you have crossed to another world. The city is located in a valley surrounded by Alps. The view is simply spectacular.

One small note: if you travel by car be aware the very center of the old town is closed to traffic for most of the day, so if your hotel is located there, you need to arrive very early in the morning, unpack and park somewhere else.

In addition to usual tourist attractions any Baroque era town can deliver you should also visit the Alpine ZOO, The Hofkirche (Imperial Church) with its magnificent life size statues, Museum of Tyrolean Folk Art and finally make sure to visit Hafelekar Mountain.

Explore my Innsbruck photographic gallery

Salzburg-Austria-102_0115.jpg

Photo: Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg is immediately associated as a birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. After visiting the city I think his genius and beauty of his music should be associated with Salzburg. It is a very charming city. Plenty to see as in any old European town - there is a castle, old town with narrow streets, churches and fountains. The locals are very tourist friendly and the food it first rate as is the beer. Mozart’s music can be appreciated daily or more precisely nightly if you are in town during the Mozart festival.

There are many post ice age lakes in the area with their gorgeous colours and refreshing water for these hot summer day. I’d recommend Mond See as a very good resort for families.

And yes there are the “Sound of Music” trips if you are so inclined, as the movie was filmed in Salzburg and neighboring towns.

Explore my Salzburg photographic gallery.

Schonbrun-Palace-Vienna-Austria-102_0002.jpg

Photo: Schonbrun Palace, Vienna, Austria

Ultravox once recorded a song called Vienna where the chorus repeats “it means nothing to me, oh Vienna”. For me it is quite the opposite, Austria was my gateway to the West and I’ve lived there for nearly two years before arriving in Australia. I have to admit my memories of that time were not as cheerful as theses of the recent visit. It makes all the difference in the world if you see a city or a country as a tourist or as a migrant.

Austria is certainly one of the most beautiful countries one could visit. Lots of history, beautiful art and music and if you are sick of visiting museums and cathedrals you can always escape to the mountains.

Vienna has greeted us with 40C heat so we had to be very careful with our decisions on what to see and where to go. We spend 2 out of our three days there on fun. Prater was a winning formula for my kids and a swimming pool for everyone on the next day. We still found time to see most of the attractions but we did not spend there as much time as we intended. There is only so much heat one can take without air condition in buildings.

Explore my Vienna photographic gallery

Votive Church (Votivkirche), Vienna, Austria

Votive Church (Votivkirche), Vienna, Austria

This Apocalyptic scene, with a cloud like a ball of fire descending over the Votive Church in Vienna was very ominous. We woke up next day to 40C plus temperatures, which lasted for the next week. Unlike Australia, most European countries are very poorly prepared for such heat wave. The air conditioned facilities are sparse to say the least. Our escape was to a local pool which was located on a converted barge On Danube river. Yes, on the “Beautiful Blue Danube” (An der schönen blauen Donau), as named by a famous waltz by Johann Strauss. The only thing is it is rather disappointingly murky brown and very uninviting.

I have a special attachment to Austria as I have lived here for almost two years when I was younger. I still consider it one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and the heat wave did not deter me from showing my family the beauty of this city and country. In next few articles I will bring more scenic photos but for now I leave you with the “fire in the sky” Viennese sunset.