Frohnleiten & Graz, Austria
Austria has nine Länder (states). I dropped south from Vienna into the state of Styria to visit the village of Frohnleiten and the city of Graz.
The drive from Vienna to Frohnleiten on the Austrian Autobahn was about an hour and a half (I got up to 95 mph in spots pushing my little Renault). The land changed from relatively flat farmland in northeastern Austria to hills and then mountains the further south I drove into the Alps.
It was a sleepy Sunday morning when I pulled into Frohnleiten and parked near the Hauptplatz. Older Austrian towns tend to have pastel hues on plaster which differentiate architecture here from the timber frames in Germany.
Frohnleiten hugged a gentle bend on the River Mur. I crossed a bridge over the water and enjoyed views of town from the opposite bank. The river was flowing strongly but it looked just like glass, perfectly smooth on top.
A few kilometers further south, I arrived at the substantially larger capital of Styria. Graz flies under the tourist radar compared to other Austrian cities like Salzburg, Innsbruck and Vienna but I thought it was well worth my time. It’s rewarding to seek out places not inundated with foreign tourists. I could hear visitors in Graz speaking German around me.
The weather was also perfect: sunny, cool and calm. Perfect for a hike up Schlossberg hill to check out the unique Uhrturm (clock tower). Strangely, the minute hands on the clocks were larger than the hour hands.
Lunch on the go is normal for me as I hike through town. I popped into a local Kebab shop and ordered their lunch special. Restaurant menus in Europe are always posted outside for you to scan before deciding to go inside. The Puntigamer beer was brewed here in Graz. They had signs everywhere.
That’s something else you notice in Europe: locals adhere by the local beer. We tend to have national beer brands back in the States but I like the varied regional flavors of Europe, even as you travel within the same country.
There weren’t many big sights in Graz compared to say, Vienna, but I actually preferred that. The experience of being here and walking around soaking up the atmosphere was the draw. Graz was a big university town and there were small pubs and restaurants on every corner filled with people.
Along the lines of no national brands, there really aren’t hotel chains in Europe either. I tend to stay at small Gästehaus I find on Booking.com (that’s a big website here). While I waited for the key, the owner’s son brought me a beer. He apologized that Sunday was Ruhetag (rest day) and the restaurant was closed. I told him I was fine with the beer ha.
Note the blue Puntigamer sign hanging in the background. What did I teach you about local beer?
I’ll spend the evening here, just outside Graz and then cross the border back into Slovenia in the morning. I’m headed south to the town of Moribor next.
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