Rivendell

Rivendell is a valley in Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

Interlaken

Interlaken is a resort town in Central Switzerland. It lies between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Old timber houses and parkland feature prominently. Grindelwald is a nearby village and base for mountain ascents up the Eiger mountain. Lauterbrunnen is another nearby village associated with Tolkien said to be the inspiration for Rivendell. Bern, the capital of Switzerland, is the nearest big city to Interlaken (about an hour by train). It traces its origins to the 12th Century. It is less populated than Zurich and Geneva.

Harburg

Harburg is 1.5 to 2 hours north-west of Munich by road. It is one of Germany’s oldest fortifications. It was built in the 11th or 12th Century.

King Ludwig II

King Ludwig II created many interesting palaces, like the exquisite Linderhof and the unfinished Neuschwanstein Castle.

Neues Rathaus

The Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) in Munich. It is built in neo Gothic style contrasting it with buildings of the royal family. It was designed by George von Hauberrisser following an ideas competition when he was just 25 years old! He had studied in Munich, Berlin and Vienna. The clock has 43 bells, the lightest 10kg, the heaviest 1300kg. The clock is known as Rathaus-Glockenspiel. The tower can be climbed between 10am and 8pm.

Fussen and the Castle

Fussen is 3.5 miles from Neuschwanstein Castle

Bayern

Bayern is the German name for the southeastern state of Bavaria (one of 16 German federal states) and the home of Bayern Munich football club (FC Bayern Munchen) founded by German football player Franz John in 1900.

Halstatt

Halstatt is a village in Upper Austria (capital Linz, bordering Germany) in the Salzkammergut region. It lies on the south-western shore of Lake Halstatt. Salt mining has taken place there since prehistoric times.

Mirabell Gardens

The Mirabell Gardens (Mirabellgarten) surround the Mirabell SchloB in Salzburg. At the Southern end there is Mozarteum University Salzburg a renowned arts university specializing in music, drama and to a lesser extent graphic arts. There is also a playground (spielplatz) within the garden grounds. A statue of Nicholas Copernicus, by sculptor Josef Thorak (an artist with Salzburg roots) created in 1943 also sits within the grounds in the Zwerglgarten (dwarf gatden) and has been there since 1950.

The Salzach

The Salzach is a river in Austria and Germany. It is a tributary of the Inn. The Staatsbruche bridge connects new and old parts of Salzburg and crosses the Salzach.

Schonbrunn Palace

Is located in Hietzing the thirteenth district if Vienna. It is to the South West of Wien Westbahn and North West of Wien Meidling. It was the summer palace of the Habsburg rulers and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Directly behind the palace is a fountain of Neptune (Neptunbrunnen) and a gloriette, a raised construction overlooking the garden grounds.

Tiergarten Schonbrunn

Tiergarten Schonbrunn or Schonbrunn Zoo is located within the palace complex. It is the oldest zoo in the world established in 1752.

Richard the Lionheart

Richard the Lionheart is associated with the Wachau Valley having been imprisoned at Durnstein after a falling out with a Duke of Austria.

Melk - A Town on the Danube

Melk is an Austrian town in the Wachau Valley around 50 miles west of Vienna known for the 11th Century abbey above the town. It is renowned for having one of the largest monastic libraries in the world. It is a Benedictine monastery which follows the concept of staying in one place and shaping it sustainably. It is written as Stift Melk on maps in German. The Baroque garden pavillion is a special feature of the Abbey Garden which was opened in the year 2000. It hosts special events like International Baroque Music days. The Wachau region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been settled since prehistoric times.

Lower Austria

Lower Austria is one of the nine states of Austria, with capital Sankt Polten, and sits in the northeastern corner of Austria. Its German name is Niederosterreich. Its population is around 1.7m. It has rivers, mountains, lakes and natural caves. It borders Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

The Hofburg Imperial Palace

Construction began in 1275 in the reign of King Ottakar, and decades later, when the Habsburgs came to power, they made it expanded and beautiful. From 1533 numerous generations of Habsburgs made their own additions. They ruled territories of Austria, Hungary and Spain. The Habsburg Monarchy collapsed at the end of World War I with the fall of Austro-Hungarian Empire. The House of Habsburg takes its name from a castle (Schloss) in Switzerland. Many statues adorn the grounds of the Hofburg palace.

What is a Type F Plug?

Type F plugs are two pronged plugs common in Germany, Austria and Netherlands, as well as Spain, Greece and Portugal. Also known as Schuko, it was invented by engineer/entrepreneur Albert Büttner in Germany in 1925. They are not used in France.