This was a hiking day. It's only about a two hour drive from Graz to Vienna, but we spent a couple of hours hiking Myra Falls and another 2 or 3 hours hiking to and from Hamilton Castle.
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| Myra Falls is about an hour southwest of Vienna. It's about 2000 feet long, but only drops a total of 230 feet, so you have to admire it in several segments (that are each about 20-50 feet in height). This is one of the lower segments. |
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| This is one of the middle segments. |
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| This is one of the upper segments. A couple of German-speaking ladies kept trying to get in my pictures (they were successful here), but, by going in October, hardly anyone else was there. |
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| This castle (about 35 minutes southwest of Vienna) is really called "Ruine Rauheneck," but since our former bishop proposed to his wife there, we call it "Hamilton Castle." It was first built prior to 1130 A.D., but was destroyed by the Serbs in 1477. It was rebuilt, but then destroyed again in 1529 -- this time by the Turks. The entrance has a moat (under the bridge in the foreground) and the tower can be seen in the background. |
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| Although most of the inside is in ruins (hence "Ruine"), it is still very peaceful and fascinating in its beauty and antiquity. |
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| The tower is still intact and the view is incredible. Part of the castle wall can be seen to the left and another castle can be seen across the valley. |
