Mauthausen and the Danube

Trip Start Jul 28, 2007

Trip End Sep 02, 2007

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Flag of Austria Mauthausen, Austria
Tuesday, August 7, 2007

We left the Czech Republic early in the morning and started for Mauthausen. Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp in Austria located high on a hill over the Danube with a rock quarry nearby. Mauthausen was not a death camp in the sense that Auschwitz was, but the prisoners there were worked to death in the quarry. Most of the prisoners were political prisoners, mostly revolutionaries and Russian POWs. We were able to tour the prison and crematories, but the barracks and all other buildings were closed due to storm damage. We were also unable to tour the majority of the grounds because they were "unsafe" (I am started to think there is a conspiracy afoot).

Miles of Vineyards

Stopping for Dinner

After leaving Mauthausen, we drove up the Danube towards Vienna. We went off the beaten track (aka off the freeway) and took the scenic road along the Danube. Beautiful scenery! Vineyards lining the hillsides and the sparkling Danube... gorgeous! I couldn't resist dipping my toes in. It was wonderful! We stopped for dinner in a riverside restaurant where nobody spoke English. It was an adventure in ordering.