Our family group of 4 joined an additional 9 at the Town Square to meet Stephen on a cold morning…read morein Decemberafter Christmas. Stephen was punctual, patient with questions and very professional. His aspirations to one day be a teacher should be confirmed with his ability to bring you back in time to explain how Cesky Krumlov began, continued to grow with generations of rulers, through world wars, communist rule and its modern day survival thanks to tourism. The tour was thorough and just under two hours. We enjoyed our time together. Lots of walking, steps up/down and cobblestone streets. Be prepared. Enjoy!

They offer two daily free walking tours starting at the Info center at Town Square. At other times…read morethey can schedule private tours at cost. Daniel, our tour guide, did not show me anything I did not see since it is a small town. I arrived three days earlier. However, he had a fluid knowledge of the history of the area and nomenclature of the architecture. He had a dry sense of humor and easily filled the two hours with narratives, description of buildings, and the political impact on the town. I used some of his local tips on eateries and breweries and was not disappointed. I knew the town had a prominent place in CZ history, but now I know the characters behind the evolution. Our group was not the photo taking type, but I am sure you can snap away and discreetly step away from some of the dialogue. We wandered half the time in Old Town and headed up to the castle for the rest of the time. Tipping is expected but I had no misgivings about it since it was time well spent.

Great learning experience for all kinds of techno art. Too many pictures and videos to post. Their…read morelatest exhibit on AI and music is really interesting. Lots of companies work with this group to build out ideas that we all have seen and loved.

There is a TL;DR/Summary at the end…read more Somehow, I was expecting this place to be much shinier from the outside. The day was rather drab when I went, and the building didn't look particularly exciting either. Even as the day cleared up, the building did not become much shinier. It does look rather cool at night though. Went here with a group (guided tour) and was therefore not able to see the whole facility. I was, however, able to see the main exhibit and the deep space theater. --- Deep Space is cool in that they project on the floor and on the wall, and they do so in 8K resolution (with 3D projection onto the wall). However, I was unfortunately not particularity impressed with this "theater". First, since people are sitting on the floor, it seems the whole purpose of floor projection is at least partially defeated. Also, with the screen being flat, you do not get a fully immersive experience. Don't get me wrong, it was still wicked cool, and immersive enough that when I was watching the sports videos they were showing, my body was rocking a bit side to side as if to make adjustments (move my body) in the actual sport. Main exhibit was really cool in that they are demoing, or at least have examples of the lastest and greatest technology. Some of it is just really cool, like the exhibit where ricking your head side to side produces an image of an eye (you will see), some that is revolutionary in entertainment, medicine, IoT, or others. For instance, they had 3D printers, eye tracking, a robotic animal designed to keep people company who are in the hospital (especially those who are suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's). They also had lamps with personality, and virtual reality headsets. Two other exhibits I saw were simply informative. In one they discuss that many ways Facebook uses your information (you will want to delete it afterward), and one where you send a text to a number, it is printed and instantly shredded. However, it makes the comment that still, that text is stored on a node somewhere that it passed through before printing and shredding. I was expecting more interactive exhibits, or, rather more staff staffing the interactive exhibits. ---------- TL;DR/Summary: This is a museum of "technological" art. But, art that is not just for self-expression, but for changing the world!!!!! This place shines most on the inside. You will not find ancient technologies, or paintings, or yesterday's news. You will get to experience the latest and greatest in technology that is changing the world. You will get to interact with robots, see how accessible the world is/will be for those with disabilities, see the early stages of groundbreaking medical devices/achievements. You will see how technology in use right now is shaping your personal world (like Facebook's data usage)

This was another stop on our drive to Vienna as there was no easy public transport options to reach…read morethe camp (located at the top of a hill). There was no admission fee unlike the other concentration camps visited in Germany and Poland. A small fee was charged for a physical audio guide but if you had a smart phone then you can listen to a free online guide. WiFi was available for free. To see one of the free movies you need to check in with the help desk and they would go ahead and setup the room since no one else seemed interested that day of our visit. It was odd having the whole theatre to ourselves but the movie was informative. I recommend seeing the quarry at the start of the tour since it's a bit of a walk away and only reachable via the Stairs of Death. The quarry wasn't much except an open valley now but helpful signage explained what went on and the price the prisoners paid hauling the stones up those horrific stairs (conditions now nothing like how bad it was) to build the camp or to supply other needs. The entire grounds were fully accessible that day but can be closed in poor weather. All visitors entered the camp via the main gate and both the German occupied buildings and those of the prisoners were mostly open. We walked through the chapel, barracks, gas chamber, incinerator, room of names, etc. The museum was comprehensive in telling the story and showing artifacts about the camp, conditions, death and survival, liberation day and more. Overall it wasn't as large as Auschwitz/Birkenau but was still an important to see as each camp presented the history differently. Another unique feature about this site was the large outdoor area dedicated to sculptures and memorials created by artists from around the world or contributed by countries to reflect and honor. We limited our visit to two hours since we needed to be in Vienna by evening but it would be easy to spend more time here.

