I am going to be honest when I put Graz, Austria on the itinerary I knew very little about the city. I had it on a list of places to visit in Austria for a ten day itinerary and it somehow made the cut even though Hallstat and Innsbruck did not. At first I am a little disappointed that I didn’t pick a mountain surrounded town but after spending time here I am glad I added to the itinerary.

Train ride here from Salzburg is absolutely beautiful. I see beautiful Bavarian mountains with clouds above them covering the peaks along with wooden houses and cute towns. It is easy to get from the train station to my hotel. Graz has got to be the public transportation model for many cities. There are trams going everywhere, running frequently. I am impressed.

I get lucky once again that my room is ready when I arrive. This time I am in a single (twin) with a view of nothing but it is clean and I have AC. Plus I have breakfast included again, even if its more of the same. At least I don’t have to be going out tracking down coffee and croissants every morning ( can I just say how much I miss a home cooked breakfast!).

My first plan is to book dinner at a recommended restaurant nearby called Landhauskeller. Before my reservation I tour the courtyard of the Grazer Landhaus, an old renaissance palace. The food isn’t terrible at Landhauskeller but I am not impressed until I get to the dessert – a pumpkin oil vanilla ice cream and candied pumpkin seeds on pancakes. It is the delicious combination I didn’t know I wanted.

So far I’m impressed with this city. Tomorrow I’ll check out a modern art museum.