We visited on tour. Our tour guide has worked there for 17 years. She was amazing. She was so…read moreemotional, and after all of her years working there, we thought she presented with the emotions of having personally experienced it or being there for the first time. We were told throughout our visit in the area that you can forgive but you can't forget, and this is a striking memorial of what we need to remember and what we can never allow to happen again. Our day was really foggy so it was hard to see everything outside, but enough of the original grounds, work area, barricks, ... still exist to give you a real understanding of what happened there. It's difficult to take in, but a must see. And so many countries have now built memorials all representing their own story of the site.

Beautiful church, the decorations, frescos and statues are really impressive…read more This large building with its white towers and blue-green domes is the crucial baroque church north of the Alps. The ornately interior holds an exceptional treasure: the biggest cathedral organ in the world with 17,974 pipes and 233 registers...currently being renovated, so many of the pipes are not on site....The noon concert was not great due to the lack of organ pipes....which are expected to be ready to play again in 2027. The St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Danube's eastern region. The magnificent cathedral with lots of Baroque influence is situated at the highest point of Passau's old town, the Altstadt.

As so many others I was in town to join a river cruise and thought I should go and see the world's…read morelargest pipe organ. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that it is under construction currently. Half of the Dom is blocked by scaffolding. I mean it's still very pretty with lots of things to admire, but I won't be back here again and so I did miss out on the organ. Still it is worth a look-see. It is quite an impressive church.

Such an incredible tour! Our tour guide was Claudio, who was fantastic. We took a bus up to Mondsee…read more(town outside Salzburg) and biked around Mondsee (the lake). The lake is surrounded by mountains, and the views are breathtaking. We stopped periodically to admire the views, have a picnic, and to hike a short distance to a waterfall. Claudio knew a lot about the history of the area, as well as the best places to hike, eat, explore, etc. The bike ride itself took about 5 hours with the stops. There were a few steep hills, but very doable for people in shape. Bus tickets and bike rentals are provided in cost of tour, but bring cash for a tip! Overall, it was an incredible experience, and exactly what I wanted out of the trip. Would highly recommend! (The pictures don't even do it justice)

From the owner: Monkey Business Tours is a tour company created to offer the best possible experiences while…read morevisiting Salzburg! The company runs on the principle of quality over quantity and personal treatment instead of anonymity!! The tours offer are: A family friendly bike tour just outside Salzburg with beautiful beaches to swim and relax. As well we offer a hike to the Eagle's Nest mountain in Berchtesgaden, giving you the opportunity to become an explorer and discover the locations and history behind WWII and the region.

This was the final stop of our Austria drive before we hit Vienna for our flight home. I made sure…read moreour travels included a stop at the abbey since it was a large UNESCO site, high above the Danube River and had some impressive rooms inside. The signage throughout the city of Melk was plenty and clearly directed us to the parking lot above the abbey. Remember to take your parking ticket for free validation at the ticket office. It was around a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the main ticketing desk. Don't go to the garden ticket booth unless you have a ticket or only want to pay for the garden visit. Admission included access to the church (amazing detail), museum, library (open but under renovation), gardens (with a must see interior of the Pavilion main hall), bastion (panoramic views above Melk and Danube) and the Marble Room (beautiful ceiling paintings). We joined the English guided tour for 4 Euros per person (Skippable IMO) and ended in the library as the guides were not allowed into the final stop, the church. From the guided tour one of the most important highlight was the famous Melk Cross, with a splinter of the true cross, had been stolen twice and fought over (Vienna and Melk) but now was no longer on display due to its condition. Since this was an active abbey photos were not allowed once inside by policy. Sometime the docents would stop you but other times not (ie. adult chaperones overseeing a school field trip). Guided tour took almost one hour but by the time we wrapped up our visit a storm moved in. We missed taking photos from the city of Melk to show just how large this complex was. If you're visiting Vienna then take a side trip out here. It will be worth it.

Melk Abbey Visited…read morethe abbey on an all-day tour starting in Vienna, then heading to Hallstatt and Salzburg. We were only there for 45 minutes, so I just had time to run in and admire the beautiful church. That was more than enough to know I have to return to Austria to properly explore the abbey and the entire Wachau Valley. What a place!!!

Beautiful castle which was built at the end of 13th century. You can see two styles there - gothic…read more(originally built in this style) and renaissance (later recontruction of one part of the castle). You can pick one of the four different guiding tours (or all of them step by step). There is a restaurant which is actually pretty good. Many cultural events take place there, including weddings and concerts. Parking lot is only 300 meters from the castle. Definitely one of those "must see" castles.